Puncak Jaya is the highest point of the Australian continent when New Guinea is included, rising to 4,884 meters in Indonesia’s Central Papua. It is also called Carstensz Pyramid and lies in the Sudirman Range on the island of New Guinea.
The answer can surprise readers because Mount Kosciuszko is Australia’s highest mountain on the mainland, at 2,228 meters. Mount Wilhelm is Papua New Guinea’s highest peak, while Aoraki / Mount Cook is New Zealand’s highest. Puncak Jaya exceeds all of them in elevation.
The distinction depends on geographic definitions. New Guinea shares the Sahul continental shelf with Australia, so it is included in the Australian continent in the physical-geography sense used by many Seven Summits lists. Politically, however, western New Guinea is part of Indonesia, which is generally grouped with Southeast Asia. That is why some sources describe Puncak Jaya as Oceania’s highest point rather than Australia’s.
Puncak Jaya was first climbed in 1936 by a Dutch expedition. Its name means “Victorious Peak” in Indonesian; Carstensz Pyramid is an older name linked to Dutch explorer Jan Carstenszoon.