Reaching the summit of mainland Australia's tallest mountain is by far easier than reaching top peaks in other parts of the world, yet there is still a certain sense of achievement and opportunity to enjoy the rich scenery along the way.
Six hours' drive south-west of Sydney is Kosciuszko National Park, home to Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, 2228 metres above sea level. The peak is surrounded by close to 675,000 hectares of parklands, famous for skiing in winter and adventure sports in summer. The best way of getting to the peak is via the year-round chairlift from Thredbo followed by an easy 6km walk. Ski season opens in June.
A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with 20 species of plants occurring nowhere else in the world is on the summit area of the peak alongside wide views over sub-alpine snow gum woodlands, tall alpine ash forests and mountain gum.
The aboriginal name for the mountain is Tar Gan Gil. The common Australian pronunciation of Kosciuszko ("kozzy-osko") differs greatly from the Polish pronunciation of the Polish national hero General Tadeusz Kościuszko whom it was named after – "kosh-CHOOSH-ko". Formerly spelled in an anglicised form, (Kosciusko), the official spelling adopted in 1997 by the Geographical Names Board of NSW is Kosciuszko.
Feeds