Kosciuszko National Park is a large area covering 6,900 square kilometers (2,700 square miles). It is home to Mount Kosciuszko, the tallest mountain in mainland Australia, and Cabramurra, the highest town in the country. The park has rough mountains and wild areas with an alpine climate, which attracts people who enjoy skiing and hiking.

The park is in the southeastern part of New South Wales, 354 kilometers (220 miles) southwest of Sydney. It is next to the Alpine National Park in Victoria to the south and the Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory to the northeast. Nearby towns like Cooma, Tumut, and Jindabyne provide services for visitors.

The Snowy River, the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee River, and the Gungarlin River all begin in this park.

Other important mountains in the park include Gungartan, Mount Jagungal, Bimberi Peak, and Mount Townsend.

On November 7, 2008, the park was added to the Australian National Heritage List as one of eleven areas that make up the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves.

History

Multiple Aboriginal groups from the southern part of New South Wales traveled to the Australian Alps Bioregion each summer for an annual pilgrimage to the Bogong and Snowy Mountains. During this time, the men attended a feast of bogong moths (Agrotis infusa), which were found on the rocky areas of the mountains.

The area was first explored by Europeans in 1835. In 1840, Edmund Strzelecki climbed Mount Kosciuszko and renamed it after Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish patriot and military leader. Later, high-country stockmen used the Snowy Mountains for grazing during the summer months. Banjo Paterson’s poem The Man From Snowy River describes this time. The cattle graziers left behind mountain huts that are now maintained by the National Parks and Wildlife Service or groups like the Kosciuszko Huts Association. In the 19th century, gold was mined on the high plains near Kiandra. At its peak, Kiandra had about 4,000 people and 14 hotels. Skiing in Australia began in Kiandra around 1861. After the last resident left in 1974, Kiandra became a ghost town with ruins and abandoned mining sites. In the 20th century, skiing in New South Wales moved closer to the Kosciuszko Main Range.

The Kosciuszko National Park was first called the National Chase Snowy Mountains on 5 December 1906. In April 1944, the Kosciusko State Park was established after a law was passed. It later became the Kosciuszko National Park in 1967. The name was spelled incorrectly as "Kosciusko" until 1997.

The construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme between 1949 and 1974 led to the exploration of the area, improved roads, and the building of several dams and tunnels. This project was one of the world’s largest engineering achievements.

In December 2024, a bushwalker named Hadi Nazar went missing in the park. He was lost for 14 days and survived by eating berries, drinking water from creeks, and using two muesli bars found in a hut.

Climate

The higher areas of the park have a cold mountain climate. This type of climate is rare in mainland Australia. Only the highest points of the main mountain range have heavy snow during winter. A weather station at Charlotte Pass measured Australia's lowest temperature of −23 °C (−9 °F) on 28 June 1994.

Glaciation

During the last ice age, which was at its highest point about 20,000 years ago during the Pleistocene epoch, the tallest mountains in the main range near Mount Kosciuszko had a climate that helped glaciers form. Signs of these glaciers, such as cirque moraines, tarn lakes, roche moutonnées, and other glacial features, are still visible today. Lake Cootapatamba, created when ice from the southern side of Mount Kosciuszko spilled, is the highest lake on the Australian mainland. Other lakes, including Lake Albina, Club Lake, Blue Lake, and Hedley Tarn, also formed due to glacial activity.

Some scientists disagree about how far glaciers covered the main range during the Pleistocene. There is little or no evidence of earlier glacial periods. A one-kilometre-long ridge called the "David Moraine," found across Spencers Creek valley, suggests a larger glacier may have existed in the past, but its connection to glaciers is not certain.

Evidence of periglacial activity, which involves processes linked to cold climates, is present in the area. Solifluction, a process that moves soil slowly, created terraces on the northwest side of Mount Northcote. Frost heave, which causes soil to crack and shift due to freezing, is also a major cause of soil erosion in the Kosciuszko Area.

Since the 1950s, the park has seen a decrease in the depth of snow cover.

Ecology

Kosciuszko National Park includes many different climate areas that support various ecosystems. The most well-known part of the park is the alpine region above the tree line. This area is very delicate and covers the smallest space. It is made up of alpine heaths, herbfields, feldmarks, bogs, and fens. The windswept feldmark is found only in this area and covers about 300,000 square meters. This area is especially at risk from careless visitors walking through it.

Nine wilderness zones have been identified in the park’s most recent management plan. These zones are named Indi, Byadbo, Pilot, Jagungal, Bogong Peaks, Goobarragandra, Western Falls, Bramina, and Bimberi.

The park is home to many rare or endangered plant and animal species. One of the most threatened species in Australia, the corroboree frog, lives here. The endangered mountain pygmy possum and the more common dusky antechinus also live in the park’s high country. In June 2025, a Leadbeater’s possum, once thought to be extinct in New South Wales, was spotted near Yarrangobilly Caves during a survey for the critically endangered smoky mouse. In October 2025, a long-footed potoroo was seen in the park for the first time.

Feral animals, such as wild horses, are also found in the park. Park officials have worked to control their numbers through culling and relocation, which has caused public debate. Estimates of the horse population have varied over the years: 1,700 in 2008, increasing by 300 each year; 7,679 in 2009; and between 2,500 and 14,000 in 2013–2014. By 2016, the number was estimated at 6,000. By 2019, it had more than doubled to 25,000. A 2020 survey reported 14,380 horses. Since aerial shooting began in the park, 5,539 horses have been culled. Another 427 have been removed through trapping, rehoming, or ground shooting. As of October 2023, about 17,000 feral horses are still in the park.

In June 2021, Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley wrote to New South Wales Environment Minister Matt Kean, stating she would introduce federal regulations to protect the park because the state was not meeting its responsibilities. A management plan for wild horses was released in November 2021. By June 2027, the number of horses is expected to be reduced to 3,000.

Much of the park is covered by alpine woodlands, which are dominated by snow gum trees. Montane and wet sclerophyll forests also exist, supporting large areas of alpine ash and mountain gum. In the southern Byadbo wilderness area, dry sclerophyll and wattle forests are more common. The large Chinese elm tree, which is not native to the area, has become established in the park.

Many trees in the lower parts of the park were severely damaged by bushfires in 2003. While fires are a natural part of the park’s ecosystem, it will take time for the area to recover to its condition before the 2003 fires.

Recreational uses

The mountains usually have snow that is one meter deep for up to four months each year. Ski resorts in the area include Thredbo, Selwyn Snowfields, Perisher, and Charlotte Pass. An electric railway, known as the Skitube Alpine Railway, connects the Alpine Way to the Perisher Valley.

The Australian Alps Walking Track, which is 655 kilometers long, crosses most of the park. Many people walk to Mount Kosciuszko during the summer. This mountain is 9 kilometers from Charlotte Pass or 6 kilometers from the Thredbo chairlift. Camping is allowed anywhere in the park except near roads or water sources. Starting fires is not allowed at higher elevations.

Mountain biking is permitted on trails managed by the park outside of wilderness areas and on a few trails inside them: Grey Mare Trail, Round Mountain Trail, Valentine Trail, Hellhole Creek Trail, Cascade Trail, Ingegoodbee Trail, and Nine Mile Trail.

Canoeing and swimming are popular activities in rivers and lakes during warm weather. Trout are added to rivers and dams from nearby hatcheries. Trout fishing is allowed during certain seasons with a permit. Other activities include whitewater rafting, trail riding, visiting Yarrangobilly Caves, Cooleman Caves, Tin Mine Falls, Australia’s highest waterfall, and Valentine Falls. Tours are offered through caves in the Yarrangobilly karst region. Other tours are also available.

Sawpit Creek has a large campground with areas for caravans and cabins to rent.

The Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme

The Snowy River begins in the park and flows south toward Victoria. Inside the park, there are many parts of the Snowy Mountains Scheme hydro-electric system, such as tunnels, dams, generators, the Tantangara Reservoir, and the Snowy 2.0 Pumped Storage Power Station.

The Snowy Scheme was built from 1949 to 1974. It is a system that produces electricity and helps with farming. It includes sixteen large dams, seven power stations, one pumping station, and 225 kilometers of tunnels, pipelines, and aqueducts. Sir William Hudson was the chief engineer of the project. It is the largest engineering project in Australia. An 8-kilometer powerline is planned to be built through the area.