Climb Australia's Highest Mountain - Let's Conquer Mount Kosciusko!!

NB: COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENT: All members attending this event MUST BE fully vaccinated against Covid-19. There are NO EXEMPTIONS to this policy. You may be asked to show the organiser your vaccination certificate on the day.

Details: Let's conquer Mount Kosciusko! 22 km (Hard)

At 7 am in the morning of Saturday 20 November, we meet in the car park of the Snowy Region Visitors Centre, which is in the centre of Jindabyne, and easy to find.

From Jindabyne we drive west for 45 minutes, heading high into the Snowy Mountains and entering the Kosciusko National Park, which has an entry fee of $17 per day for each car. Passing through Perisher Valley, we drive on to Charlottes Pass, where members can quickly use the bathroom before we hit the trails!

From Charlottes Pass a 2.5 hour walk requires we cross the famous Snowy River and pass Seamans Hut before heading up to Rawson Pass, where we stop for a toilet break and a quick snack. Snack done, we head up to the Summit of Mount Kosciusko which, at 2228 metres is the highest peak in Australia. The views are spectacular and we take a 30 minute break to check it all out.

Now, the easy way to finish this walk is go straight back the way we came.

No way are we doing that!

After fun at the summit we descend and head north striking out for Muellers Pass which makes for a stunning lunch break! After lunch we join up with the Main Range Walk which takes us through wonderful mountain passes, across fantastic summits and skirts a number of lakes including the fabulous Blue Lake, where we stop for a short break.

We finish our walk by crossing Carruthers Creek and the Snowy River once again, before tackling an epic climb back out to Charlottes Pass!

On Sunday, members can hang out in Jindabyne (there is plenty to do and see) before driving back to Sydney. Or plan a stop over along the road, such as at Canberra for lunch.

Please note: I have deliberately timed this walk so we are likely to see quite a bit of snow. However, the tracks should be either clear or navigable. Given the likely conditions, members should wear good (preferably waterproof) boots.

Distance: 22 km

Type of Walk: This classic Australian Alpine trek is a full day adventure filled with great natural beauty, well formed tracks and the one and only true Alpine eco-system in Australia. There are some moderate climbs.

Difficulty: Hard, because of the distance and because we must maintain a good pace all day and finish by no later than 5 pm.

There are NO get out points for this walk. If you attend you must finish the entire walk.

Walking Pace: We will maintain a steady pace all day and average 4 km per hour.

Meeting Place and Transport: Snowy Region Visitors Centre, Jindabyne. Members will have to car pool and should plan to arrive in Jindabyne on Friday or Friday night. This is so everyone is fresh for this challenging walk, but also to acclimatise overnight, as the summit of Mount Kosciusko is right on the edge of possible altitude sickness.

There is a wide variety of reasonably priced accommodation in Jindabyne, ranging from back packer style all the way up to some quite luxury places to slum in! Hotels such as Alpine Gables have large comfy rooms that sleep 4 or more people; so get chatting between yourselves and organise your car pool and a group booking.

What to bring: Good walking boots; 2-3 litres of water (no refills on the walk); hydrolytes; two snacks and one lunch; rain jacket depending on conditions; one warm (down) jacket; sunscreen and a cap or hat with a wide brim.

Gratuity: There will be a $40 gratuity for this walk.

Pub: Arrange on the day.

By RSVPing to this event you (and your guests) agree to and are bound by the terms and conditions of SOMG which you can view here:

https://www.meetup.com/sydney-outdoors-meetup-group/messages/boards/thread/53245383

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I will post my mobile number closer to the day.

Ted.