Mount Kosciuszko

At 2228 metres, Kosciuszko is the highest point on the Australian mainland, which sets expectations it cannot really meet: the summit is a broad rounded rise rather than a peak, and the walk to it is not difficult. What makes the day worthwhile is the plateau it crosses. Above the treeline the Snowy Mountains open into rolling alpine country of granite tors, snow gums at the edges, glacial lakes and, through January and February, a short intense flowering of alpine plants. From Thredbo a chairlift lifts you most of the way and a raised metal walkway runs about six and a half kilometres to the top. From Charlotte Pass the track is longer and quieter.

History

The Ngarigo name for the mountain is Kunama Namadgi, and the Polish explorer Paweł Edmund Strzelecki named it in 1840 after the general Tadeusz Kościuszko, for its likeness to the Kościuszko Mound in Kraków. Strzelecki's party, with James Macarthur and the Aboriginal guides Charley Tarra and Jackey, climbed from the Geehi Valley by Hannel's Spur to the peak now called Mount Townsend, where his instruments showed that the neighbouring summit was slightly higher, and he reached it alone on 12 March 1840 (Wikipedia, Mount Kosciuszko).

Highlights

• The summit walkway - a raised metal path across fragile alpine ground to the high point.
• Alpine wildflowers - dense flowering across the plateau through January and February.
• Glacial lakes - Lake Cootapatamba and Blue Lake, visible from the main routes.
• Granite tors - weathered outcrops standing above the treeless rolling plateau.

When to go

December to March is the walking season, when the track is clear of snow and the flowers are out. Outside that window the plateau is a snow environment requiring proper gear and experience. Weather changes fast at any time of year, and a warm morning in Thredbo can mean wind and sleet on the summit ridge two hours later.

What to expect

Many people find the summit anticlimactic; it is a walk on a metal path to a mound with a cairn, not a mountaineering objective, and on fine summer weekends the walkway is busy end to end. Add the chairlift and the park entry fee and it is not cheap. There is no shelter on the plateau if the weather turns.

Nearby

Thredbo and Jindabyne are the bases, with Charlotte Pass and the Snowy River valley nearby.

Key facts