Kosciuszko National Park

Kosciuszko National Park is a national park in the Australian state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest national park in New South Wales and the tallest in Australia, home to the highest peak of Australia; Mt. Kosciuszko as well as two famous ski resorts: Thredbo and Perisher. The park gets its name from a Polish-Lithuanian hero called General Tadeusz Kościuszko, which explains the etymology of a name that is rather difficult to pronounce by most Australians.

Climate
The higher regions of the park experience an alpine climate which is quite unusual on mainland Australia. However, only the peaks of the main mountain range are subject to consistent winter snow. The climate station at Charlotte Pass recorded
Australia's lowest temperature of  on 28 June 1994.

Altitude
The point with the highest altitude is the peak of Mt. Kosciuszko at 2228m, and the lowest point of the park is near Khancoban at 337m. The peak is also the tallest point of the mainland Australian continent. However, the tallest peak of Australia, excluding the areas as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory is actually in Mawsons Peak, some 3000km from the capital of Western Australia; Perth.

The Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme

The Snowy River starts in the park and flows south to Victoria. Many tunnels, dams, generators and other parts of the Snowy Mountains Scheme hydro-electric system are located within Kosciuszko National Park, including the Tantangara Reservoir.

The Snowy Scheme, constructed between 1949 and 1974, is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex consisting of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and is the largest engineering project undertaken in Australia.Australian Bureau of Statistics 1986 Special Article: The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric SchemeThe Snowy Mountains Scheme  An 8km powerline has been planned through the area.

References

Other websites

Category:National parks in Australia
Category:Geography of New South Wales