Pilot Hill Arboretum, Bago State Forest

Pilot Hill is a fabulous spot for a day trip to Bago State Forest. Located less than a half-hour drive from both Batlow and Tumbarumba and near the village of Laurel Hill, Pilot Hill offers a beautiful picnic area surrounded by lush forest and open, grassy areas. The arboretum has plantings of more than fifty tree species from all over the world, with most planted in the 1920s and 1930s. Two short walking tracks pass through the arboretum and the adjoining native forest of alpine ash. The Wellness Walk takes visitors through towering pines and incorporates sculptural features such as the Sound Pod and Sky Seat. These form part of the Naturefix stations along the track, designed to help visitors reconnect with nature, and the sights and sounds of the forest. The site is a great base to begin further explorations into the native alpine ash forest of the Bago Plateau and is an integral part of the Snowy Valleys Nature Wellness Drive.