towing caravan to snowy mountains from Brisbane

No. Tumut to Adamidaby is one of the steepest climbs in Australia. you WILL overheat your transmission and encounter black ice and there is - of course - the risk of snow that will leave yiu stranded. So forget coming in via Tumut. Stay off the Snowy Mtns Highway altogether. TBH I think there are restrictions on some vehicle such as c'vans and laregr trucks.
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Plan your route of Canberra, Cooma, Jindabyne then the resort towns of Thredbo and/or Perisher. Much betterer drive!

There are two parks and all shops/servoces/pubs etc Jindabyne. There is one at Sawpit Creek on the access road to Perisher. (very nice bushy sites).
I doubt you will be permitted to take the van beyond there due to the risks and restrictions.

Call Nat Parks for advice and restrictions - towing, chains, permits etc.

I have towed/camped all over the snowies in summer, I ski in winter and due to risks mentuioned above there is no way I would take a van there in winter. Sorry.
HTH

Stay in Cooma, Berridale or Jindabyne and take the train to the snow from Jindabyne. Cooma & Berridale will be cheaper than Jindabyne.
regards

Also consider Adaminaby near cooma and take the kids to the Mt Selwyn ski fields, much cheaper for families than some of the fancy ski fields but sometimes snow cover can be a bit lite.
As for travelling the snowy hwy again it depends on snow and ice conditions,on a good day no problems,RTA and national parks have warning advice re chains or restrictions which can be checked at Tumut. This route is a great drive,a drive we do often from Talbingo up to Selwyn for a Ski.
check link
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/parks/southern/Kosciuszko_National_Park/3KosiGuide2012Drives.pdf

Kids will have a ball with a simple tabogan run which are cheap to hire

As also stated elsewhere Jindabyne is a good base to stop also .
Also it is worth doing a snowy hydro tour at one of the power stations, Talbingo and Khancoban are goodones

Agree in part with the comments above. The climb up from Talbingo to the top is very steep. Log trucks use it all the time. As for gradient, it is a bit steeper than the run up to Toowoomba and not as steep as the run up to the Bunyah Mountains. Onve you leave Talbingo, there are no facilities until you get to Adaminaby. Unless you are going early in the morning, black ice is unlikely to be there, but be aware that it can happen at any time. It is worst early in the morning.

It all depends on the weather. If it fine and sunny, you should have no problems with driving on ice. If it turns nasty, forget even thinking about towing a caravan on the ice. I live in the area and there is no way I will tow my van or trailer on icy roads if I have a choice. The choice is to go via Canberra, Cooma and then to Adaminaby or Jundabyne.

Mt Selwyn is perfect for the first timers. They even have a free rope tow! Lots of families take a BBQ and cook sausages and onions in the carpark whilst I have to resort to eating cold sandwiches. Miserable buggers... The facilities at Selwyn are not 5 or 6 star standard, but Selwyn is much cheaper and more family oriented than the others. If you want to do the whole thing and go up the chairlift to the restaurant at the top, then go to Thredbo, but there you have to park in the carpark well away from the snow, and walk around the village etc. It all depends on what you want to do. Selwyn is underrated by the snobs. It doesn't get as much snow as the other resorts and is thus snubbed by the snobs. And no - I don't have any affiliation with any ski resorts. I don't even go skiiing any more, even though we virtually live in it (cries a bit).

Thanks to everyone for your replies. Really helpful and I appreciate the time you all took to respond. Selwyn certainly seems a good option for the kids. Don't really want them to get serious about skiing, just have some fun in the snow, so the toboggan sounds like a great idea. Is there likely to be snow at Selwyn by the beginning of July? I know that is a bit like asking how long is a piece of string, but I'm hoping those with some knowledge of the area might have some idea.

Cheers,
Nerida

Hi,
All good advice above.Definitely take the road through Canberra and Cooma. I tow a18'Roadstar up to Jynbadyne from the South Coast and its quite an easy tow. But one thing you must do is book in now if you are going to stay in a van park. Two van parks in Jyndabyne one in Adaminaby. Very busy this time of the Year. I would take the Kids to Selwyn Snowfields more child friendly If theres snow on the ground.
Cheers Steve

Do keep in mind that' it's a bit cooler down that way than up in QLD. Could be a bit nippy overnight. Expect frosts down to -5 or even -9 if you camp in the Snowy Mountains.

I'd think the Talbingo option for camping and Selwyn for the snow fun.

Otherwise stay at Cooma. A good bit colder than Talbingo but not as high as Jindabyne or Adaminby.

As others have said, you need to check the National Parks website to find out for sure, but I think you're not allowed to tow a van or trailor anywhere in the Kosciuskio National Park in the snow season, from the June long weekend till the October weekend.

As for the steepness, caravans are completely banned between Cabramurra and Khancoban, but you won't need to go that way.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't be camping up there in a caravan in the snow season. I'd stay down on the flat country.

Best wishes.

We have travelled over most of Eastern Aus and i would prefer to never take a van up that road again. Our old T/d 80 struggled with an 18" poptop. We went up in summer but it was still freezing.

Nerida

Agree Canberra - Cooma is the way to go. Depending on the weather the access from Tumut might be nil, difficult, or okay. Jindabyne is the hub and most lively town if you can get in to the park there.

It so happens that ALDI has a snow gear sale on from tomorrow if you live anywhere near a store. Prices are about 30% more than you'll pay for hire gear (boots, pants and jacket - buy the gloves). If you stop over in Canberra for a look it will probably be so cold they'll want to wear ski gear anyway.

Selwyn is certainly the most cost effective field (less snow usually, gentler terrain, more trees, less facilities) but for the full experience ($$$) getting the Skitube train up the mountain tunnel to Perisher or Blue Cow will really knock their socks off so to speak. The car park/terminal is up the Thredbo road not far from Jindabyne (no chains need to be carried iirc). If you are that way inclined you can buy combined NP entry and tube tickets. Google away and be prepared for a hit to the wallet.

Blue Cow info

G'day Nerida
A couple of years ago my wife, daughter and another couple went to the snow for the first time. I am over 50, daughter was late teens, other couple older than me. We rented a cabin between Adaminaby and Selwyn. The cabin was great and not that expensive (found via Google) and there was heaps of snow at Selwyn and most of the way from near the cabin all the way to the field. Even had a light sprinkle of snow at the cabin. Loved it. Sure you guys will too.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply. I really appreaciate the help.

Thanks, Sigmund. I hadn't thought about the need for snacks, so it's great that you brought it to my attention.