New South Wales Select the peak you want to view and click "GO"

State	Mountain	Height (metres)
New South Wales	Mount Kosciuszko	2228
Victoria	Mount Bogong	1986
Australian Capital Territory	Bimberi Peak	1913
Queensland	Bartle Frere	1622
Tasmania	Mount Ossa	1617
Northern Territory	Mount Zeil	1531
South Australia	Mount Woodroffe	1435
Western Australia	Mount Meharry	1253

New South Wales - Mount Kosiuszko

| About Mount Kosciuszko |

Although the highest mountain in all of Australia, climbing Mount Kosciuszko is probably the easiest of the entire State 8 to summit.

What makes Kosciuszko so appealing (and easy) to climb is a raised metal walkway which runs the entire length of the walk. This really does mean that any man, woman, child or grandparent can scale Kosciuszko in a few hours (and they do). Some thirty thousand people climb Kosciuszko every year and until the mid 1970's you could even drive your car right up to the base of the final few hundred metres of pathway.

While bagging Kosciuszko may be a relatively straight forward exercise (with little actual exercise) the surrounding landscape and alternative routes to the summit are spectacular, with the ease of the walk well made up for in the beauty of the Kosciuszko area.

Mount Kosciuszko forms part of the Kosciuszko National park, one of the few areas of Australia which is blanketed under snow during the winter months. This entire region is Alpine with most of the walk above the tree line. Kosciuszko lies in the Great Dividing Range, a mountain range which runs down the entire east coast of Australia from Queensland to Victoria.

There are three routes which lead to the Kosciuszko summit:

| Kosiuszko Walk via Thredbo Village |

If you think putting the bins out is hard work or a walk to the corner store is tiring then this route is probably not for you. Infact I'd suggest reading this webpage is probably as much exercise as you should safely undertake. This walk is so easy, not even my grandma wanted to do it. Ok, perhaps I jest and the sudden change in weather can certainly add to the excitment, however the walk itself is child's play. I actually did do this walk with my grandmother :)

From Thredbo Alpine Village a chairlift will bypass any exertion you may have had to endure in doing this walk (ie it takes you to the top of the mountain), leaving you walking a relatively horizontal trail the entire route. An elevated walkway runs the entire length of the walk and during the summer holiday months there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of tourists making the daily pilgramage. To beat the crowds, I'd suggest an early start. You'll be heading home before most people are even starting out. Infact there are so many tourists that NSW National Parks and Wildlife have buit toilets, rubbish bins and other facilities at the end of the walkway. I'm not sure I'm big fan of this construction (I'm sure McDonalds is already bidding for the rights to build a restaurant here) but I guess with the number of people now making this walk their crap needs to go somewhere. And in a toilet or a bin is a whole better than just anywhere off the pathway.

At the end of the metal walkway (6.5km (4 miles) from start to finish) is perhaps the only climbing you'll actually have to do on the walk. A few hundred metres of pathway winds its way up Kosiuszcko to the summit. Despite all of this, the views from the summit are pretty awesome and being the highest person in all Australia is pretty nifty.

Despite all the tourists, this is a pretty cool walk and one I always look forward to. While most hikers start from Thredbo and walk back to Thredbo, if you can coordinate it, walking back via the Summit Road to Charlottes Pass is a much better option (especially as it's all downhill) - you can even ride a bike up here. You'll need to organise some sort of way to get back to Thredbo as the entire round trip is about 15.5km. See more info below. As the crow flies the village of Thredbo and Charlottes Pass are pretty close, but as the car drives they are about 1.5 hours apart. Starting at one location and ending up at the other certainly provides a more interesting walk, however requires a little more coordination.

| Summit Walk via Charlottes Pass|

The Charlottes Pass provides two routes to Kosciusko which can also be combined for a long round trip. The Summit Walk is actually the old service road which runs to Kosciuszko and Ranger cars still use this road today. One way trip is approximately 9km (5.6 miles).

The road is in very good condition so the walking is not too difficult. Most of the walk hugs a ridge, providing fantastic views down into the valley and the famous Snowy River, as well as good views across the valley and distant peaks.

You'll finally descend into the valley, cross the Snowy River before embarking on a steady climb back up the valley toward Kosciuszko. On the way up, you'll pass Seamans Hut, one of the few remaining huts still easily accessible. Seamans Hut was built in 1929 after a couple of skiers perished after becoming lost in a blizzard. Don't worry, they died during winter, not in the middle of summer.

After the Kosciuszko Walk via Thredbo this route attracts a good number of day hikers, however there is an added bonus with route with the facility of being able to ride a pushbike long the road. While I haven't done this myself, I'm sure cycling would be pretty fun.

| Main Range Track via Charlottes Pass |

If you've managed to read this far, you're in for a treat, as I've left the best for last. This route is by far the best of the three options and I would honestly say the Main Range Track is one of the best walks Australia has to offer.

The track winds its way up and over mountains, skirts glacial lakes and is so devoid of people you'll think you're miles from anywhere.

While this walk could be completed in a long day (about 12.5km one way), I would suggest that if you do undertake this walk you aim on returning via the Summit Walk or Kosciuszko walk. However, better still would be to do this walk over several days. 2-3 days would provide ample time to explore some of the other spots long this walk.

The walk itself is not too difficult. After leaving Charlottes Pass you immediately descend into the valley and must cross the Snowy River by way of rock hopping. This is as far as many walkers go. While few fall into the river crossing, many end up with a wet shoe. The rocks are slippery and the river can rise (especially after alot of rain).

Once across the Snowy you immediately begin the long hard slog back up the other side. This part of the walk seems to go on forever with each new ridge looking like it should be the last. Fortunately the track is well maintained at this point and there are plenty of good rocks along the way to take a breather.

Finally after what seems like hours (it probably is) you climb a ridge and stand overlooking Blue Lake. Everytime I've been to Blue Lake it's been cloudy, but I'm sure in the sun it is blue (it's always been a kind of turquoise blue when I've been there). However, this is a good spot for a break and a rest. The hikers who have continued this far will often venture down to the lake edge before returning to Charlottes Pass.

Continuing further is where the adventure begins. The path soons become a track and while there is never really the chance of wandering off the trail, it does get a little rocky in spots. Having just left the awesome views of Blue Lake, you are get again blown away a little further on where the path abruptly changes direction heading in a southeast direction.
Standing at the edge of a precipice, the views toward Mount Sentinel rising up from the abyss, the northern edge of the Abbott Ridge cascading into the valley below, you would think you were in some other country and not Australia. Above the treeline, the wind blowing across the hightops, the view from this vantage point awesome. Certainly another good photo opportunity before the climb up Curruthers Peak. If you have time to kill, the walk to the top of Mount Twynam is also worth it, as this mountain stands alone and really does make you feel like you are wandering into the wilderness.

The climb to the top of Carruthers Peak (the 10th highest mountain in Australia) is the last of the hard yakka, from here on out the going is fairly level. The more gentle slopes to the north of Albina Lake is one of the spots many overnight hikers choose to spend the night (although if you can push on the valley of Wilknsons Creek is alot more pleasant (in my opinion anyway). If you do choose to spend the night here you may want to explore what's left of Albina hut on the southern end of the lake (although little more than foundations still survive). Just before the final push toward Kosciuszko, anyone wanting to spend a night in the high country, should opt to stay somewhere in the Wilkinsons Valley. There are many places to setup tent, the creek water is clean enough to bottle, and you have Mount Townsend (the 2nd highest mountain in Australia) in the north and Mount Kosciuszko in south watching over you during the night. Infact, this area is so good for camping, that you will rarely be the only tent in the valley.

Spending the night in the valley, means you can make an early start and summit Kosciuszko before the hordes tourists start to arrive from Thredbo. Jostling for a photo opportunity atop Australia's highest mountain isn't quite as much fun when you need to wait for other tourists to take thier happy snaps before you.

For a more detailed description of following the Main Range Track checkout www.aussie10.com

| Fees |

There are two fees which you may need to pay in order to climb Kosciuszko.

1. National Park Entry Fee
Must be paid per person or per vehicle.
Check here for the most up-to-date entry fees.

2. Chairlift Fees
If you plan on using the Thredbo chairlift and start from the top of Thredbo, you will need to pay a one-way chairlift fee.
Check here for the most up-to-date lift fees.

| The Weather |

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Avg. High

19°

18.5°

16°

12°

8°

4°

2.5°

3.5°

6°

10°

14°

16°

Avg. Low

6°

5°

3°

0°

-1.5°

-3.5°

-5°

-4°

-2°

0°

2°

4°

Avg. Rain (mm)

97

73

114

98

131

168

186

235

229

173

136

91

(weather measured at Perisher Valley ~13.6km away)

-->Thredbo Village Australian Bureau of Meteorology Website<--

Temperature Converter (www.unitconversion.org)

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On this adventure: Tom, Matt, Tiana, Roland