Pilutti: Snowy Mountains Holiday

In Australia, Good Friday and the Monday following Easter are public holidays. Faced with the prospect of a four-day weekend, I opted to see the Snowy Mountains and hike to the highest point in Australia, Mount Kosciuszko. The Snowy Mountains are approximately 467 kilometres south of Sydney, so a long weekend is required to make the drive. Below are photos of my solitary adventure, so please enjoy.

Windfarm at Lake George which supplies the electricity to run the Sydney Desal Plant

View from Mt. Gladstone near Cooma

Gum trees and clouds, Mt. Gladstone

Lake Jindabyne, the view from my hotel in Jindabyne

Lake Jindabyne

I decided to take the most challenging route to the top of Mount Kosciuszko, which is the Lakes Track beginning at Charlotte Pass. This is a 21 kilometre bushwalk along the rooftop of Australia and provides views of five glacial lakes and of the steep, dramatic western side of the Main Range. Bushwalking guides recommend hiking in a clockwise direction, however doing so requires you to save the most challenging aspects of the walk for the end. I decided to walk the circuit in an anticlockwise direction as the last seven kilometers of the hike would all be downhill on a dirt road that has been closed to vehicles since the 1970's.

Start of the Lakes Track at Charlotte Pass - you can see the track crossing distant mountains

Snow Gums

Descending from Charlotte Pass towards the Snowy River

Snowy River

Crossing the Snowy River on stepping stones

The Snowy River

Looking back toward Charlotte Pass

Crossing Club Lake Creek

Ascending toward Blue Lake

Looking back toward Charlotte Pass - you can see the trail snaking up the distant mountain. 2 k's down and 19 to go with rain in the forecast

Ascending to Blue Lake with a view of Mount Lee to the west. Juicy clouds crossing the Great Dividing Range - I'll have to be passing through these clouds soon

Still on my way to Blue Lake and getting a bit concerned over the appearance of the clouds. Nothing too nasty, just don't feel like being wet and cold.

More views of Mount Lee and clouds gathering over the Great Dividing Range

Mountain meadows

Hedley Tarn

Hedley Tann and temporary shelter

Still ascending toward Blue Lake

Crossing an unnamed stream

Nearly to Blue Lake

Blue Lake - about 4 k's down, 17 to go

Leaving Blue Lake and heading towards Carruthers Peak

Gathering clouds over the Great Dividing Range, heading toward Carruthers Peak

Passing through the clouds, no rain!

Hiking along the Great Dividing Range

Nearing Carruthers Peak, looking toward Mount Sentinel

Ascending Carruthers Peak

View from Carruthers Peak

Descending Carruthers Peak, Club Lake

Between Carruthers Peak Mount Lee

Club Lake and rocky terrain

Rocky terrain. Snowy mountains are made from granite

Heading towards Mount Lee

Northcote Pass and Albina Lake

Albina Lake from Northcote Pass

Northcote Pass and Albina Lake

Albina Lake and Northcote Pass. I actually had mobile phone reception here...

Northcote Pass and Albina Lake

Northcote Pass

Last look at Albina Lake

Ascending towards Muellers Pass

Getting close to Kossy

Getting closer...

Must have been quite hard work constructing this trail

Nearing the end of the Main Range Track, getting close to Kossy

Mt. Kosciuszko Track to the highest point in Australia

At the top of Mt. Kosciuszko - apparently I'm not the first one to scale the peak

Lunch

View from the top of Kossy

View from the top of Kossy. There's another route to the top of Kossy - you can take the chairlift from Thredbo and then walk the last five kilometers to the peak. The Lakes Track is much more satisfying.