What is the highest mountain in Australia’s mainland?

Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain on Australia’s mainland. Its summit stands 2,228 metres above sea level in New South Wales.

The mountain is located in Kosciuszko National Park within the Snowy Mountains, a section of the Australian Alps. It was named in 1840 by Polish explorer and geologist Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, who chose the name to honor Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish military and national hero.

A surveying error once caused Mount Townsend to be treated as the higher summit. After the error was corrected, the names of the two peaks were temporarily exchanged so that the country’s highest mountain would retain the more familiar name Mount Kosciuszko. The names were later restored.

Mount Kosciuszko is a relatively accessible summit by global mountaineering standards. A maintained walking track leads to the top, and the region is popular for hiking in summer and snow sports in winter. Australia’s external territories have higher peaks, so “mainland Australia” is important wording.