Pt 2 - Day 27 - Mt Kosciuszko

What a beautiful little piece of paradise we have stumbled on here.  What was meant to be a pit stop on the way to Melbourne and a quick look at Mt Kosciusko has become one of the highlights of the trip so far.  This morning I started the day with a walk around Jindabyne Lake.  Just beautiful with the sun shining through the  clouds onto the water.

This is the view from the camp kitchen.

So today, the plan is to go and have a look at Mt Kosciusko.  It is like winter here at the moment, a forecast top of 19C and as we drive further up the mountains and into Thredbo, we discover that the top here for today is  9C.  Unbelievable!!!!!  I am feeling more and more like I am in Canada again.  Beautiful scenery, sunny days, but freezing temps!!

So the only way to get to the top is by catching a chairlift and then walking.  There is one chairlift going in summer just for this purpose.  It is a hikers paradise up here.  So we jump on that and head for the top.  Not the most secure structure in the world and I just can't wait until we get to the top.  The whole family in one chair which the kids could just slip out of at any moment.  Needless to say it is not the most enjoyable part of my day.  "Mum, don't squeeze me so tight you are hurting my tummy"  Says Cody!!!!

View of Thredbo from the top of the chair lift.

So we reach the "Eagles Nest" at the top which I think is about 1800m above sea level and the temp up here is a very warm 6.7C.  There are clouds looming on the horizon and we are warned that there is a little lightning around so we need to take care.  The chair lift will also stop if the weather gets bad.....great!!!

Anyway, it is so beautiful and we can't believe we are so close to the top.  There is a man-made path to the summit and lots of people around.  The sun is still coming out intermittently and we are all very excited being up here, it is very hard to explain what an awesome feeling it is, you feel like you are on top of the world.

So, first we head to the lookout.  We were told that it was a really easy walk to the top!!!  Well, I think the bloke we spoke to had forgotten what it was actually like as he had done it when he was a lot younger, because, although the path was good, the incline made it a bit difficult.

We reached the lookout and stopped and had some lunch,  what a magnificent view.  Glen was determined to reach the summit but the thunder around made us both a bit nervous.  We also thought a 13km round trip might be a bit much for the two little ones.  We pushed on a bit further until Cody, Shannae and I decided that a 6km round trip would do us and we turned back and headed for the Eagles Nest coffee shop!!!!  Tori and Glen decided to go on.

When we got the the top of the chairlift and went in for a nice warm drink, the girls told us that they had been warned of storms and the chairlift may be closed if we wanted to get to the bottom, great!!!  Tori and Glen are still out there.  I phone them and they are very excited as the are at the summit.

Cody, Shannae and I head for the bottom, absolutely freeze on the chair lift, but what a magnificent view.  Before long I call the other two as it has started raining and I am a bit concerned.  Well, they are walking on the grass, as the metal walk way is dangerous with the lightning, and they are getting hailed on by now!!!!

Luckily they have hooked up with a tour guide, who brings all the remaining people back down in a four wheel drive as the chairlift has been closed for a while now.  They look like drowned rats and are pretty exhausted, but on such a high as they had made it to the top.

What a great day.  The rain continues but we are just in winter mode now anyway, we want to see the memorial for the landslide that occurred in 1997, as this has been on our mind since we arrived.  We stand in the place where 18 people lost their lives, a somber feeling.  Not much information can be found about the landslide which surprises us.  Not good publicity I suppose.  Anyway, a beautiful drive back to Jindabyne.