Charlotte's Pass to Kosciuszko

In mid April we decided to do the walk from Charlotte's Pass to the top of Mount Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia. It is not a difficult walk for anyone that is reasonably fit, but it is a very interesting walk as it is in Australia's true alpine country. We started the walk from the Charlotte's Pass car park, return to Kosciuszko is 18 kilometres. If you are less inclined for a long walk, you can drive to Thredbo, take the chair lift to the top of the hill, and have an easy walk of about 8 kilometres, which as I found out later a lot of people tend to do.

The initial walk from Charlotte's Pass is fairly easy, as the walk is along a well maintained dirt road that has gentle hills. After about four kilometres (one hour at an easy pace), you reach the Snowy River crossing. Along the way you will notice that the only trees, the snow gums, disappear at an elevation of about 1800 metres, and are replaced by alpine herb fields. To the west are magnificent views of the Main Range.

Snowy River valley in the background.

After crossing the Snowy River, the road heads up a reasonable incline for another two kilometres to Seaman's Hut. This is a very robust stone walled hut that was built in 1937 by the family of a New York man who, whilst skiing with a friend, perished on the slopes of Kosciuszko after being caught out in a blizzard. The hut has a pot belly stove, plenty of fire wood, and some emergency food supplies that other visitors have left. Be warned that the weather can change very rapidly in these alpine areas and that all walkers / skiers should carry adequate gear and should always have a plan 'B'. We carried in our packs Gore-Tex pants and jackets, a first aid kit, compact stove, cooking gear and dried food, water and other small utensils. I also carried a map and compass. "To walk along a road?" you may ask. If you don't know the road or where you are, the map and compass are great. It is also an easy way to practice navigation skills. Having the gear and being properly prepared are not only good practice, but is really good training for the ski season when you are going to need to carry more or less the same stuff. Plan B? OK, things turn to crap and you have to stay the night in Seaman's Hut ( note: it is for emergency purposes only). At least you can stay warm and won't be hungry. When coming down the hill later, I met up with a park ranger who had also been the instructor in a telemark skiing lesson I had a few years ago. He told me that the same time last year he was up on the hill and it snowed so hard they had to ski out (I'm sure he was praying for it, hence the reason he had his skis with him, now that's prepared!!. OK, maybe he is just a complete snow rat).

We reached the hut after a good uphill climb. It is a great place to rest. Fill in the visitors book and read the history presentations that are on the wall. From here to the top of Kosciuszko it is 3 kilometres. My wife decided to rest at Seaman's Hut, while I carried on solo to the summit. This is a good option for walkers who are not as strong and who aren't fussed about bagging a hill.

Seaman's Hut

I felt a bit lonely, heading off by myself in the 'wilderness' and not knowing what was ahead. As I came around the corner of the road towards Rawson's Pass, I saw what was ahead. A whole pile of excavators and trucks, and about a hundred people in various stages of ascent on the hill. So much for wilderness! The National Parks is constructing Australia's highest toilet block at Rawson's Pass, which is at the base of the final climb to the top of Kosciuszko, hence the construction gear. All the other people had come along the relatively easy path from Thredbo - there were even people with babies in prams. The climb to the top is easy, with a well maintained path all the way. The view wasn't brilliant due to the low visibility caused by smoke (it's burning season - all the farmers burn off all the stuff they want to burn at the end of summer and before winter hits), but it was still a great vista.

OK, it's not Everest, but the view is nice.

After about ten minutes on the top I walked back down to Seaman's Hut and my waiting wife. The walk back was fairly easy, but that last kilometre is always a real killer! Total time, five hours with plenty of stops. Grade: easy as long as you are fit.