We got up early so that we could be on the chair lift to the start of the summit walk as soon as the lift started operating.

The start of the walk, at Eagle’s Nest.

We were third cab off the rank and about 10 minutes later, stepped off at the Eagles Nest restaurant and the beginning of the trek.  We had borrowed a couple of walking poles and Beryl found that the rubber tip passed through the grating of the steel path and was pulled off somewhere between the start and the first klm.  I didn’t use mine, but she did at some of the stages to the summit.

The walk was quite pleasant but some of the steeper parts had us puffing. There were still a few Alpine wildflowers out and the weather was quite warm, with the occasional cold wind gusting through, to drop the temperature by a couple of degrees. There is a bit of walking path upgrading going on and a side track viewing platform at Lake Cootapatamba.

Walking path protects the fragile flora but ignorant people still dump tissues and plastic bottles off the sides.

Lake Cootapatamba

There is a toilet block 1klm from the summit and there are a lot of walkers waiting their turn. Some low cloud scudded across the summit at times, but we made it quite comfortably. A couple of school groups arrived and the area was very crowded with people. We had a snack and a drink of water, before tackling the walk back down.

Going downhill places stress on different muscle areas, so it was a little taxing. We arrived back at the chairlift in half the time it took to climb, but were glad to see it. I was looking off the side of the boardwalk and trying to see through the grating in the last kilometer, to see if I could find Beryl’s walking pole rubber foot and after 13klms, saw it in a clear patch. Lucky. We decided to grab some lunch and coffee at the Eagles Nest restaurant and we both had wobbly legs climbing the stairs. It was good to sit down for a half hour. A tiring and strenuous day for a couple of old timers.

The following day we decided to do another walk to the falls, at Sawpit Creek, as we both felt reasonably rested. This is a loop track and rated Grade 3, moderately difficult. To get there, drive along Kosciuszko Road towards Perisher Valley. You can either begin the walk from Kosciuszko Education Centre on  Kosciuszko Road, or continue driving 400m past it, and then turn left into Kosciuszko Mountain Retreat. Take the first left down a short dirt road to reach Sawpit Creek picnic area , which is the other starting point for Waterfall walking track.

There are a lot of signs of feral pig damage along the track but it is a pleasant walk, with a few steps and inclines to negotiate.

The ground is ploughed up by feral pigs. They cause lots of ecological damage.

The waterfall at the end of the track. Hard to see from the walkway.

The actual falls were flowing but the trees and scrub overgrowth make it difficult to see and get a decent photo. The second part of the loop, the return journey, seemed a lot longer and hillier. There are lots of bull ant mounds along the track and if you linger next to one, be prepared for a possibly very painful sting. It was a relief to finally hear traffic on the road as we neared the exit point and plodded on to the picnic area and back to the car. This walk sapped us and maybe in hindsight we shouldn’t have followed it up the day after doing the 13klm one. Regardless, it was a great few days and well worth the visit. We have decided we probably will not do the summit walk again for our 80th birthdays.

The picturesque Thredbo River