I can't believe on a platform called Peakd that I haven't shared Australia's highest peak with you all! The wonderful Mount Kosciuszko.
By now you're probably aware I'm quite the avid Explorer and fitness freak. I love a good challenge. Not to mention terrain in Australia is pretty flat so there isn't many places you can't get too. Well, if you can survive the heat. But that's why my home is in Melbourne. Weather is alot cooler here.
Let's start off with a little history like starting off with it's name. How on earth does a country like Australia with a strong indigenous history end up with a Polish name for a mountain?
The mountain was named after Tadeusz Kosciuszko a Polish military hero who in his time developed new wartime strategies to defend against Prussian and Russian advances. He enlisted in the American revolution in 1776 where he trained and learned military tactics that he brought back home.
Such a success he was that even America names many places, towns, bridges and places after him. He was one of the greatest soldiers of the time.
Paweł Strzelecki was the first person to climb to the summit of the mountain and once there, while looking around he declared that it resembled Kosciuszko Mound a monument in Krakow that was in honour of the famous hero.
Today the area is still relatively pristine and untouched except for snow season when Aussies and international tourists travel to the site for recreational snow activities. As an Aussie this isn't somewhere I have been too many times as it is quite expensive. I think we only have two places with snow so each year its a fight to be first and as such prices are sky high. Higher than the summit itself.
Going outside of snow season is alot more cheaper and probably safer as it isn't as cold and you can see a bit more of the area and it's breath taking views.
Here's another fun fact:
When Tadeusz Kosciuszko passed away in 1817 he was close friends with Thomas Jefferson and made him the executor of his estate.
So how high is Mount Kosciuszko? It is 7,310 feet or 2,228 meters. It is part of the Australian Alps in the Kosciuszko national park of the snowy mountain range (we're not too creative with names but with the lack of snowy mountains when you give that explanation everyone knows where they are)
There used to be a road that you could drive right to the summit and see the views. However it was eventually closed to the public and it's a 7km walk from the car park. (Australian terrain isn't that bad everything is flat here, like I said. If you can handle the heat you can go anywhere)
This area is also home to Australia's highest public toilet which was built in 2007 due to the increase in patrons and the increasing amount of defecation being dropped all over the place.
I don't know why there wasn't a toilet sooner? We're an odd bunch in Australia.
Much of the walking tracks are made of mesh to limit environmental damage and stop you from slipping!
If you're in Aus, why not check out this awesome attraction. Unless you want to go skiing I'd recommend going in Summer. Alot more hospitable. Still cold and will need a jacket but you shouldn't perish of hypothermia.