Welcome to Dalgety

Dalgety is an historic town on the banks of the Snowy River in the beautiful NSW Snowy Mountains. It’s the only town on the river, and the peaceful setting is a great base for getting to the snowfields in winter and exploring Kosciuszko National Park in the summer.

Things to do in Dalgety

We have a lovely local community in Dalgety and we encourage you to support our fellow businesses. Get to know our town on the Dalgety Historic Town and River Walk - just ask us for more information, or read more about our history below.

Buckley’s Crossing Hotel

Relax in the courtyard of the Dalgety pub in summer, or warm up near the big fireplace in winter. The Hotel, built in 1889, has fascinating displays of historical memorabilia and photos, too.

Down by the river keep your eyes peeled in the early morning and late afternoon for a platypus or two!

Snowy Vineyard Estate

The coldest climate vineyard in Australia, Snowy Vineyard Estate has some unique varieties of grapes, all of German orientation. Also on site is the Dalgety Brewing Company, the first commercially produced beer in the Snowy Mountains region.

Dalgety Show

Held every year on the first Sunday in March, the Dalgety Show is the only show in New South Wales to be held on the banks of the iconic Snowy River. In September, you can watch the amazing skills of high-country riders and their magnificent horses at the Dalgety Team Penning.

The history of Dalgety Town

Dalgety is a small town located on the banks of the Snowy River, between Melbourne and Sydney in New South Wales, Australia.

Sitting on the Monaro Plains in the shadow of the Snowy Mountains, Dalgety is surrounded by rolling hills with impressive granite boulders scattered across the landscape.

Home to the Aboriginal people of the Ngarigo nation for tens of thousands of years, the region was known for its intertribal High Country gatherings in the summer.

European settler Edward Buckley established a farm next to a safe crossing location on the Snowy River in 1832, and named it Buckley’s Crossing.

By 1848 it had been renamed Barnes Crossing and was an important resting place on the stock route between Gippsland in Victoria and the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, a time immortalised in the Banjo Patterson’s poem ‘The Man from Snowy River.’

The village waited another 30 years to be formally surveyed in 1874, toward the end of the Victorian gold rush. It was renamed Dalgety after the maiden name of the surveyor’s wife. In 1888, the river punt was retired and the first Dalgety bridge was built.

In 1904, Dalgety was named as the location for the newly federated Australia’s capital city. Sydneysiders immediately complained that it was too close to Melbourne - an early example of the intercity rivalry - and Dalgety lost the crown to Canberra.

These days it is a peaceful small town loved by adventurers and holidaymakers in search of beautiful scenery and an abundance of Australian history.

Dalgety Town Gallery