Main Range Walk - Charlotte Pass to Mount Kosciuszko

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The Australian Alpine high-country landscape in the summertime is a truly spectacular experience as if walking through a kaleidoscope of colours from the greys of the rocky cliffs and boulders, the stripy grey-white smooth bark of the snow gum trees with evergreen eucalyptus leaves and luscious green alpine heathlands, amongst the blue alpine glacier lakes, clear blue skies and clouds hovering around the silhouette of the snow-capped alpine mountain peaks, is absolutely picturesque.

Guaranteed after the first visit, you will become spelled bound and return to re-experience the magic and pure serenity of Mount Kosciuszko's summer walks.

There are a few routes to get to the summit however, the Main Range Walk from Charlotte Pass is the most spectacular, taking you along the ridge of the mountain passing the famous blue lake lookout, and alpine glacial lakes before reaching the summit sitting at an elevation of 2228 metres above sea level.

It is a 22 km loop track of moderate grade which can take between 7-9 hours starting from Charlotte Pass cul-de-sac which means, off-street parking. Make sure to arrive early if you don't want to walk an extra kilometre to get to your car on your return! We started at 6am and there were already plenty of cars arriving around the same time.

The bollard marks the start of the Main Range walk.


As we follow the windy path, we reach the first of many snowy river crossings.



Our first stop was the Blue Lake lookout which has been recently upgraded to a semi-circle design to offer a better view of the lake.



The track continues and traverses many snow crossings – there's been an unprecedented amount of snow in late December 2022 than other years.



Notwithstanding the cold, the wildflowers still bloom.



We reach the ridge line which offers spectacular views of the Alpine glacial lakes below.



We continue the climb and find the first survey mark a few kilometres from down from the summit.



The wind picks up and we reach the summit, bracing against the wind at 2228m above sea level – standing on the rooftop of Australia – no one in Australia can look down on you, Ha!



15 km done, it is downhill from here via Rawson Pass (the fire trail) for a toilet break and approximately 7 km back to the car park.



If you need some shelter from the cold, you can take a rest inside the historic Seaman Hut.



As the grey gums become more visible along the trail, it is a clue that you are almost at the car park.



What to bring: at least 3L of water, a hat, lots of sunscreen, snacks, clothes for all weather conditions, recommended waterproof hiking shoes and walking poles.

Have a great walk!

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