With 160,000 sq. km of protected areas the Alps are home to eight of Australia’s highly prized national parks.

ACT
Namadgi
Named after the Aboriginal word for the mountains south-west of Canberra, Namadgi National Park is the most northerly national park in the the Alps. A sprawling 1060 sq. km, it also takes up more than half of the ACT.

Namadgi doesn’t have any established ski resorts but still enjoys ample snow, and winter touring is available, along with summer activities such as rock climbing, abseiling, hiking and mountain biking.

In the park’s lower elevations, look out for eastern grey kangaroos, crimson rosellas and dingoes among broad-leaved peppermints, snow gums and alpine ash. You can also explore a diverse range of vegetation, from woodlands to bogs, open grasslands to frost hollows, and sub-alpine peaks to heaths. The river blackfish, northern corroboree frog and broad-tooth rat make their home here.


NSW
Kosciuszko National Park
Covering almost 7000 sq. km and stretching from the Victorian border to the west of Namadgi NP in the ACT, Kosciuszko National Park is the largest national park in NSW and the Australian Alps.

It’s also famous for two iconic landmarks – Mount Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest mountain at 2228 m, and the Snowy River which springs from the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko.

During the summer months, camping, fishing, caving, rafting and mountain biking are popular activities; in winter the ski resorts of Thredbo, Perisher Blue, Charlotte Pass and Selwyn Snowfields come alive. Many of the big ski resorts are also a hub for summer activities.

Vegetation varies wildly and the park is home to many fascinating animals including the endangered mountain pygmy possum and the southern corroboree frog.


VICTORIA
Alpine National Park
In the south-eastern corner of the Australian Alps and covering 6460 sq. km of wild rivers, soaring ranges, dramatic escarpments, sprawling forests, open grasslands and most of the State’s highest mountains, Alpine National Park is Victoria’s largest national park.

The highest peak in the park, and Victoria, is 1986 m Mount Bogong. Situated near the Victorian-NSW border, the mountain is popular with back-country skiers in winter and hikers in the warmer months.

Alpine NP is home to some of Australia’s best ski resorts including Falls Creek, Mount Hotham and Mt Buller. During summer, when wildflowers are in full bloom, bush walking, biking and rock climbing are popular pursuits.

The diverse landscape is home to more than 1100 native plant and numerous threatened animal species, many of which have specially adapted to survive the severe winter climate. Twelve native plant species, including the Bogong daisy-bush and silky daisy, are found nowhere else in the world.

Also resident to this area are threatened animals such as the rare mountain pygmy-possum, the smoky mouse, broad-tooth rat, spotted tree frog and alpine she-oak skink.