The winter landscape at Mt Kosciuszko is just stunning. Like most winter-time visitors, we come here to ski. Whilst it can be hit and miss with the snow cover, the landscape is always beautiful. One of the most striking features are the snow gums. They always catch my eye. They are so distinctively Australian. When you’re skiing among the snow gums, you couldn’t be anywhere else in the world but Australia. These huge, heavy trunked, ancient trees are real survivors in the harsh alpine conditions. The most striking ones have rainbow coloured bark. It’s hard to imagine that the shades of yellow, rusty-red and orange, creamy-white, green and silvery-grey patterning is not painted on. We are curious to know what caused this. It seems that the gum sheds its bark at different stages and the exposed strips change colour over time so that at any given time you might have several different shades of colour on the one trunk. It’s quite unique. NOTE: To enter the Kościuszko National Park you either need to have a National Parks pass or pay the daily car fee. A day pass this year was $29 (a year pass was $190 but includes all NSW national parks). The good bit is that you pay per car, not per person, so a family in the one car only pays one fee.

Overall, it’s a good comfortable walk on a prepared trail. Don’t take tracking poles with you if you don’t want to carry them in hands the whole way (on other routes they will be more in use). There are one stop with restrooms (btw the highest one in Australia:)) on the route. The restaurant (near the lift station) works until 3pm. They say it takes 4-6h, but it really depends on weather and your physical conditions. For example, we did round-trip in Summer less than 3h.

Walked from Charlotte’s Pass. Did the loop - main ridge on way out (12.8km) and summit track (9.3km) on way back. Total of 22.8km including walking to and from the car. 4hrs 40mins in total. 4hrs 13mins moving It’s an easy and very beautiful walk. The circuit is a great option - the main ridge track is very beautiful. Much more isolated and a great way to approach. The “summit” … is almost not worth going to. It’s the definition of bored kids in the back asking are we there yet as the trail loops unnecessarily around for 1km. The top is flat and covered with people. People you have not seen if you did the main ridge walk. Anyway - it’s the top of Aus … so you have to go up and take a pic on top of the trig point. We took the summit track back. It’s a road. Initially very disappointing it is ok towards the end. If you just did this as a loop it would be horrible … but for the return leg it gets you back to the car very quickly and without much effort. All in all … great day out … would highly recommend.