Growing Up with Altitude: Brad Cox on Life, Music and the Snowy Mountains

Brad Cox has played stages across Australia and beyond, but ask him where it all started and the answer is simple: Jindabyne. For the rising global country music star, growing up in the Snowy Mountains was quietly shaping his sound, his values and the artist he'd become. He just didn't know it yet.

A Long Weekend, Every Weekend

Ask Brad Cox about growing up in Jindabyne and he'll tell you it didn't feel much like real life. In the best possible way. It's the kind of childhood that's hard to replicate anywhere else in Australia and Brad knows it.

"Going to Jindabyne Public School felt like being on holidays all the time," he says. "Skiing all day Friday with mates, footy on Saturday, then back up the hill with family on Sunday. It felt like a long weekend, every weekend."

Coming Home

A life on the road has a way of stretching the gaps between visits home. For Brad, that gap quietly grew to almost five years before he made it back to Jindabyne in July 2024.

"It wasn't intentional, it just happened that way," he says. "Coming home was such a joy that I've actually been writing a lot of songs about it."

And with much of his family still living locally, some things haven't changed at all. 

"Coming around that corner before East Jindabyne and seeing the lake, that always gets me."

The Jindabyne Effect

There's something about growing up in the Snowies that seems to produce people who back themselves. Brad's seen it his whole life and it’s an attitude that's served him well on the national stage.

"There's this unwritten rule that Jindabyne kids can do anything and be whoever they want to be," he says. "You can see it in the athletes, the journalists, the musicians, the business owners the region has produced. It comes down to the community, everyone gets around each other and that attitude sticks with you."

Still Drawn to the Bush

For all the stages and city venues Brad's played, it's the quieter corners of the Snowies that still call to him loudest.

"That part of the world is so blessed to be surrounded by national parks," he says. "The Lower Snowy has always been a special place for me."

And if you're visiting for the first time? He keeps his recommendation simple.

"Lunch at the Guthega Pub. Always a good time."

What Keeps Pulling Him Back

With a touring schedule that takes him across the country, Brad doesn't get home as often as he'd like. But when he does, the reason is straightforward. 

"My dear Nan."

Brad's Fast Faves

Favourite thing to do on a wet day in the Snowy Mountains? 
As a kid, it was always the Thredbo pool.
Favourite spot by a lake or river? 
The Pinch River with mates. 
Favourite Ski Resort?
We always skied Perisher, local knowledge means you know how to do it right and avoid the crowds.