Kosciuszko National Park Things to Do

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I started making up time on the way back but that got thwarted when I left my Christmas sunnies behind while changing lens on the camera. I managed to retrieve them but was sweating when I did so, perhaps more at the thought that I may have lost them than pure physical exertion.

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The walk was pleasant until just before the waterfall when it got warmer as the vegetation thinned out. The fall itself was higher than I expected and was the only time in 6kms you actually could see water except from where the trail commenced.
I loved the tree in pic four, it seemed so photogenic

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After lunch I was let off the leash to do the Waterfall Walk. It was getting a trifle warmer because we had descended a few hundred metres and much of this walk was protected from the wind so there was no respite there. Still, it was a whole lot cooler than on the coast.
I finally got up close and personal to some of the local cicadas, one of 237 Australian types of the specie. They’re only small here and the noise of the males is mercifully somewhat less than the 120 decibels some can put out. Then there was a dragonfly I’d never seen before, the mountain tigertail. Dragonflies are one of the oldest insects on the planet, going back 280 million years and, amazingly for such a small creature, they can lay 400-2,000 eggs depending on the species.

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The ever present wind got slowly worse. We’d left the storm clouds behind when we headed south from Jindabyne and climbed once again into the mountains. However, here at Charlotte Pass we could see fresh threatening masses moving in as the trees were buffeted and the last of the day walkers returned.
During the night the rain, in the form of sharp showers, came in bursts and the motorhome rocked and shuddered as the tempest rolled by. It was not a good night for sleep and in the morning an executive decision was made not to do the Blue Lake walk, much to one of the party’s disappointment.
Before we left we met some ebullient Japanese who couldn’t stop being happy and we eventually gave them a tour of the motorhome which left them bug eyed and chattering.
We did manage the lookout walk and noted the wonderful panorama but you can judge the strength of the wind by picture two.

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The flora was abundant but the legacy of the 2003 bushfires was everywhere. Dead limbs still reached for the sky, slowly being overtaken by new growth but it had some way to go.
I finished opposite the carpark and tried thumbing a lift back, striking it lucky at the fifth attempt in a nice Audi. Wouldn’t do to come back in a Ford or a Holden!

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Still, the weather was the main thing to keep one’s eye on. Clouds were banking up on the horizon and it actually spat rain about three times but never dumped thank goodness.
Towards the top of the 4 km track it crosses the river a few times, on well made bridges except for the last one right at Dead Horse Gap that has been washed away and never replaced.

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It all started so well. There I was, wallet in hand, ready to buy an annual pass and, what did I hear? “If you have a pension card it’s free to get into the Snowy Mountains NP.” A wave of euphoria came over me. I was thinking skiing on the cheap, how good would that be, but, hey, it was summer and I was here to do other things.
We parked in the Thredbo cap park because I knew it was free too. Awesome. Even Rosemarie was a little keen and it was so good to get away from the coastal heat and humidity. We did the Kosciuszko walk the next day and then rested before hitting the Thredbo Creek Trail the following morning. Since Rosemarie didn’t want to take the trail across Ramshead because it might be just a bush track we opted to walk straight up the creek trail.
It was getting just a little warm so Rosemarie opted out and went around the outside of the golf course and strolled around the village while I pushed on.
It was a lovely walk. Often the stream was in view but a lot of the time the track meandered above it and you missed some.

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This splendid establishment was the architectural feature of the mountains until it was destroyed by fire in 1951. Today all you can see is Sponars Chalet which was where the workers were housed during its construction.
You could tell this was an easy walk because only old farts were using it and we were far and away the speediest group on the track. That didn’t detract from the pleasure of viewing this little almost forgotten jewel in the highlands though.
It's less than 3kms return and only takes a comfortable 45 minutes.
Most of my pics here are panoramas so you'll need to click on them to get the full effect.