national parks Archives - Pin Your Footsteps

Introduction

The park is named after Mount Kosciuszko, which at 2,228 metres is Australia’s highest mountain. The best way to discover the area is to go for a walk. Nature enthusiasts will be rewarded with alpine views, crystal clear streams, glacial lakes and historic huts.

At the northern end of the national park are the Yarrangobilly Caves. The limestone dates back 440 million years. An impressive place to discover with an extra opportunity to relax in a naturally heated thermal pool. Don’t forget your swimmers!

During winter, it’s one of the best places in the country for skiing. All New South Wales alpine resorts are within Kosciuszko National Park: Perisher Blue, Charlotte Pass, Thredbo and Mt Selwyn.

Yarrangobilly Caves and Thermal Pool

I made my first stop at Yarrangobilly Caves Visitor Centre to purchase 24 hours pass to the National Park. It costs $17 per vehicle per day (24hrs) and includes free entrance to some of the self-guided caves in the area. I was advised to visit South Glory Cave first and that was exactly what I did.

Yarrangobilly’s karst landscapes were created from a belt of limestone laid down about 440 million years ago. Karst environments preserve evidence of climate change, floods, droughts, fires, animal and human activity. All of that makes it an incredible place to discover.

South Glory Cave is the largest one in the Yarrangobilly area of Kosciuszko National Park. I drove past the visitor centre following the signs to the parking. All that area can be easily accessed with a 2WD vehicle. From there, the cave is accessed along a 500m gravel track, leading to Glory Arch. Yarrangobilly river flows just down the escarpment.

The fact that the tour is self-guided makes it much more interesting than just following a group. I was inside completely alone and it took me around half an hour to go through and read information signs. Even though there are sensor lights that switch on as you approach, having your own flashlight is essential. Moreover, the average temperature in this cave is around 10 C so bring a hoodie or a jacket.

After visiting South Glory Cave, it’s a good idea to hike the Castle Cave Walk with the views to limestone cliffs and Mill Creek Gorge. and on to Castle Cave. The track is 3.2 km return and shouldn’t take you more than an hour. Detailed map of the track can be found on the website of NSW National Parks.

If one short track is not enough, head back towards the parking and join Yarrangobilly River Walk. It’s an easy 3 km loop beside the river with an interesting stop on the way – Thermal Pool. Water temperature is on a constant level of 27C so bring your swimsuit and towel! It was nice to jump in and refresh my body, especially after a visit in a cold and damp cave. Detailed map of the track can be found on the website of NSW National Parks.

Glory Farm Walk is a short extension to the thermal pool walk. It’s 2.8 km long (return hike) and follows Yarrangobilly River to the site of Henry Harris’s Glory Hole Farm which provided meat and vegetables for the Kiandra miners in the late 1800s.

There are more caves in the area: Jillabenan Cave, Jersey Cave and North Glory Cave. The first one can be visited on a guided tour. It’s the smallest of the Yarrangobilly Caves with the path through it being 73m long. I didn’t join the tour as visiting South Glory Cave fulfilled all my expectations towards stalagmites and stalactites 🙂 Jersey Cave and North Glory Cave are closed until further notice.

After longer than expected visit in Yarrangobilly Caves, it was time to move on toward Thredbo, which was over 2 hours away.

Mount Kosciuszko Summit (Main Range Walk)

There is not much to do in Thredbo outside of ski season. I had a short walk but then simply made my way to Ngarigo campground which is located along Alpine Way. The place isn’t big but there was only one more campervan parked. I have no idea what the temperature in the night was, but it was damn cold! Definitely the coldest night in Australia during my trip. I used everything I could: blankets, sleeping bag and hoodie.

I woke up at dawn I set off without breakfast. It was the first time that I had to turn on the heating as the front windshield got icy! The way to the parking at the end of Kosciuszko Road took me about 1 hour. After breakfast, I packed my backpack and followed the Summit Track. The distance to the summit is 9.3 km (about 2 hours) but I had the plan to take another path on the way back, completing the loop called the Main Range Walk. It’s a 22 km loop that in theory should take between 7-9 hours but in my case, it was rather closer to 5-6 hours.

The morning was very cold but the sun was rising higher and higher warming up the air. Small streams along the track got frozen and there was snow clearly visible in the upper parts of the mountains. I definitely didn’t expect to see it in Australia!

Glacier-carved landscape in Kosciuszko National Park

Kosciuszko National Park — Mornings in late May can be quite cold!

I crossed Snowy River and then, 6 km from the beginning of the track, I passed Seaman’s Hut which is a small safe haven if the weather turns. Rawson Pass is another 1.7 km away. Here it was the time to turn right and make the final ascent to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko.

You may wonder, where the name comes from?

It was given by Polish explorer Count Pawel Edmund Strzelecki who was the first to summit the peak in 1840. It refers to Polish hero General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a prominent figure in the American revolution. Apparently, the highest Australian mountain looks similar to the sight in which General Kosciuszko was buried.

From the distance, the mountain doesn’t look impressive at all. But in sunny weather, the views from 2228 m a.s.l. are decent enough to justify the effort 🙂 Honestly, the landscape here doesn’t feel like Australia at all. Or maybe I just got used to the desert on one side and the ocean on the other?

Continuing the hike along the Main Range Track

I started the descent following the same way as before but shortly after I turned left on the track leading towards Muellers Pass. Then, it continues to Northcote Pass which is just next to Albina Lake. There is an opportunity of a short detour to Blue Lake which is definitely worth doing.

I’m not sure what are the rules of freedom camping in Kosciuszko National Park but I saw two tents pitched on the meadows. Certainly, the nights are cold, but what a great location! If you are a camping enthusiast, consider doing the same.

After crossing the Carruthers Creek, the track goes to the meeting point of Club Lake Creek and Snowy River. From here, the last uphill section leads back to the parking lot.

Introduction

Stage 16 is complicated both logistically and physically. Between Paczków and Głuchołazy there are hardly any options for an overnight stay, not to mention long kilometres of walking on the asphalt roads.

Route planning

Total distance from Złoty Ztok to Głuchołazy is 58,5 km, which is clearly out of range for regular hikers. You may want to split it as follows:

Option 1: Złoty Stok – Paczków (13 km) and then Paczków – Głuchołazy (45,5 km)

Option 2: Złoty Stok – Piotrowice Nyskie (30.5 km) and then Piotrowice Nyskie – Głuchołazy (28 km)

Trasa: Złoty Stok – Głuchołazy | mapa-turystyczna.pl

Option 2 sounds more reasonable, though it involves overnight stay at Piotrowice Nyskie Palace, which isn’t particularly cheap. As it’s nearly the end of the hike, you can simply tell yourself that you deserve a little bit of a luxury 🙂

First kilometres towards Paczków

I hit the road in Złoty Stok following the main road passing through the town. Soon, on the right side, I noticed old lime kilns. If you want to learn more about their history, plan your first break here and have a look at the information board.

Finally the red track turn left leaving the main road and continues towards Błotnica and further to Kozielno and Paczków. Kozielno reservoir on your left is another nice place for a short break.

Zbiornik Kozielno, Główny Szlak Sudecki — Kozielno Reservoir

What to do in Paczków?

Paczków was founded in 1254 and shortly after defensive walls were erected. Remains of them can still be noticed today. Besides that, several other places are worth seeing: City Hall, Church of St. John the Evangelist, Gas Museum and city towers: Ząbkowicka, Wrocławska and Kłodzka.

City Hall

A beautiful building with the tower that retained its original renaissance character until today. It can be climbed and the panorama of the entire city fully rewards the effort.

Paczków, Główny Szlak Sudecki — City Hall in Paczków

Church of St. John the Evangelist

The temple is really huge and towers over the city so you can’t miss it. The construction began in 1350 and lasted about 30 years. The current shape of the building is the result of reconstructions in the Renaissance, Baroque and Neo-Gothic styles. An interesting fact is that in the 16th century, fearing the invasions of the Turks, the temple was rebuilt and fortified. A round stone well was set up in the southern aisle, the only one in Europe that was located inside the church.

Gas Museum

The gasworks in Paczków was built in the years 1898 – 1901 and shortly after started providing permanent gas supply. Over 90 years later, the place was turned into a museum, being the only facility in Poland where all the municipal gas production facilities have been preserved. You can see a huge collection of gas lamps, meters, cookers, heating stoves, irons but also more weird objects such as refrigerator or curling iron. Unfortunately, it was closed on the day of my visit in town due to COVID-19 pandemic, but it must be an interesting and unique place to visit.

City Gates: Ząbkowicka, Wrocławska, Nyska and Kłodzka

System of medieval town fortifications in Paczków is one of the best-preserved examples of its kind in Poland. Initially, three city gates led to the ring of defensive walls and in the 15th century, a fourth was built. Currently, Wrocławka Gate can be climbed for panoramic views and at the Nysa Gate, there is a wooden, roofed walking gallery with viewing platforms open to the public free of charge.

The Main Sudetes Trail used to end in Paczków but a couple of years ago, it was extended to Prudnik. Therefore, I had to postpone celebration and continue my hiking adventure for a little bit longer. I turned left just after Nyska Gate and followed the main road all the way to the turn leading to Unikowice. Asphalt road passes through the village, goes further to Lisie Kąty and then to Ujeździec. It was only 8 kilometres from Paczków but the road seemed to be incredibly long and just boring with no mountains views at all.

Główny Szlak Sudecki — Small chapel with the indication of red track

There was still 10 kilometres between me and my bed for tonight. The boring path continued for 4 kilometres to Trzeboszowice. After passing it, the track turned right and took me to Ratnowice. Both are just another small villages en route without anything particularly interesting. For remaining distance, the landscape was quite monotonous. The only highlight was a young deer roaming the fields. Finally, I arrived at Piotrowice Nyskie and had the whole afternoon for relaxation after that difficult day. The distance was just fine, but walking on asphalt roads is usually much more tiring for the feet. Together with the monotonous landscape, it can be tiring for the mind too.

The following day started with 3 km to Kałków, unfortunately again on an asphalt road. I wondered if the trail would look like this until the end and if so, why was it extended. Luckily, after passing Łąka, it was finally the time to take a bit wilder path and cross the farmlands to reach Jarnołtów.

Głuchołazy, Główny Szlak Sudecki — Storks are very common on a trail

Next targets were Sławniowice and Gierałcice, from where Polish-Czech border is a stone’s throw away. The track continues along on an asphalt road (yeah, again) until it finally separates and continues through the fields to Głuchołazy, passing Biała Głuchołaska river.

In Głuchołazy, I stayed in Guesthouse Iwona. Clean and spacious room with a nice yard in front of the house. There is not much to do in town but a short walk around the old market square and the Catholic Church of St. Lawrence is a good idea. And if you still have too much energy, wonderful Beech Forest Nature Reserve can be explored on foot.

I was really happy to finally reach the town. Last two days were probably the worst ones during the entire hike. But I also had high hopes for the next day as I knew that mountains will be back for the last time. Biskupia Kopa (890m a.s.l.) is the highest peak in the Opawskie Mountains. So, the plan was easy. Climb it and then finish my adventure on the Main Sudetes Trail in Prudnik.

national parks

Kosciuszko National Park: Australia’s highest mountain and Yarrangobilly Caves

Introduction

Yarrangobilly Caves and Thermal Pool

Mount Kosciuszko Summit (Main Range Walk)

Main Sudetes Trail (Stage 16): Złoty Stok – Głuchołazy

Introduction

Route planning

First kilometres towards Paczków