Mount Kosciuszko is the highest peak of Australia and the pride of the mountain range Snowy Mountains, the only place where you can ski and snowboard in Australia. It was discovered by Polish explorer Pawel Edmund Strzelecki in 1840, who named it after Polish national hero and freedom fighter General Tadeusz Kosciuszko. highest peak in australia
Don’t let the name confuse you, because National Park Snowy Mountains is all-year-round destination with great options for hiking, camping and mountain biking in the summer, and great slopes to enjoy the snow in the winter. Visiting this area, however, is not a day trip and requires at least 2 nights stay, as there is a lot to do and it’s also quite far from Sydney (around 5 hour drive to Thredbo). Climbing the highest peak of Australia was something I really wanted to do since we first arrived to the Land Down Under and now it finally came true! highest peak in australia camping snowy mountains
New Year’s Eve in Sydney is often described as glorious because of the monstrous fireworks on Harbor Bridge and Opera House. Well, I see mostly just crowds of tourists and I really don’t enjoy being in the city this particular evening. That’s why we decided to go camping for NYE to Mt. Kosciuszko. Going camping for NYE was our plan for 3 years, but we never found a camping spot or were able to hire a car last minute. This time though we were ready! We hired a car a month in advance and in Snowy Mountains NP you don’t book your camping spot – you just have to hope there’s going to be one for you when you show up but the campgrounds are quite big so that shouldn’t be a problem. And so we went!
Campgrounds around Mt. Kosciuszko
As I said, the drive is long but the scenery is quite nice. Driving to Thredbo from Sydney takes up to 5 hours. When you get to the national park, there’s a ramp that won’t let you go further unless you pay your national park fee, which is $29 AUD per vehicle per day (24 hours). There are many campgrounds in the area. If you are coming from Sydney like us and driving through Thredbo, you’ll be passing 3 camping spots: highest peak in australia
- Thredbo Diggins – closest to Thredbo, but quite small,
- Ngarigo campground – only about 3km from the first one, and
- Tom Groggin which is quite far, almost on the other side of the mountain, but it is the biggest one where you’ll definitely find a spot to put up your tent. And that was also the campground where we stayed.
I liked Tom Groggin campground. It consists of two parts – the smaller area is right after the sign closer to main road and it’s only for about 10 tents, but if you follow the path further you’ll find a large lawn where you can set up your tent anywhere you please. It can fit around 100 tents. The campground is set in between a river and a meadow which is home to many curious kangaroos.
Because it’s national park and the camping is free, don’t expect flushable toilets or source of water (except of the river). There are some barbecues but you have bring your own wood or coal. We had our own portable stove where we were preparing all of our meals. The good thing about all the campgrounds in Mt. Kosciuszko is that you camp next to your car so you don’t have to carry your staff from a parking lot to your tent.
Hiking up Mt. Kosciuszko
On NYE 2018 we didn’t really do much, just enjoyed the peace and quiet, cooked some dinner, explored the surroundings, and hung out with kangaroos. And then on the first day of 2019, we went to have a look at ‘the rooftop’ of Australia! highest peak in australia
The hike to Mt. Kosciuszko starts in Thredbo. Thredbo is really cute little village with alpine vibe and it must look awesome covered in snow. You can choose if you want to hike from the very bottom of the mountain or help yourself by purchasing a $30 ticket to Kosciuszko Express Chairlift that will take you up approximately to the middle of the hiking trail. From there it’s still 7 km to the summit and then 7km back to the chairlift. Yes, the headline of this article says “Conquering Mt. Kosciuszko” but I will not lie here, we purchased the chairlift ticket.
The hike itself from the chairlift is not hard, the trail is paved and ascent is mild, only the 1 last km is steeper than the rest. I knew that Thredbo is popular but I was still surprised how many people had the same idea as we did and were doing the hike on the 1st January. Apart from fellow hikers, there were many mountain bikers and the whole mountain was busy with people.
The national park is also called Australian Alps, but if you’ve been to the Alps in Europe, you would be surprised how different the scenery is. Mt. Kosciuszko is 2228 meters above the sea level, but for me, it didn’t have ‘a mountain feel’. It’s not as rocky and steep, I felt like hiking up a hill. Plus the flora is different in Europe too, you won’t see any pine or spruce trees, just eucalyptus and snow gum trees and many snow daisies.
Weather
The hike is really beautiful but be aware of the weather! This is an alpine region with significant weather changes and you have to be prepared for everything. We were lucky because it was beautiful sunny day, but once again we underestimated the power of Australian sun, put only one layer of sunscreen on and so we burnt a little (I was wearing long pants and didn’t think it’s important to put sunscreen on my ankles which turned out to be a big mistake! My legs were all white with only red ankles shining bright…. It was like that for several months and I felt really awkward when wearing shorts or skirts).
Other Hikes in the Area
Mt. Kosciuszko Summit Walk is definitely the most popular hike you can do here. Because we cheated a little by purchasing the chairlift tickets, I thought maybe we can do another hike in the afternoon, but honestly, those 14 km were quite exhausting.
If you are staying in Thredbo for longer than just 2 nights, other popular hikes are Dead Horse Gap Walking Track, Thredbo Valley Trail or Kiandra Heritage Track. You can read more about them here or here.
The Highest Restaurant in Australia
When we gave up on doing another hike, we visited Eagles Nest for a quick lunch (and beer). At 1937 meters above the sea level, it is the highest restaurant in Australia and it’s located right next to the Chairlift Express. The views from there are pretty amazing. highest peak in australia
Even though our trip was short, Snowy Mountains and Mt. Kosciuszko belong to my favorite places in NSW, so I definitely recommend to visit. It’s also a great feeling to stand on top of Australia! For more information about this region, you can visit the official website here. highest peak in australia
If you’ve never camped before, I really encourage you to try! It is so much fun to spend couple of nights in nature. I wrote an article about 7 reasons why you should try camping and you can read it HERE.
Have you been to Snowy Mountains? Have you visited this region in summer or winter? What was the most unusual NYE that you ever experienced? camping snowy mountains
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