Cooma Hospital and Health Service – Emergency Department
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2, 3, 4
Bent Street, Cooma NSW 2630
Snowies Alpine Walk · Checked October 2026
Snowies Alpine Walk emergency & health guide: hospitals, rescue, 000 and PLBs
How to call for help with limited phone signal, the nearest hospital for each of the 4 stages, and the park rules: entry fees, season and closures, camping, water and the Snowy River crossing.
In an emergency call 000 from any phone, or 112 from a mobile; both reach the same service. For a lost or injured walker ask for the police, who coordinate search and rescue, usually with a helicopter. Mobile reception is limited in the park, so in a life-threatening emergency activate a personal locator beacon (PLB). Say which section you are on, the nearest landmark (Seamans Hut, Rawson Pass, Porcupine Rocks) and, if you can, your GPS coordinates; the Emergency+ app shows them.
Emergency numbers
| Number | What it is |
|---|---|
| 000 | Triple Zero: police, ambulance and fire, free from any phone, 24/7. For a lost or injured walker ask for the police: they coordinate search and rescue. |
| 112 | Works from mobile phones only and reaches the same service as 000; there is no advantage over 000 and it still needs mobile coverage. |
| 106 | Text emergency calls from a TTY for people who are deaf or have a speech impairment. |
| 1300 072 757 | NSW National Parks Contact Centre: park passes, NPWS lodges and campground bookings, 7am to 7pm daily |
| 02 6450 5600 | Snowy Region Visitor Centre, Jindabyne: conditions, maps and free PLB hire, 8.30am to 5pm daily |
| 1800 022 222 | healthdirect: medical advice from a nurse when it is not an emergency, 24/7 |
Mobile reception is limited in Kosciuszko National Park and absent in many valleys, so carry a personal locator beacon (PLB) and use it only in a life-threatening emergency. NPWS lends them free at the Snowy Region Visitor Centre in Jindabyne and the Perisher Valley office. Install the Emergency+ app, leave an NPWS trip intention form with someone at home, and check the Bureau of Meteorology alpine forecast every morning.
Rules to know
- Park entry fees apply on Kosciuszko Road and Alpine Way: $17 per vehicle per day outside winter ($29 in winter), or a Short Breaks Pass of 5 days for $68 (not valid in winter). The walk itself needs no permit or booking.
- Season: NPWS offers the self-guided walk from November to April. From June to October the route is snowbound, Kosciuszko Road to Charlotte Pass is closed and Perisher Valley to Bullocks Flat is shut because it crosses ski trails.
- 9–27 November 2026: aerial pest control closes Guthega to Charlotte Pass, Charlotte Pass Village to Perisher Valley and Perisher Valley to Bullocks Flat every weekday from 5.45am to 8.15pm. The Main Range loop stays open; penalties apply for entering closed areas.
- Walk the Main Range loop anticlockwise. You rock-hop the Snowy River at Foremans Crossing 800 m from Charlotte Pass; if the water is high, turn back there instead of being stuck 19 km away.
- There is no drinking water on any section. Carry 2–3 litres a day; toilets are at Guthega, Charlotte Pass, Rawson Pass, Perisher Valley and Bullocks Flat (the Seamans Hut toilet has been closed for repairs since September 2026).
- Camping is not allowed in the catchments of Blue Lake, Lake Albina, Club Lake, Lake Cootapatamba and Hedley Tarn, within 30 m of water, or within 200 m of Charlotte Pass, Guthega, Rawson Pass, the summit or Foremans Crossing. Huts are for emergencies only. No fires above the treeline: use a fuel stove, and carry out all rubbish and toilet waste.
- Weather: snow, hail, freezing wind and thunderstorms are possible in every month on the Main Range, even in January, and markers are hard to see in fog. Carry waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves, start early and turn back if a storm builds.
- Transfers: each day starts and ends in a different place and there is no public transport between them in summer. Book transfers with your lodge or a Jindabyne operator; parking at Charlotte Pass is very limited.
- Pets (other than certified assistance animals) are not allowed, recreational drones are prohibited, and cycling and smoking are banned on the walk. 1080 poison baits for wild dogs and foxes are laid in the park; keep away from signed bait areas.
- Bullocks Hut, 100 m off the track on the last day, is closed for restoration. Stay back from the edge at Porcupine Rocks, where the rock is slippery above a sheer drop.
Nearest hospital for each stage
| # | Stage | Hospital (24/7 emergency) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guthega → Charlotte Pass | Cooma Hospital and Health Service – Emergency Department |
| 2 | Charlotte Pass → Charlotte Pass Village | Cooma Hospital and Health Service – Emergency Department |
| 3 | Charlotte Pass Village → Perisher Valley | Cooma Hospital and Health Service – Emergency Department |
| 4 | Perisher Valley → Bullocks Flat | Cooma Hospital and Health Service – Emergency Department |
Hospitals
Canberra Hospital – Emergency Department
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2, 3, 4
Corner Yamba Drive and Hindmarsh Drive, Garran ACT 2605
Clinics and GPs
There is no doctor at Guthega, Charlotte Pass or Bullocks Flat in summer, and the Perisher and Thredbo medical centres open only in the ski season. The nearest GPs are in Jindabyne. For medical advice when it is not an emergency, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (24/7).
Snowy River Health Centre (Jindabyne HealthOne)
- Opening hours only
- Stages 1, 2, 3, 4
5 Thredbo Terrace, Jindabyne NSW 2627
Snowy Mountains Medical Centre
- Opening hours only
- Stages 1, 2, 3, 4
Shop 22, Nuggets Crossing, Snowy River Avenue, Jindabyne NSW 2627
Pharmacies, cash and supplies
- Pharmacies:
- ATMs: Perisher Valley
- Shops: Perisher Valley
- Bus stops: Perisher Valley, Bullocks Flat
There is no pharmacy on the walk or in the villages in summer, and Australia has no duty-pharmacy rota. Buy your medicines, a blister kit and strong sunscreen in Jindabyne or Cooma before you start. Lodges have power, but carry a power bank for long days on the Main Range.
Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.
Have the nearest help on your map, offline
Outest shows these hospitals, pharmacies, ATMs and stops on the Snowies Alpine Walk map, offline, together with the route, water and places to sleep.