The much anticipated inaugural event L’Étape, similar to the Tour de France and the biggest outside of France, L’Étape Australia was held on Saturday, December 3.

Not only a first for the Snowy Mountains, but the first time a Tour de France event has ever been held in Australia.

On behalf of Snowy Monaro Regional Council, I would like to thank all L’Étape volunteers and town coordinators who worked extremely hard to ensure the event ran smoothly.  Congratulations to all the riders who braved the challenging course, we look forward to seeing you next year.

It was lovely to see each community embrace the event whole heartedly, each town looked great with all the decorations along the 160k route.  Locals lined the roads and cheered the riders on in true Tour de France fashion, the vibe was described as electric.

Feedback received by the community has been positive, with event organisers and riders themselves saying how welcomed they felt and how the cheering spurred them on, especially on the gruelling hill climb stages.

In its 24th year the Cooma Cup and Sundowner Cup Cooma Races was also very successful and continues to gain popularity.  Race-goers made their way down to the track for a great day of punting and socialising.  Decked out and dolled up in their finery, looking elegant and glamorous, fashions of the field did not disappoint. 

The region has been a hive of activity over the last month and this is set to continue throughout summer, with event calendars filling up fast leading into 2017. Including the Cannonball Mountain Bike Festival in Thredbo and Fly Fishing Season opens this week.

There is something for everyone, all year round, in the Snowy Monaro Region.

3 R’s Expo

The three R's - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - all help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away.

Snowy Monaro Regional Council is hosting its first regional Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Expo on Saturday, February 25, 2017 with exhibitions, activities, demonstrations and lots of giveaways. We hope to have multiple venues across the region with innovative ideas on how to waste less, recycle more and work towards a more sustainable future.