A couple weeks ago we spent a week camping, hiking, and road tripping. Our ultimate destination was Kosciuszko National Park. It’s currently summer in Australia, so the area is much quieter and calmer than it would be during the...

A couple weeks ago we spent a week camping, hiking, and road tripping. Our ultimate destination was Kosciuszko National Park. It’s currently summer in Australia, so the area is much quieter and calmer than it would be during the snow season. Despite the lack of snow, Kosciuszko is magical in the summer off season. As a family, we are more into hiking anyways, and the low season (summer season) is absolutely perfect for this. We stayed in the small town of Cooma at a local camp ground. Other towns with plentiful accommodation options are Thredbo or Jindabyne. Coooma is further away from the trail heads than the other spots, and we will probably stay closer next time we visit. We chose Cooma simply because it was the busy school holiday period and they had availability for the type of camping set up we wanted and for the entire time frame. Because we were staying in Cooma, all the hikes I am going to talk about are in the Thredbo – Perisher area. Kosciuszko National Park is actually huge, and there are tons of other areas to explore, and plenty of family activities to take part in, but we just have not gotten to them yet. So without further adieu, and in no particular order:

Snow Gums Boardwalk – 0.4 km return

Follow the road all the way to the end to Charlottes pass, and you will find the starts of several walks. Many of them were a little too long (or steep) for our children to tolerate, so instead we just spent some time sightseeing on the Snow Gums Boardwalk. As you can see, this “walk” is probably a little too short to even call a walk. It’s more of a collection of two viewpoints. But this is where you will get the most clear views of Mount Kosciuszko and that alone makes it worthwhile making your way here.

Porcupine Rocks – 6 km return

As you are driving into the park, away from the ticket booth, turn left at the Man from Snowy River hotel. From there you will see signs which direct you to the parking area for this walk. The trail itself is well marked and well formed, however you are climbing to a height of around 1900 m, so expect the trail to be mostly uphill the entire way. However, despite being uphill, its not overly challenging. As you ascend, you can see the vegetation start to change, and the whole area is filled with beautiful snow gums. You will know you have reached the end of the walk when you enter a very rocky area filled with large boulders. These are porcupine rocks. From here, you can enjoy spectacular views to Thredbo River Valley and Bullocks Flat below and back to Perisher and the Main Range. //www.instagram.com/embed.js

Waterfall Walk – 6 km loop

This walk is one of the closest to Jindabyne and is also the most sheltered of all the walks. If it is a hot and sunny day, then this is the hike to do, as the tree cover offers great protection from the elements. This trail is also one of the few which is a loop, so you don’t need to backtrack either. The path is relatively flat. There is a bit of up and down, but its definitely suitable for people of all fitness levels. Of course, as the name implies, you will pass by a waterfall while on this walk.

Rainbow Lake – 2.5 km return

If you are only up for a short hike, then Rainbow Lake is a very good option. This walk is not very technically difficult, and can be completed by most anyone. It’s a great hike to take a picnic on, or for those of you who like fishing, you can actually fish for trout in the lake.

Illawong Walk – 5 km return

This was our favourite walk out of all the walks we did. The area here is simply stunning. The Illawong walk starts in the tiny village of Guthega – follow the signs which depart from the main road. The village is just a small handful of buildings, and it is very easy to find the start of this walk. The area here is simply stunning and it was here that was saw some of the best examples of alpine wildflowers. During our visit, there was an immense amount of native mint near the path, making the whole area smell subtlety of mint. The highlight of this walk is, without a doubt, the opportunity to swim in the snowy river. Because of the off the beaten track location of this walk, we thought it would be relatively quiet. However the swimming hole here must be well known, as when we arrived we found several other families enjoying a relaxing dip in the waters.

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