|
|
|
Kosciuszko National Park - Snowy Mountain and Victorian Alps Townships and
Localities |
|
About 690,000 ha, Kosciuszko National Park is an area with glacial lakes,
limestone caves, grasslands and woodlands. In winter it has some of the best
skiing conditions in Australia, whilst spring and summer has the mountains alive
with wildflowers. With an altitude range from 227 m along the lower reaches of
the Snowy River to 2,228 m at the summit of Mount Kosciuszko, there is about six
percent of the park being above the snowline.
|
|
|
The park has many walking tracks, some providing spectacular views over the top
of Australias Mount Kosciuszko highest point, 2,228 m above sea level. Some
walks include: the old Kosciuszko Road beyond
Charlotte Pass,
which if the weather conditions are favourable you can use to get to the summit
of Mt Kosciuszko by foot, a distance of about 9 km; an easier walk of about 6 km
leaves from the top of the Crackenback Chairlift at
Thredbo Village; a walk to the Kosciuszko Lookout, about 4 km return, offers
great views of the mountain and the top of the range.
 The
park also contains six wilderness areas of about 300,000 hectares: the Byadbo,
Pilot, Jagungal, Bogong Peaks, Goobarragandra and Bimberi wilderness areas. The
alpine and sub-alpine areas contain rare plant species that are found nowhere
else in the world, and is also home to the rare mountain pygmy possum and
corroboree frog. There is a park use fee for entry into the park, although a
non stop drive through pass for the Kosciuszko Alpine Way within the park is
free of charge. WARNING: With 20 huts
destroyed by bushfires, the NPWS advise that people are not relying on huts in
an emergency. People planning back country expeditions during winter in
Kosciuszko National Park should be well prepared and not rely on emergency
shelter. Dont rely on a hut in an emergency. Make sure you
register details of your proposed journey with friends or relatives
and hire an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacons) from NPWS visitor centres.
Source:
NPWS Media Release For further information, contact the National Parks and
Wildlife Service at any one of the: |
|
|
 |
|
|
When the first Aborigines
entered Australia through Cape York Peninsula some 50,000 or more years ago, the
Kociusko Plateau located some 3,000 km to the south east, was still very much
in the ice ages. It is estimated that Aborigines took up permanent residence on
the Monaro Plains at the base of the Kosciuszko plateau from 5,000 to 15,000
years ago.
The Aborigines who came to live on the edgeof themountains
eventually formed four major tribal groups; the YA-itmathang, the Wolgal, the
Waradgery and the Ngarigo. The high parts of the ranges was a no-mans land, held
in trust for all the tribes and most certainly unoccupied during the winter
months. In the spring, it became a great meeting place where people gathered in
their thousands for ceremonies and the annual feasting on the Bogong moth, which
was considered a great delicacy.Source:
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Thredbo Information Centre |
|
|
|
|
He was born in Poland at
Gluszyna, near Poznan on July 20th, 1797 and arrived in Australia on April 25th,
1839.
From 1839 to 1843 he explored and surveyed vast areas of New South Wales,
Victoria and Tasmania.
Whilst exploring in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales he discovered
and climbed Australias highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, which he named in honour
of the Polish leader and patriot Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
Sir Paul Edmund Strzlecki, a renowned explorer and scientist, contributed
greatly to the knowledge and development of Australia. |
|
|
Kosciuszko National Park -
The Village
|
Thredbo located in the
Kosciuszko National Park, is one of Australias highest alpine towns at 1,365 to
1,930 metres above sea level (Cabramurra is the highest town).
The area known as Thredbo Village had been used by early graziers when, in 1955,
a Czech by the name of Tony Sponar, working as a hydrographer for the Snowy
Mountains Authority, realised the great potential of the area as a Ski Resort.
Sponar had been a ski instructor at St Anton, Austria, from 1941 to 1948 and saw
Thredbo developing with the same atmosphere as at St Anton.
In May 1955, the Kosciusko chairlift and Thredbo Hotel Syndicate was formed and
subsequently acquired a lease from the state government with the idea of
developing a year-round resort. The initiating directors were Tony Sponar,
Charles Anton, Eric Nicholls and Geoffrey Hughes.
In the winter of 1995, a study of weather and snowfall characteristics of the
area was made. By the end of that year it was decided that the Friday Flat/Crackenback
Peak area was best suited for development and a line was cleared and surveyed
for a proposed chairlift on Crackenback Peak. In October 1955 Andrew Thyne Reid
joined the syndicate.
In January 1957 the State Park Trust gave the syndicated an option for a lease,
and work began in the summer of 1956-1957 on a chairlift and basic
accommodation.
Tony Sponar was the first area manager and had a budget, in 1957,of 4000 pounds
to build a road from the Alpine Way to the present site of the Thredbo Alpine
Hotel and 1,000 pounds to build a lodge.
In May 1957 the syndicated was renamed and reorganised into Kosciusko Thredbo
Limited. Andrew Thyne Reid was the Chairman and through his experience with the
James Hardie Company, raised the money for the continuing development of
Thredbo.
To obtain a 99 year lease the group had to build a ski lift and a 100 bed hotel
within 5 years. After 31/2 years it was clear the group
needed a partner with more financial strength and construction expertise. Tyne
Reid negotiated with the bidders, McGrath Coach Houses and Lend Lease.
In 1961, Lend Lease acquired the lease and until 1987 the company developed
Thredbo into the most unique alpine resort in Australia, the only one to operate
year round.
In January 1987, Amalgamated Holdings Limited, known to most as the Greater
Union Organisation, purchased the lease and since hen Thredbo has gone ahead in
leaps and bounds. In summer 1987/88, major developments of some $30 million were
undertaken including the largest snowmaking system in the southern hemisphere
and the installation of two state-of-the-art detachable quad chairs.
The Village can accommodate approximately 4,300 people with a permanent
population of 250 to 300 people. Since 1996 over $130 million has been invested
in the upgrading of the mountain and village facilities.Source:
Extract from the Thredbo Village self-guided heritage walk
- available from the Thredbo Information Centre |
|
|
|
