Australian Alps facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Australian Alps Australia
Mount Feathertop, Victoria The interim Australian bioregions, with the Australian Alps in red
Area	12,330 km2 (4,760.6 sq mi)
State electorate(s)	Benambra Brindabella Gippsland East Monaro Ovens Valley
Federal Division(s)	Eden-Monaro Gippsland Riverina
Localities around Australian Alps: NSW South Western Slopes South Eastern Highlands South Eastern Highlands Riverina Australian Alps South East Corner Victorian Midlands South East Coastal Plain South East Corner

Map of the Australian Alps region

The Australian Alps are a huge mountain range in southeast Australia. They are the highest mountains on mainland Australia. These mountains stretch across parts of Victoria, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory.

Here you'll find the only peaks in mainland Australia that are taller than 2,000 meters (about 6,560 feet). It's also the only place on the mainland where deep snow falls every year. The entire area of the Australian Alps covers about 1.2 million hectares, which is like 3 million acres!

The Australian Alps are part of the much larger Great Dividing Range. This long chain of mountains and hills runs for about 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) along Australia's eastern side. It helps decide where rivers flow. Rivers on the eastern side flow towards the Pacific Ocean. Rivers on the western side flow into the Murray–Darling Basin, eventually reaching the Southern Ocean, or into inland lakes like Lake Eyre.

The Australian Alps have two main parts. These are the Snowy Mountains (which include the Brindabella Range) in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. The other part is the Victorian Alps in Victoria. People sometimes call the Victorian Alps the "High Country" because of its history and culture.

How the Australian Alps Formed

The Australian Alps formed differently from other famous mountain ranges. For example, the Rockies, European Alps, or Himalayas have sharp, jagged peaks. These were created when huge continental plates of Earth's crust crashed into each other.

But the Australian Alps are more like a high, wide plateau with gentle, rolling hills. They were lifted up by hot, melted rock (magma) moving deep inside the Earth. This happened when the ancient supercontinent Gondwana started to break apart, about 130 to 160 million years ago. The tallest mountain in the Australian Alps is Mount Kosciuszko, standing 2,228 meters (7,310 feet) high.

Most of the Alps were formed about 100 million years ago. Over the next 90 million years, the land slowly lifted a bit more. Sometimes, small volcanoes erupted, sending out lava. This lava flowed into valleys, creating the flat areas we see on the high plains today.

About 2 million years ago, during the Pleistocene ice age, small glaciers formed. These ice rivers were mostly near Mount Kosciuszko. Today, there are no glaciers left. But you can still see signs they were there! Look for small lakes called tarns and bowl-shaped hollows called cirques. Examples include Club Lake and Blue Lake.

Amazing Animals and Plants

The beautiful Snowy Mountains in New South Wales

The Australian Alps are super important for many reasons. They help protect nature, offer fun places for people to visit, and collect water. A big project called the Snowy Mountains Scheme helps move water from the eastern slopes. This water then flows into the Murray River and Murrumbidgee River.

Large national parks protect the natural environment here. These include Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales and the Alpine National Park in Victoria. Different government groups work together to manage these parks.

The Australian Alps are also the only place on mainland Australia where you can go skiing. The town of Cabramurra is one of the few permanent towns in the area. Other towns like Jindabyne and Mount Beauty are found in the valleys below the mountains.

These Alps are not as tall or steep as the European Alps or the Andes Mountains. This means you can often reach their peaks without special mountaineering gear.

Wildlife in the Alps

Hundreds of different animals call the Australian Alps home! You can find about 40 types of native mammals, 200 bird species, 30 kinds of reptiles, 15 amphibians, and 14 native fish. There are also many tiny invertebrates. Some animals, like rabbits, deer, and foxes, were brought here by people and are not native.

Every animal needs a special place to live. They look for food and shelter, often found in plants, rocks, or fallen logs. The type of land, soil, and temperature all decide what kinds of plants grow. This also affects where different animal groups live.

Birds of the Mountains

BirdLife International has named the Australian Alps an Important Bird Area. This means it's a vital place for birds. The forests and woodlands here are home to many flame robins and pilotbirds, especially when they are raising their young.

Tiny Travelers: Bogong Moths and Their Life Cycle

The bogong moth is an amazing insect. It flies long distances to and from the Australian Alps each year. In summer, these moths gather in caves to escape the heat and find food. They are an important food source for many animals, including the endangered mountain pygmy possum.

These moths can carry natural elements from their feeding grounds far away. When they arrive in the mountains, these elements can spread into the environment. This can affect other animals in the mountain range.

Bushfires: Nature's Cycle and Challenges

Bushfires happen often in the Australian Alps. This is because the climate is quite dry, and summers are warm. The Victorian Alps, in particular, have seen many big bushfires. They have been almost completely burned at different times, like during Black Thursday in 1851, Black Friday (1939), and in 2003 and 2006-07.

Some native plants in Australia actually need bushfires to help them reproduce. Fire is a natural and important part of the environment here. For example, in some eucalypt and banksia trees, fire makes their seed pods open. This allows new plants to grow. Fire also helps new grasses sprout. Other plants have learned to recover quickly after a fire.

However, bushfires can be very dangerous for people and animals. They can cause a lot of damage. The 2003 Canberra bushfires affected almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory's land. After burning for a week, the fires reached the city's suburbs. Many homes were destroyed or badly damaged. The Victorian Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 were very intense. They destroyed towns like Kinglake and Marysville. These fires caused a tragic loss of life and destroyed over 2,000 properties.

Cozy Mountain Huts

The Australian Alps have about 120 active alpine huts. Most of these huts were built a long time ago by cattlemen, early skiers, or researchers. Today, people still use them for fly fishing, hiking, and skiing. Volunteers from groups like the Kosciuszko Huts Association help maintain these huts.

Some well-known huts include Moscow Villa Hut, Valentine Hut, Seaman's Hut, and Mawsons Hut. Sadly, some huts have been lost due to lack of care or bushfires. For example, Pretty Plain Hut and Mount Franklin Chalet were destroyed in the 2003 Canberra bushfires.

Fun Things to See and Do

The Australian Alps Walking Track is a long trail through the mountains. It's 655 kilometers (407 miles) long! It starts in Walhalla, Victoria and goes all the way to Tharwa near Canberra.

Skiing Adventures

Skiing at Mount Kosciuszko, Australia, around 1925

Perisher, New South Wales, is Australia's largest ski resort.

The Australian Alps are the main place for skiing in Australia. You can ski here from June to October. New South Wales has Australia's highest snow areas, the oldest ski fields, and the biggest ski resort.

Skiing for fun started around 1861 in Kiandra, New South Wales. Norwegian gold miners introduced the idea to the snowy hills. The first and longest-running ski club in the world, the Kiandra Snow Shoe Club, is thought to have started there that same year.

Later, people found steeper slopes and more reliable snow further south. In the 20th century, skiing in New South Wales moved to the Kosciuszko Main Range region. Here you'll find Thredbo, which has Australia's best vertical drop, and Perisher, Australia's biggest resort. The State of Victoria has the most skiing areas in Australia.

Mount Bogong is Victoria's highest peak at 1,986 meters (6,516 feet). The nearby Bogong High Plains is one of Australia's largest snowy areas. It includes popular resorts like Falls Creek and Mount Hotham. People were skiing in the Victorian Alps in the 1880s and 1890s, using skis made from local wood. Australia's first ski tow was built near Mount Buffalo in 1936.

You can enjoy Cross-country skiing in the ACT, New South Wales, and Victoria. Downhill skiing is available in New South Wales and Victoria:

Images for kids

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  Summer view of the Victorian Alps from Mount Hotham

See also

In Spanish: Alpes Australianos para niños