Mount Kosciuszko from Sydney

In December 2014 we are traveling to Australia to cruise from Sydney to Auckland. Prior to the cruise we are considering to hike Mount Kosciuszko and are wondering if allowing 3 or 4 days before departing Sydney would be enough time?

Background. We previously traveled in Australia for 5 weeks and have already went to many of the major sites; Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Great Ocean Road, Cradle Mountain, Blue Mountains, etc. Also we live at about the elevation of Mount Kosciuszko and are used to narrow curvy roads with critters wandering about. I've also searched this forum and have gotten some great information from the replies to John Bull's Sept question of a week drive from Sydney.

I understand with only 3 or 4 days we would need to take the main roads through Canberra to the Snowy Mountains and not follow the coast. Or does it make more sense to fly into Canberra and drive from there?

Thanks

Personally I wouldn't fly to Canberra and then drive from there. In the end I don't really think it would save you effective time. Depending on where you are staying in Sydney by the time you get to the airport etc etc then fly to Canberra, then get out of Canberra airport you would be half way there if you drove.

Three days would be OK but it would not leave you any time for anything else. One day to drive to Thredbo, one day to do the walk, then one day to drive back to Sydney. I'm a bit more conservative though and would like an extra day as insurance against the unforeseen, particularly if I was departing Sydney on a cruise the next day. In all this I assume that you are talking about just doing the walk from the top of Thredbo up the mountain- Have done this a couple of times and it is not that difficult.:)

The closest airport is Cooma, quite a bit closer than Canberra, but it doesn't have scheduled flights all year round so you'd need to check. The airline that flies there is called Brindabella Airlines.

If you like bushwalking/hiking I would suggest that you do that in the Blue Mountains instead..lots of places to stay with hiking trails on your doorstep. The only problem is currently there have been extensive fires the bush will have started to regenerate by next December so you should check it out before deciding.

Sue

I live in Canberra and I have walked to the top of Mt Kosciusko. The way most people do it is to go to Thredbo and take the chairlift up the slope. It is a gentle walk from the top of the chairlift and I recall it being about 14 km round walking trip.

If you are flying in to Sydney airport, it should be easy to just hop on a domestic flight to Canberra, then pick up a hire car at Canberra airport. Canberra to Thredbo is 210 km according to Google maps.

There is plenty of overnight accommodation in Thredbo because it is a popular spot on the ski fields.

You should be aware though that this is not a very exciting walk. A gentle stroll above the tree-line is all it is!

The drive from Sydney to Canberra takes about 3hrs, depending on the time you choose to leave Sydney. Peak hour might take a bit longer.

From Canberra it's roughly 2-3hrs drive to the start of the walk.

There are 3 routes to the summit. The shortest is from Thredbo, approximately 12km, mostly along a raised metal grating designed to protect the sensitive environment.

The second route is along the road from Charlottes Pass. This is approximately 18km return. It is a relatively easy stroll along a well formed & maintained gravel road.

The Thredbo & Charlottes Pass walks meet at a saddle directly below the peak. There is a toilet block here, built into the side of the hill.

The 3rd route is the Main Range walk. It leaves from Charlottes Pass, joining the main road again part way up the final climb from the saddle. A loop walk taking in the road & Main Range is approximately 22-24km. This is by far the most challenging route up, including a long & moderately steep ascent from the Snowy River crossing to the yop of the Main Range. It is also by far the most scenic of the 3 options, with a couple of very pretty lakes and expansive views to the west.

My suggestion would be a loop, going up the road and returning via the Main Range.

My biggest suggestion is to pack warm clothing. The summit is tge highest point in mainland Australia. As a result, it is constantly windy and usually cold at the summit, even if it was relatively calm at lower altitudes.

I have walked to the summit several times. The only time it was not windy was when we reaced the summit around 730am, before the winds got started.

I agree with most of the comments made so far. To fly or drive is a personal choice but either way some driving will be required to get to Thredbo from one of the airports. My suggestion for time and cost would be to rent a car from the Sydney airport and drive the whole way. Certainly stop in Canberra for a night or two and get to some of the NATIONAL places (Memorial, Museum, Gallery, etc) that are free. Be prepared for hot days and cool nights on the mountains have lots of water with you and get local knowledge once in the Kosciuszko national park, that way they know where and when you are going and when you are expected to return. Good luck and enjoy.:D

December is summer here. However, it can and does snow in the Kosciusko area - I have experienced it, needing to crawl in to a large plastic bivvy bag at that time of year.

Come prepared for the very unlikely event of snow!

Lots of great advice here. It is doable in 4 days either from either Sydney or Canberra (there are currently no flights to the Snowy Mountains in summer). If you are keen walkers then I second Vader 1111's suggestion to combine the Summit Walk (the old road from Charlotte Pass) with the Main Range Track, however I like to do the Main Range walk first and come back down the old road as you avoid walking up a very big hill at the end of a long day going this way. This walk takes most people around 8 hours so can be done in a day.

If however your aim is just to get to the "top of Australia" then definitely go from the top of the chairlift at Thredbo, it is a much easier walk and will only take 4 hours maximum.

Absolutely agree with others that the main thing that might cause a problem with your timeline will be the weather. It might be quite hot in December but it's true it can also snow. The weather could be bad enough that it would be dangerous to do the walk the day you planned. Many international visitors think our Alpine area is quite benign because we don't have the high peaks that many alpine regions do (and yes it is a very easy walk from Thredbo on a fine day) but it is quite dangerous in bad weather. Allowing 4 days would be better so that if the weather is bad the first day you might be able to go the second day.

Even with only 4 days you could probably still do some of the coastal road on the way home, turning off towards the southern highlands after Goulburn and going through the Southern Highlands then down Macquarie Pass through Wollongong and up the Grand Pacific Drive on the Sea Cliff Bridge. This would probably only add about an hour(?) to the trip.

It sounds like a great trip, I hope you do make it to the Snowy Mountains, I am biased but I think it's one of the best bits of Australia :).

Penny

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. :) I will be saving your replies in my planning documents.

The main reason to hike Mt Kosciuszko is my son. Where we live there are over 50 "14ers"; mountains over 14,000 feet (4267 meters). A couple years back he came up with the goal to hike all of them by his early teens. He is currently at 18 complete in 3 years. He also has stated a long term goal of climbing the Seven Summits (the highest point on each continent: Everest, Denali, etc). So when he figured out our cruise embarkation point was only a one day drive from one of the Seven Summits he started working on us to add that onto our trip.

We have already hiked a couple 14ers that were about 22 km this past summer and have a few at 24 km planned next summer. So the loop hike sounds like a great way to visit the mountain. We will be ready for any conditions, since we will also be hiking on the South Island of New Zealand post cruise. I think we are going to get all four seasons at home in the next 24 hours; going from 15 C and sunny with wildfire warnings to -5 C and snowing with blizzard warnings!

Based on the times and distances mentioned in your replies we will drive from the Sydney airport. I did drive from the airport the last time we were in Australia and went to Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains. Now I will just have to convince my son's school that a few extra days off to see the Pacific coast and Canberra is educational.

I think you'll find that Kosi is by far the easiest of the 7 peaks. It used to be possible to drive all the way to the summit, until they closed the road for environmental reasons (this is tge route from Charlotte Pass).

Given your previous experience you should find it very easy. Enjoy the Main Range loop.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. :) I will be saving your replies in my planning documents.

 

The main reason to hike Mt Kosciuszko is my son. Where we live there are over 50 "14ers"; mountains over 14,000 feet (4267 meters). A couple years back he came up with the goal to hike all of them by his early teens. He is currently at 18 complete in 3 years. He also has stated a long term goal of climbing the Seven Summits (the highest point on each continent: Everest, Denali, etc). So when he figured out our cruise embarkation point was only a one day drive from one of the Seven Summits he started working on us to add that onto our trip.

 

We have already hiked a couple 14ers that were about 22 km this past summer and have a few at 24 km planned next summer. So the loop hike sounds like a great way to visit the mountain. We will be ready for any conditions, since we will also be hiking on the South Island of New Zealand post cruise. I think we are going to get all four seasons at home in the next 24 hours; going from 15 C and sunny with wildfire warnings to -5 C and snowing with blizzard warnings!

 

Based on the times and distances mentioned in your replies we will drive from the Sydney airport. I did drive from the airport the last time we were in Australia and went to Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains. Now I will just have to convince my son's school that a few extra days off to see the Pacific coast and Canberra is educational.

Any travel is certainly educational, I am sure you can put a good case forward. Good luck and I hope it all goes well. :D

Any travel is certainly educational, I am sure you can put a good case forward. Good luck and I hope it all goes well. :D

That's what I say when I'm sipping a martini in the bar on a nice ship or lying beside the pool in a beautiful resort. Any travel is educational. It works for me.

That's what I say when I'm sipping a martini in the bar on a nice ship or lying beside the pool in a beautiful resort. Any travel is educational. It works for me.

Exactly, I learnt to never try and drink every type of Martini on the menu in one night, I now try and do it over several nights ( I am a slow learner).:D

To be quite honest I think flying to Canberra saves a bit of time. Ive done the Snowy mountains to Sydney (via Canberra Airport) route quite a few times and Canberra airport is an extremely easy and relaxed place to fly to. However what could be even more beneficial is flying to Cooma airport via Brindabella airlines. The Flight takes about an Hour and a halve and then driving from Cooma shouldnt take more then 45 minutes.

I think you'll find that Kosi is by far the easiest of the 7 peaks. It used to be possible to drive all the way to the summit, until they closed the road for environmental reasons (this is tge route from Charlotte Pass).

 

Given your previous experience you should find it very easy. Enjoy the Main Range loop.

The kid is already working on plans for a family trip to Africa and Kilimanjaro. :D

Any travel is certainly educational, I am sure you can put a good case forward. Good luck and I hope it all goes well. :D

The school should know by now that traveling is a priority; every year the kid has gotten his school portrait taken with a new Hawaiian shirt. :cool:

The school should know by now that traveling is a priority; every year the kid has gotten his school portrait taken with a new Hawaiian shirt. :cool:

If he comes to Canberra, he can borrow mine for a photo shoot at Parliament House.:D

Still 7 months to go until we arrive in Australia, but I've made all the reservations. Based on suggestions on this thread we now have 5 days to get to and from the Snowy Mountains. So this is the plan.

We will be on one of the first planes to land in Sydney on a Sunday morning. From there take the rental car along the coast on the Grand Pacific Drive, before heading inland past Fitzroy Falls to the Southern Highlands. Monday stop at the Canberra space center on the way to Jindabyne. Tuesday is summit attempt day for Mt Kosiciuszko. Wednesday is back up day for the summit or a day touring the free museums of Canberra, plus the Christmas lights. Finally Thursday is more time in Canberra before going back to Sydney. This leaves a few days before the cruise to revist some of the sights in Sydney. We might even partake of Carols in the Domain.

If you are still looking at the flying options take Brindabella Airlines out of the equation, they went broke a couple of months ago and don't exist anymore.

Still 7 months to go until we arrive in Australia, but I've made all the reservations. Based on suggestions on this thread we now have 5 days to get to and from the Snowy Mountains. So this is the plan.

 

We will be on one of the first planes to land in Sydney on a Sunday morning. From there take the rental car along the coast on the Grand Pacific Drive, before heading inland past Fitzroy Falls to the Southern Highlands. Monday stop at the Canberra space center on the way to Jindabyne. Tuesday is summit attempt day for Mt Kosiciuszko. Wednesday is back up day for the summit or a day touring the free museums of Canberra, plus the Christmas lights. Finally Thursday is more time in Canberra before going back to Sydney. This leaves a few days before the cruise to revist some of the sights in Sydney. We might even partake of Carols in the Domain.

Sounds like a great itinerary - enjoy.

Happy cruising