20.01.2023 from Ngarigo and the Mt. Kocsiuszko National Park to Six Mile Creek campground in the South East Forrest NP

20.01.2023 from Ngarigo and the Mt. Kocsiuszko National Park to Six Mile Creek campground in the South East Forrest NP

I can only speak for myself, it was freezing cold at night, but the Australian I met in the morning on the way to the toilet said it was chilly. We quickly pack up and leave the place, it's only 10 km to the next town and I doubt if I will have enough time to warm up in the car.

Thredbo Village is the hot spot for hikers to Mt. Kocsiuszko in the national park of the same name and the eldorado for mountain bike riders who like to race down hills in summer. But we are undecided, the mountain is covered in fog, we pay at least 75 € (110 AUD) for the cable car and then maybe we don't see anything up top. We wait, have a coffee and enjoy the unexpected free WIFI. Then we decide to go for the tour and the 4 km (return) hike to the lookout to Mt. Kocsiuszko. It's 13 km to the mountain peak.

Surprisingly, the clouds are hanging low, almost at the top with the cable car, it clears up, we have a clear view of the hiking trail and start walking. 2 km uphill, 2 km downhill are marked with 1 to 2 hours, depending on fitness and difficulty level. We have to let many hikers pass us. Arriving at the mountain viewpoint, we see an unspectacular hill partly still covered with snow from last winter. We are satisfied and hike back cheerfully. We completed the hike in a good hour, without counting the unproductive times like taking photos and looking and chatting at the viewpoint.

We are not that bad after all.

After surfing the net and shopping, we continue to the next NP. It is over 100 km east near the coast and called South Eastern Forest NP. Here we have booked a campsite. You always have to do this if you want to stay overnight in the NP. There are only 6 pitches at the Six Mile Creek campground, 4 of which are now occupied. Four men are celebrating a nice Friday evening nearby, the other pitches are occupied by camper and tent couples.

Surprisingly, it is not particularly warm so close to the sea, but not "chilly" either. Flies and mosquitoes are not present, neither kangaroos nor screaming birds. Only one parrot makes it known that this place is actually his.