How about a long lunch at one of NSW's 2022 top towns?

If there’s a spot you really should go out of your way for it’s Khancoban and for a very delicious reason.

For those among you who love a long lunch, here nestled in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, amid the upper reaches of the Murray River, on the rooftop of Australia, is a small town that was this year voted one of NSW’s top tourism towns.

And come 17 September, this little gem, steeped in history and big on personality, will play host to locals and visitors as they set up the tables and smooth off the tablecloths for a ‘loooooooooooong’ lunch.

The long lunch concept has been developed to promote the local area and attract visitors back to the Snowy Valleys and this tiny, somewhat isolated town of 304 people, originally built to house workers on the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme.

The 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires decimated nearby local attractions that had been drivers for visitation, including Mt Selwyn snowfield, nearby towns of Batlow, Tooma and Tumbarumba and cross-border communities including Corryong, just 20 kilometres away.

Council received funding from the Commonwealth of Australia’s Australian Trade and Investment Commission to host the event which was postponed in 2021 due to COVID-19.

Announced as the 2022 NSW Tourism Awards Top Tourism Town Itinerary winner, Khancoban packs a lot of whack as a launching place for tourists exploring the Snowy Mountains area including Kosciuszko National Park.

Thanks to the Alpine Way, travellers from the coast and Canberra can hop, step and jump the scenic route into the NSW High Country via Cooma and Jindabyne, past Thredbo Ski Resort and then meander west to explore what lies beyond the NSW Alps.

Khancoban is far from a place to pass through, simply because of what it offers in terms of the great outdoors.

In the warmer months, Khancoban Pondage is a magnet for swimming, kayaking, waterskiing and wakeboarding, while fishermen utilise the lake all year round.

Walkers take to the surrounding mountain ranges, including the Major Clews Hut walk – that begins 16 kilometres south of Khancoban – passing through forests, along ridgelines and gullies.

The Round Mountain Hut walk is another scenic – and relatively easy – route, especially when the wildflowers are out.

And it’s all about the photos on the road from Khancoban to Kiandra, rich in mining history with mining huts and dam crossings, the opportunity to see wildlife and brumbies as you progress on to Australia’s highest town, Cabramurra.

The 11 am to 3 pm long, lazy spring afternoon lunch in Khancoban will come courtesy of the town’s feted caterers – the Pickled Parrot Providore – who will deliver a flavourous menu incorporating the region’s 100 kilometre food bowl.

The Pickled Parrot was the original name of a restaurant at Khancoban’s Alpine Inn, named by Andrew and Annie Laycock after the king parrots that scattered the lawns in front of the pub under the silver birch trees.

The king parrots still frequent the town mostly around spring so the timing will be perfect!

Highlighting an incredible range of regional gourmet delights, the lunch will also feature local cool climate wineries, cider beer and gin.

All this amid the riot of colour that will be the rolling green pastures, valleys and plains bouncing with new spring lambs and the freshly blooming tulips in the town’s main street.

The event is for those over 18 only and places are limited.

Tickets are available here.

Council will also run buses from Tumbarumba and Corryong Buses which people can book for alongside their Khancoban Long Lunch ticket.

The love affair that led the Ladbrooks to gin and whisky