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Kosciusko National Park
is located in south-eastern New South Wales and borders
in the south-west by the Murray River and in the north-east
by the Australian Capital Territory. Nearly 630,000 hectares
in extent, it is one of the world's largest National Parks
and is recognised internationally as a UNESCO Biosphere
Reserve.
Towards the end of World
War II it was recognised that summer grazing, which had
occurred on the high plains and alpine areas for about
eighty years, was gradually altering the unique ecology.
In 1944, Kosciusko State Park was established; in 1967
the area was renamed Kosciusko National Park. The Great
Dividing Range runs north and south through the Park, separating
the waters of the Murray and Snowy Rivers. Australia's
highest peak Mount Kosciusko (2228 metres) is located in
the Park which enjoys some of the best walking country
and the most extensive snowfields in Australia, together
with excellent trout fishing in the lakes and streams.
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The gateway to the snowy
mountains is Cooma, the hub of a rich pastoral district.
From there the highway passes through Berridale to Jindabyne,
a thriving town at the entrance to the Park. Situated on
the shore of Lake Jindabyne, a popular summer haven for
watersports, many skiers stay there in winter rather than
at the ski resorts at Thredbo, Perisher Valley or Smiggin
Holes. Just outside Jindabyne is the Gaden Trout Hatchery
which has been in operation since 1933 and further on,
along the Alpine Way, is the Thredbo Valley Trout Springs
and Deer Park.
Skiing in Kosciusko National
Park
In recent years there has been considerable expansion in the facilities available
for skiers, including improved tows and chair lifts. In 1987, the ski tube,
which takes you by train through the mountains from the Alpine Way at Bullocks
Flat to Mount Blue Cow via Perisher, became operational. Cross-country skiing
is also popular with afficionados.
Thredbo Alpine Village snuggles
alongside the Thredbo River amid lush meadows and woodland
and has a very European ambience. The high country is becoming
increasingly popular in summer when the alpine wildflowers
bloom and hillsides are transformed into a carpet of colour
- bluebells, yellow kunzea, delicate camomile and many
varieties of daisy.
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The flowering season is
short, often only from early January to March. Until a
few years ago it was possible to drive to the top of Mount
Kosciusko, but the heavy vehicular traffic was causing
considerable environmental damage and the road is now closed
at Charlotte Pass and you have to walk the 8 kilometres
to the top. A more rewarding approach is from the top of
the Crackenback chairlift at Thredbo, over alpine moorland
past the headwaters of the Snowy River and the huge granite
boulders of the Ramshead Range to the summit. The walk
is about 6.5 kilometres each way. A cairn at the summit
pays tribute to the Polish explorer Paul de Strzelecki
who first climbed the peak in 1840; from the top are panoramic
views over the Alps and the Victorian high plains.
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From Thredbo, the Alpine
Way continues on over Dead Horse Gap and down to the Murray
River at Tom Groggin and thence to Khancoban. Cars towing
caravans are now allowed past Dead Horse Gap as the road
has been completely sealed. At Dead Horse Gap the Pilot
Lookout provides magnificent views over Mount Pilot in
Victoria; real "Man from Snowy River" country. It should
be noted that some roads are closed in winter and others
require the use of chains.
The building of the various
dams of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme after
World War II, to force the waters of the Snowy River to
flow westward rather than eastward to the sea and provide
the water for power generation, was possibly the greatest
engineering feat in our history. Lake Jindabyne is the
southernmost of the sixteen large and numerous small dams
and seven power stations which stretch north to Tumut and
you can visit and inspect some of them.
Other Places of Interest
The streams and rivers in
the Park are famous for their trout fishing as is Lake
Eucumbene, the largest of the Snowy Mountains Scheme reservoirs.
When the lake was created in 1956, the old township of
Adaminaby, which had existed since before the goldrush
days of 1860, was "drowned" and more than 100 buildings
were moved to form the basis of the new Adaminaby. There
are a number of resorts around the lake mainly to cater
for trout fishermen, including Anglers Reach, Old Adaminaby,
Providence Portal, Braemar Bay and Buckenderra. Dawn, Lake
Eucumbene, Old Adaminaby, New South Wales The discovery
of gold at Kiandra in late 1859 caused a major goldrush.
By April 1860 there were
about 10,000 diggers, but a year later only a few remained.
It is considered that some of the diggers introduced skiing
to Australia; nowadays nearby Mount Selwyn is a popular
spot for skiers during the winter months. In summer the
many walking trails are a mecca for hikers especially round
Mount Jagungal and the Bogong Peaks. The latter are named
for the bogong moths which gather here in summer and were
an important food for the Aborigines who once lived in
the area.
Cabramurra, Australia's
highest town, is situated a short distance away. The Yarrangobilly
Caves, just off the Snowy Mountains Highway to the north
of Kiandra, were discovered in 1834 in a valley of the
Yarrangobilly River. There are about sixty caves in the
area but only four, including the best known Glory Hole
Cave, are open for inspection. The reserve surrounding
the area also contains a natural thermal pool where the
water is a constant 26șC. At the northern end of the Park
is Tumut 3, the largest sector of the Snowy Mountains scheme
comprising Talbingo, Jounama and Blowering Dams and the
Tumut 3 power station.
Blowering Dam is a haven
for speedboat enthusiasts and became world famous in 1978
when Ken Warby set a world water-speed record of 510 kilometres
per hour in his hydroplane "Spirit of Australia". Lake
Blowering contains the second largest body of water in
the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, and the reservoir
is a source of water for the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area.
One of Australia's most
celebrated writers, Miles Franklin (My Brilliant Career)
was born at Talbingo. Tumut is particularly attractive
in autumn during the annual "Festival of the Falling Leaf".
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