Mount Kosciuszko

Icy slopes of Mount Kosciuszko in winter, New South Wales, Australia.

Mount Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest peak, rising to an elevation of 7,310 feet (2,228 metres) in the Snowy Mountains of the Australian Alps, southeastern New South Wales. Located 240 miles (390 km) southwest of Sydney, the mountain is situated in Kosciuszko National Park (2,498 square miles [6,469 square km]) and is near Mounts Townsend, Twynam, North Ramshead, and Carruthers (all exceeding 7,000 feet [2,100 metres]), whose melting snows feed the rivers and reservoirs that make up the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme. The region has been developed for winter sports. The mountain was named by Polish explorer Paul Strzelecki in 1840 in honour of Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish patriot and statesman.