Our route the next day was on track, taking us on a tour of the 5 glacier lakes in the park – and the only glacier lakes on the Australian mainland (all the others are down in Tasmania). The most beautiful of these was Lake Albina, set in a little valley of boulder strewn heath, overlooking the steeper vales below.
Full-up on nibblies, dinner and dessert, we wobbled our way 2km up the track to the top of Mount Kosciuszko to view the sunset. Mt Kozzie in summer is usually full of people, so it was a complete luxury to be at the top of Australia in the company of only four others, nibbling on Ferrero Rocher’s while the sun sets. The golden light beautifully illuminated the granite boulders strewn across the summit, as well as the layers of hills that seemingly stretched forever. In the quiet of the closing day, I felt very blessed to be able to experience such a scene.
Above the treeline (where the average yearly temperature is too low for any trees to grow), things seem rather stark, but there is plenty of life.
During the summer there is a wealth of wildflowers on the heath. Ironically, most of them seem to be white in colour. Since we walked in mid-December it was only the shoulder season for flowers, hence we didn’t see a wealth of them, but enough to get a taste of what happens in mid-January during peak season. With the flowers unfortunately comes the flies – they are the chief pollinaters in the alpine since bees don’t seem to exist up so high.
We walked into camp not long after 3pm, and what a superb place to camp, on top of Australia.
When the ground evened out a little, we left the track entirely and tramped over the heath, through the Rams Head range – a collection of giant granite boulders and tors.
With the wind blowing at a steady 25km/h, there was certainly a bit of Wuthering Heights going on. The landscape was treeless, consisting of the boulders and tors, a smattering of pure white wildflowers, criss-crossing streams, and heath that was spongy underfoot.
The only trace of snow were the grubby snow drifts (grubby due to the dust storms of recent months).
I loved walking through this landscape, especially the boulders; its weathered, mottled surface warmed by the sun so that little ferns can grow at its base.
There was a beauty in this starkness, and a certain romance too, when you think that this was Man From Snowy River country.
The highlight of my trip was the overnight alpine trek. Except for walking from the top chairlift at Thredbo to Mount Kosciuszko and back, I’d never walked in the Aussie Alps before. This trek was fully guided, and we didn’t have to carry more than a day pack because everything else was done for us! My favourite way to camp…
Anyway, the journey started from Dead Horse Gap, a couple of kilometres west of Thredbo. Ours was a small group of three, led by a great guide in Nick. The gap he said has probably been used as a gateway to the high country by animals and people since who knows when, including brumbies (wild horses), hence the name.
It’s a bit of an uphill trek as we climb through the strands of snowgums, with views all the way to the Victorian border.
I admit it, I have a crush on Paul Dempsey. What’s not to like, from that sultry, angsty voice, to the man himself? Especially when he can pull off Billie Jean and make it sound as sexy as hell.
Welcome to the Snowy Mountains, the Australian mainland’s alpine region. It’s a unique place, considering how arid much of the continent is. Most Australians know it best in the winter when it is covered by snow, but being a non-skier, I think the place is more fascinating in summer, when the landscape is uncovered.
I had a great time staying at Lake Crackenback Resort. The view from my balcony was so lovely that even after 3 nights, I still didn’t want to leave!
This was the view that greeted me when I arrived.
The view in the evening at sunset.
And at dawn.
Oh. Wow. Don’t know anything about this Dan Sultan bloke, except that he’s in the film Bran Nue Dae which I’m keen on seeing, but now I know that he has one helluva voice – possibly the best rock voice in Oz at the moment. He can sing even Joe Cocker down!
Not a village as such, but a mountain pass, and the end of the sleepy hollows theme – for now.
Brown Mountain is where the Snowy Mountains Highway winds its way up to the high country plateau. It is also features some impressive trees (mountain ash perhaps) that you can view via a little path from the lookout car park.
It was good that I got to see them, because there won’t be many trees for the next 100km or so as I drive across the Monaro Plain to Cooma and the high country.
So we leave the South Coast behind, and now you know what’s coming next – the Snowy Mountains!
The day was forecasted to be a scorcher, so it wasn’t surprising that Merimbula and the Bega Valley was shrouded in heavy mist. It was rather dangerous to stop somewhere in the mist, so as soon as I’d driven above it, I stopped to take this photo of the valley below.
Static and Silence 