We started this year by spending 3D2N at Snowy Mountains to go to hike Australia's highest point, Mount Kosciusko. This trip was on my bucket list to do in Australia because, you know, I just love hiking! That feeling of accomplishment when you reach the peak, defying all odds, it's just unbeatable. And the view of the blue sky and deep blue shadows of the mountain range are just so breathtaking.
After some research within the past 1-2 years (yep, I've already planned it that far) hiking to Kosciusko is best done in spring or summer. In summer the weather is just perfect and you will be spoiled by gorgeous view of the alpine flora, whereas in spring you can still see some remaining glacier or snow. We decided to go in summer to make use of my inefficient compulsory annual leave.
DAY 1
We drove from Sydney on the morning 2nd of January around 6 hours.We arrived at the hotel pretty late so we didn't do much other than just browsing around the area and figuring out how to take the chairlift to the start of the track.
We stayed at the Thredbo Alpine hotel, which is just across the chairlift station. The hotel is literally like a ski lodge. The walls were made out of wood, so does the creaking stairs. Surprisingly (?) the hotel rooms don't have air conditioning, so we had to open the windows widely just to get cool air in. However, the room is in decent condition and the bathroom is clean.
DAY 2
The morning of the hike, we woke up early and get ourselves prepared. This is my husband's first hike, so I needed to ensure that he's all warm and stocked with necessities (felt like I'm bringing a baby).
There are actually two tracks that you can hike to the starting point of Mt Kosciusko track (Kosciusko Express Terminal) which takes around 2-3 hours walk. We skipped that track and cheated our way to the starting point by using the chairlift. I heard several people say that the chairlift tickets are expensive, but I think it saves a good amount of time and also reserves the energy for the actual walk. We had purchased our chairlift ticket online days before, so we didn't need to queue too long to get the chairlift pass. At the end of the terminal, we were welcomed by strong cold wind and we had to take out our fleece jacket to keep us warm. We then followed the Mt. Kosciusko track up to the Mt. Kosciusko summit.
The whole path is elevated metal track, which helps reserve whatever plants or living things underneath it. It is very easy for anyone to walk the path. I even saw families with small kids walking along the path.
The view was just magnificent! Wildflowers everywhere, glacier lakes, and from the peak you will be spoiled with deep blue shadows of the neighbouring mountain range. We had lunch at the peak and took a couple of shots on the obelisk which marks the highest point, and walked back down the track.
At the intersection between Mt Kosciusko track and the Main Range track, we made a turn to see the Seaman's hut. The Seaman's hut is a small brick shelter intended to harbour stranded hikers on a bad weather.
DAY 3
We didn't do much on Day 3. We checked out in the morning and made our way back to Sydney.
Last photo was taken when were were just about to go back to Sydney with Snowy Mountain on the background.
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