Kosciuszko National Park
Kosciuszko National Park NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service | |
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Website | Kosciuszko National Park |
See also | Protected areas of New South Wales |
The Kosciuszko National Park (/ˌkɒziˈʌskoʊ/)[3] is a 6,900-square-kilometre (2,700 sq mi) national park and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, for which it is named, and Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia. Its borders contain a mix of rugged mountains and wilderness, characterised by an alpine climate, which makes it popular with recreational skiers and bushwalkers.
The park is located in the southeastern corner of
The waters of the
Other notable peaks in the park include Gungartan, Mount Jagungal, Bimberi Peak and Mount Townsend.
On 7 November 2008, the park was added to the
History
Multiple Aboriginal groups in the southern part of NSW gathered in the Australian Alps Bioregion in the summer on an annual pilgrimage to the Bogong and Snowy Mountains. Here, the men participated in a feast of bogong moths (Agrotis infusa) that were found on the rocky outcrops of the mountains.[5]
The area was explored by Europeans in 1835, and in 1840,
The Kosciuszko National Park came into existence as the National Chase Snowy Mountains on 5 December 1906. In April 1944, following the passage of the Kosciusko State Park Act, the Kosciusko State Park was proclaimed.[8][10][11] It then became the Kosciuszko National Park in 1967.[12] The name was misspelt as Kosciusko until 1997.[8]
The construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme between 1949 and 1974 saw much of the area explored, brought improvements to roads and resulted in the construction of several dams and tunnels across the park in one of the world's largest engineering achievements.
Heritage listings
Kosciuszko National Park has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Climate
The higher regions of the park experience an alpine climate which is unusual on mainland Australia. However, only the peaks of the main range are subject to consistent heavy winter snow. The climate station at Charlotte Pass recorded Australia's lowest temperature of −23 °C (−9 °F) on 28 June 1994.[14]
Glaciation
During the
There is some disagreement as to exactly how widespread Pleistocene glaciation was on the main range, and little or no evidence from earlier glacial periods exists. The 'David Moraine', a one-kilometre-long ridge running across Spencers Creek valley seems to indicate a larger glacier existed in this area at some time, however the glacial origin of this feature is disputed.[16]
There is evidence of
Ecology
The Kosciuszko National Park covers a variety of climatic regions which support several distinct ecosystems.
That which is most closely identified with the park, the alpine area above the
is endemic to the alpine region, and covers a mere 300,000 m2 (3,200,000 sq ft). It is most vulnerable to the wandering footsteps of unmindful tourists.Nine separate wilderness zones have been identified in the latest management scheme.[17] These include the Indi, Byadbo, Pilot, Jagungal, Bogong Peaks, Goobarragandra, Western Falls, Bramina and Bimberi wilderness areas.
Fauna
Many rare or threatened plant and animal species occur within the boundaries of the park.
The park is home to one of Australia's most threatened species: the corroboree frog. The endangered mountain pygmy possum and the more common dusky antechinus are located in the high country of the park.
There are also significant populations of
In June 2021, Federal environment minister Sussan Ley wrote to the NSW environment minister Matt Kean saying she planned to introduce regulation under federal environmental laws to protect the park, because the state was failing in its obligation to do so.[27] A management plan for the wild horses was released on 24 November 2021.[26] By June 2027 numbers are planned to be culled down to 3,000.[26]
Flora
Much of the park is dominated by alpine woodlands, characterised by the
Much of the tree cover in the lower sections of the park was seriously burned in
Recreational uses
Winter
The mountains are typically covered by metre-deep snow for up to four months of the year.
Summer
The 655 kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track crosses almost the length of the park. Many thousands of people make the walk to Mount Kosciuszko during the summer. It is 9 kilometres from Charlotte Pass, or 6 kilometres from the Thredbo chairlift. Camping is permitted anywhere in the park except within sight of a road or near a watercourse[citation needed]. The lighting of fires is severely restricted in higher altitudes.[8]
Mountain biking is allowed on all management trails outside of wilderness areas, and on a small number within them: Grey Mare Trail, Round Mountain Trail, Valentine Trail, Hellhole Creek Trail, Cascade Trail, Ingegoodbee Trail and Nine Mile Trail.[28]
Canoeing and swimming in the rivers and lakes are popular in the warmer weather.
Sawpit Creek has a major campground with facilities for caravans and cabins available for rent.[8]
The Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme
The Snowy River originates in the park and flows south to Victoria. Many tunnels, dams, generators and other parts of the
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. The chief engineer was Sir William Hudson. It is the largest engineering project undertaken in Australia.[30][31][32] An 8 km powerline is planned through the area.[33]
See also
- Australian Alps
- Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves
- Last Glacial Maximum
- National Parks in New South Wales
- Protected areas of New South Wales
- Snowy Mountains
- Tadeusz Kościuszko
- List of biosphere reserves in Australia
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Kosciuszko National Park (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2016.
- ^ author. "Domestic visitation". NSW Environment, Energy and Science. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
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- ^ "Australian Alps National Parks information". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ISBN 0731062213.
- ^ http://www.kosciuskohuts.org.au/ Archived 13 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Kosciuszko Huts Association
- ^ Kosciuszko Huts Association
- ^ ISBN 1-875992-47-2.
- ^ "DECC Kosciuszko National Park". DECC National Parks website. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
- ^ "KOSCIUSKO STATE PARK". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 1 November 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ "Kosciusko State Park Act 1944" (PDF). AustLit. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ "Top of Australia hosts park's centenary". ABC News Australia. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- .
- ^ "1301.0 – Year Book Australia, 2008". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 7 February 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
- ^ West,D.,(1994) Kosciuszko Natural Heritage.
- ^ Galloway, RW (1963), Glaciation in the Snowy Mountains: A Re-appraisal
- ^ DECC | Kosciuszko National Park – plan of management Archived 3 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Environmentalists call for aerial brumby cull". ABC News. 16 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ "Environmentalists call for aerial brumby cull". ABC News. 16 January 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ Dawson, Michelle. "2009 Aerial Survey of feral Horses in the Australian Alps" (PDF). The Australian Alps. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ Thistleton, John (26 July 2014). "Kosciuszko wild horses should be culled, says activist". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ Singhal, Pallavi; Elliot, Tim (3 January 2015). "Aerial culling of brumbies in Snowy Mountains: controversial ban to remain". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ "Wild horses 'damaging alpine ecosystem'". The Canberra Times. AAP. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ "NSW Government to cull 90pc of brumbies in Kosciusko National Park over next 20 years". abc.net.au. ABC News. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ "Feral horse population out of control in the Alps: 25,000 run free". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ a b c "A way forward - final Kosciuszko wild horse plan released". www.environment.nsw.gov.au. Government of New South Wales. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Alpine brumbies: destructive feral hoofed beasts or a heritage breed to protect?". the Guardian. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Trails in Kosciuszko" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2015.
- ^ "The next generation of hydropower in Australia". SMEC. 15 October 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ 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
- ISBN 978-1-74110-492-9.
- ^ Mazengarb, Michael (17 February 2021). "Outrage over Snowy 2.0 transmission line concession in Kosciuszko National Park". RenewEconomy.
External links
- Media related to Kosciuszko National Park at Wikimedia Commons
- Kosciuszko National Park travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Kosciuszko National Park Archived 19 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Details on bushwalks in Kosciuszko National Park
- NPWS website