Kosciuszko National Park
Kosciuszko National Park is a national park in the Australian state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest national park in New South Wales and the tallest in Australia, home to the highest peak of Australia; Mt. Kosciuszko as well as two famous ski resorts: Thredbo and Perisher. The park gets its name from a Polish-Lithuanian hero called General Tadeusz Kościuszko, which explains the etymology of a name that is rather difficult to pronounce by most Australians.
Climate
The higher regions of the park experience an alpine climate which is quite unusual on mainland Australia. However, only the peaks of the main mountain range are subject to consistent winter snow. The climate station at Charlotte Pass recorded Australia's lowest temperature of −23 °C (−9 °F) on 28 June 1994.[1]
Altitude
The point with the highest altitude is the peak of Mt. Kosciuszko at 2228m, and the lowest point of the park is near Khancoban at 337m. The peak is also the tallest point of the mainland Australian continent. However, the tallest peak of Australia, excluding the areas as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory is actually in Mawsons Peak, some 3000km from the capital of Western Australia; Perth.
The Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme
The Snowy River starts in the park and flows south to Victoria. Many tunnels, dams, generators and other parts of the Snowy Mountains Scheme hydro-electric system are located within Kosciuszko National Park, including the Tantangara Reservoir.
The Snowy Scheme, constructed between 1949 and 1974, is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex consisting of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and is the largest engineering project undertaken in Australia.[2][3][4] An 8km powerline has been planned through the area.[5]
Kosciuszko National Park Media
Kiandra Snow Shoe Carnival 1900
Cabramurra, Australia's highest town, was built during construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
Blue Lake in the characteristically U shaped glacial valley, Kosciuszko National Park.
Snow Gum at tree line along Dead Horse Gap Walk, Kosciuszko National Park.
Map of the national park. The Australian Alps Walking Track is shown in yellow.
A tranquil section of Thredbo River
References
- ↑ "1301.0 – Year Book Australia, 2008". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 7 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics 1986 Special Article: The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme
- ↑ The Snowy Mountains Scheme Archived 30 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Wendy Lewis, Simon Balderstone and John Bowan (2006). Events That Shaped Australia. New Holland. pp. 189–194. ISBN 978-1-74110-492-9.
- ↑ Mazengarb, Michael (17 February 2021). "Outrage over Snowy 2.0 transmission line concession in Kosciuszko National Park". RenewEconomy.
Other websites
Kosciuszko National Park travel guide from Wikivoyage
Media related to Kosciuszko National Park at Wikimedia Commons