- See also: Thredbo, a well known ski resort in the park
Kosciuszko National Park is in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales in Australia.
Understand[edit]
Australia isn't often associated with snow, but the Kosciuszko national park is 6,900 km², and offers decent enough skiing opportunities 350 km south-west of Sydney.
History[edit]
Used by aboriginal people for over 20,000 years, the park was a meeting point for feating on nutritious Bogong moths during the summer months. The first European to climb the mountain in 1840, Edmund Strzelecki, named the highest mountain here after a Polish hero called General Tadeusz Kościuszko, which explains the etymology of a name that is rather difficult to pronounce by most Australians.
The park was founded as "National Chase Snowy Mountains" in 1906, and renamed to its present name in 1944.
Landscape[edit]
Flora and fauna[edit]
The wildlife is rather unique given that this is a cold part of a generally very warm continent. The corroboree frog, mountain pygmy possum and dusky antechinus are located in the high reaches. There is also a significant population of wild horses.
Climate[edit]
The park has a cold Alpine climate, and the upper regions experience heavy snow for around 4 months of the year.
Get in[edit]
Fees and permits[edit]
Get around[edit]
The park boasts its own electric railway. The Skitube Alpine Railway was built (as its name suggests) primary for skiers moving between 1 Bullocks Flat (with road access and parking) and the ski resorts of 2 Perisher Valley and 3 Blue Cow Mountain.
See[edit]
- 1 Mount Kosciuszko. Australia's tallest mountain, and featured as such on the original Seven Summits list. As climbing the Kosciuszko is a rather trivial challenge compared to the other continental summits, the Puncak Jaya on New Guinea is a taller and more challenging peak in Oceania.
- Blue Lake.
Do[edit]
Hike the Main Range walk (22 km).
Buy[edit]
Eat[edit]
Drink[edit]
Sleep[edit]
Lodging[edit]
Camping[edit]
Backcountry[edit]
Stay safe[edit]
Go next[edit]
- Tumut is a town just outside of the park and a good base from which to explore it.