Weekend Trips In Sydney #2: Kosciuszko National Park

By Joe Ashby, University of Sydney, Australia

Similarly to a previous blog written on the Blue Mountains, I wanted to take the time to mention another fantastic weekend away from Sydney for outdoor enthusiasts. Mount Kosciuszko is the tallest peak in all of Australia sitting at 2,228 metres above sea level, and we summited it!

The idea of attempting this peak over a weekend was loosely thrown around during the summer period off. Fast forward a couple months later and we were in the process of booking time off work and assembling our hiking gear. Although Kosciuszko is the highest point in Australia, it really isn’t a ridiculous challenge, in fact, there are multiple straightforward routes up to the top that start a large carpark. The whole national park is magnificently beautiful and honestly quite UK-esque (Much of the walk we did resemble the likes of the Peak District, Lake District, and Scottish Highlands). There are a bunch of different trail options in and around the mountain all offering some pretty stunning views, so it is worth exploring if time allows.

The real challenge of this weekend endeavour is the drive. The National Park lies on the border of NSW and Victoria which, if you start from Sydney, is going to be a 5-hour drive at the best of times. We departed on the Friday evening after lectures and managed to arrive at our accommodation in the town of Jindabyne  just minutes before midnight. Needless to say, it was difficult to get up early the next morning and walk for 6-hours but it is absolutely worth it. Again, the walk is not too strenuous and to say that you were the highest person in Australia makes it all worthwhile.

Jindabyne town itself is also another merit of this weekend away. The whole area surrounding the National Park is basically the one and only skiing resort in Australia given the striking little amount of snow that falls here. So, Jindabyne is a skiing town of sorts, small, cosy, and poised next to a huge lake. There were a couple fantastic cafés we checked out and the general vibe was incredibly sweet. Anybody who has been to western Canada will definitely sense some similarities there.

We left on the Sunday evening and arrived back in the early hours of Monday morning. Again, it was a long and dark drive, but these are all too common in Australia. Anywhere you go during your year in Sydney will require some driving on a long, straight road that is probably littered with Kangaroo crossing warnings. So, if you are up for a road trip into the middle of nowhere to summit the tallest peak in Australia, then I absolutely recommend embarking on this weekend away. It was a pretty awesome experience, and something I imagine is unique amongst your cohort of students here.