Long haul to the snow from the gong.

There would be company running ski packages so someone can point you in that direction.

Alternatively have a look here for the other options to DIY

http://www.discoverthredbo.com/travel/

Best G3 would be Telstra, Vodaphone or Optus but not necessarily cheap.

Wifi, usually in the coffee chains but some have an access fee of around $2 unlimite usuage, depends on the franchise

I wonder if the Student Association can help here. I expect even if they don't organise the odd ski trip, they'd know the lowdown on how to organise it from the 'Gong. They have a web presence http://src.uow.edu.au/

Getting the mobile (cell) phone sorted is a good idea, as it means she can contact and be contacted, especially using SMS to/from home. When it comes to her making the expected calls home, the only way to go is to get a calling card and making those calls from a landline.

Can't help with Wifi in the Gong area. But maybe the Student Association can offer advice there too. Cheerz Wab

July is peak season at the snow,August is a bit cheaper but if she waits until the first week of September the price drops dramatically, I know its late in the season but I have been down twice at this time and there has been plenty of snow. I can recommend Smiggins Hotel it was great, ski off from the hotel steps, and Perisher is just around the corner with shuttle buses to take you there free. Perisher is a young persons dream holiday, lots of partying and in the holidays they have a band playing at the bottom of the slopes near the chairlift. Skiing in Sept you need lots of water and sunscreen!

visit www.snowscene.com.au for ski packages

u better make sure your daughter's g3 cell phone works on the same frequency as those in australia.

I haven't been to the snow in years and when I did go it was by private vehicle, so I can't recommend anything specific, but I'll add some more links that might be useful.

The New South Wales skifields are the closest to Wollongong so places like Thredbo and Perisher-Blue (which includes the aforementioned Smiggins) come to mind.

http://www.thredbo.com.au/

www.perisherblue.com.au/winter/index.php

One option for your daughter might be to travel to Canberra and then take a bus from here. This is one company that advertises its winter service to the snow

www.murrays.com.au/default.asp…

And here is another one I found.

www.transborder.com.au/alpinexpress.html

I would think there are also buses from Sydney?

There is an airport at Cooma, the largest town in the region, but arrangements for this winter are unclear.

abc.net.au/news/…2238963.htm

You might also want to google Jindabyne. It's a small town between Cooma and the snow and I believe accommodation is cheaper there. I would imagine there are shuttle services from there up to the skifields.

Thanks for the posts.... we have found a potential bus trip for her out of sydney off of one of the suggested sites... I also verified her phone would work there with no problem so we located a cell package that I think will work.... anyone have an opinion on Chariot as an ISP... they have a package deal for internet service from her dorm at Weerona for $35 for 35 hours?

I can't help with any comment on Chariot as I don't know them, which isn't an issue :-)

Just thought I'd post a link to an article about the skiing areas in today's Sydney paper

smh.com.au/news/…1212259115385.html

Yes it is expensive to go skiing here, however that hasn't stopped hordes going on the 5 hour drive from Sydney for the start of the season this long weekend.

Cheerz Wab