The view of Mount Kosciuszko nine kilometers from Charlotte's pass at the start of the popular Summit Walk route.
One Family’s Climb to the Highpoint of Australia
By Cheryl Esper
Photos by Johnathan Esper
There are several trails to reach the continental highpoint of Australia, located in the state of New South Wales. Many take the chairlift from the alpine ski village of Thredbo and follow the 6.5 km (one way) Kosciuszko Walk. It takes one alongside the rocky outcrops of Ram’s Head Range, passes through herb fields and heath, and crosses the headwaters of the Snowy River, and finally climbs to a saddle above Lake Cootapatamba to Rawson’s Pass. From this point, it is a gradual graded walk up to the summit at 7,310 feet (2,228 meters).
Another popular route is the Summit Walk (nine kilometer one way), which follows the old road, closed in 1976 to public vehicles at Charlotte’s Pass because of safety concerns and environmental issues. This walk passes through snow gums, and provides extensive views of the Main Range. It also crosses the upper reaches of the Snowy River, gradually leading to Seaman’s Hut, which is used for emergencies and as a warming hut for skiers in winter. From there the track rises to Rawson’s Pass where it joins the trail from the ski lift to the summit. Bicycles are allowed on the old road as far as Rawson’s Pass.
The third hiking route is the 12.5 kilometer Mange Range Track which can be combined with the Summit Walk for a beautiful 21.5-kilometer return loop. This route crosses the Snowy River below Charlotte’s Pass and climbs through the alpine herb fields past Hedley Tarn lookout to the Blue Lake lookout over a wide road/track. It continues over Carruther’s Peak and along the exposed ridge of the Main Range above Club Lake and Lake Albina, affording spectacular views of Mount Kosciuszko. It next passes below Mount Townsend, the second highest mountain in Australia at 7,247 feet (2,209 meters), and joins the Summit Walk trail very close to Kosciuszko’s summit.
Kosciuszko was named in 1840 by a Polish-Australian explorer, Paul Strzelecki. He honored Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817), who bravely fought in both the American and Polish wars of independence. The mountain seemed to resemble the tomb of Kosciuszko in Poland in the eyes of Strzelecki.
The day dawned clear and hot when my family (my five sons and I) chose to climb the highpoint on Feb. 21, 2006. Although it was winter at our home in New York's Adirondack Mountains, it was summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Still, I insisted that we pack a fleece layer and rain pants and jackets for each of us. I also tucked in some gloves and hats in my pack when no one was looking. I desired to hike the Summit Walk-Main Range Track loop over the exposed alpine terrain, and I didn’t want a late afternoon thunderstorm to turn us back if we were unprepared.
We set off on the road in the early morning coolness and shade. I was with the youngest four boys, and 22-year-old Johnathan lingered at the carpark for an hour or so giving as a head start. Four-year-old Hansel walked just a half-kilometer before wanting to ride in the backpack because of the hot and intense sun. I felt like a camel in the desert heat with my 50-plus-pound precious cargo! I lathered sun screen on at every break and felt a little silly for carrying my woolens.
Johnathan caught up to us at Seamans’s Hut, and we continued more or less together until we reached the summit of our first continental highpoint. The boys stepped on the summit monument simultaneously. During our 1½-hour break, we witnessed a wedding on top, met a Seven Summiter from the USA finishing his fifth summit and introduced Climbing For Christ to him, were overwhelmed by a large school group on a fieldtrip, and finally were surprised to see my husband on crutches coming up the trail, after biking to the pass. (He was supposed to stay at the car to not over-exert his healing knee, which was recently surgically rebuilt in the United States.) I began to feel really crowded on this mountaintop, so we left ahead of the crowds and turned onto the more secluded Main Range Track. The people traffic seemed to be heading towards the Kosciuszko Walk back to the chairlift. Thankfully, it was now just us – along with the wind and the intense sun.
The children and I continued on the Main Range Track while Johnathan took one of his famous side trips over to Mount Townshend, situated one kilometer north of Kosciuszko. He wanted to make the most of his time and climb Australia’s two highest mountains in a day. He climbed Townshend in a 1 ¼-hour side trip, with no difficulty after having studied the route from the summit of Kosciuszko. Johnathan still caught up to us below the summit of Carruther’s Peak, and little Hansel wanted to linger and play a bit, so I allowed Brecken, Josiah, and Galen to join their older brother for the trek out.
Johnathan was walking briskly and the other boys trotted along to keep up. They looked so precious among the golden grasses and heath. We had traveled halfway around the earth to be together for this climb to the top of Australia. Now we were completing our goal, thanking God for safe and successful climbing. Five brothers, all sons of the King, climbing for His Glory, in His strength, with His Guidance – all Climbing for Christ!
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