Location: Latitude 36° 27′ South; Longitude 148° 16′ East
Elevation: 2,228 metres (7,310 ft)
First Ascent: Count Pawel Edmund Strzelecki, 1840.
Mount Kosciuszko is located in the Snowy Mountains in Australia’s Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia (not including its external territories). It was named by the Polish explorer Count Paul Edmund Strzelecki in 1840 to commemorate a Polish national hero, General Tadeusz Kościuszko. Interestingly, measurements of the peak showed it to be lower than its neighbour, Mount Townsend, so the names were exchanged in order to preserve Kosciuszko as the name of the highest peak.
As with many of Australia’s highest peaks, Mount Kosciuszko is not especially difficult to climb. From Charlotte Pass it is an 8-kilometre (5 miles) trek up a path to the summit and from Thredbo 6.5 kilometres (4 miles).
For guiding on Mount Kosciuszko I recommend www.k7adventures.com