Camping in Kosciuszko National Park with road near by?

[andrew_b]

I'm wanting to take some friends along to experience alpine Australia, so hoping for some easily accessible stunning views. 3 nights of camping. Here's roughly what I'm looking for:

• Reasonably close to a 2WD road (maybe 2 km of snow trekking max), we'll be parking our cars and doing a brief trek to the spot.
• An impressive, elevated view. Seeing sunrise and sunset would be great, so I'm thinking a north-facing slope would be good.
• Lots of snow - need to be camping on the snow! Plan is end of July, so hopefully snow will be in full force.
• Wind shelter would be nice, but that's not easy with the previous two points! Will have to think carefully about this, it heavily depends on what tents we use.

I know the alpine areas can be quite unpredictable and overbearing, so ideally I'll make a list of possibilities.

Keen to hear what people have to say!

[DaveNoble]

Head up from Dead Horse Gap onto the Main Range? You will need chains for the car (compulsory for 2WD in winter), and snow shoes or XC skis. Good sheltered camping as you get high on the side of Ramshead - below the crest. Or you can go up the Crackenback Chair from Thredbo - and wander off and camp somewhere sheltered close to the crest of the Ramshead.

Dave

[Lophophaps]

Head up from Dead Horse Gap onto the Main Range? You will need chains for the car (compulsory for 2WD in winter), and snow shoes or XC skis. Good sheltered camping as you get high on the side of Ramshead - below the crest. Or you can go up the Crackenback Chair from Thredbo - and wander off and camp somewhere sheltered close to the crest of the Ramshead.

The above work. DHG involves a slog of a kilometre and about 200 metre of climbing to a nice flat area. Ramshead beckons another hour or two up, depending on conditions and if you have snowshoes or skis. The hard part is descending in a whiteout. Then you may have to dig out the car. Finding a sheltered spot above the chairlift may be problematical. I've camped in a number of places and the wind found me. I'm not saying that such places do not exist, just that you may be challenged. The best spots are to the left (west) of the main track, under the lee of North Ramshead.

If taking the chairlift, dress warmly at the bottom. On many occasions I've had fine and mild at Thredbo and cold raging winds on top.

[GPSGuided]

LOL! And don't forget the possibility of a chairlift malfunction or a low speed ride up. Don't ask how I know them.

[north-north-west]

Or you could go the other way from Dead Horse Gap, onto the Brindle Bull and maybe as far along as Paddy Rush's with Drift Hill, Ted's Hut, Chimney's Ridge available as daywalks from your base or, from the Gap proper, along Dead Horse Ridge and Bob's Ridge. It's lovely country, dramatic views from the higher bits, lots of very good sheltered spots for camping and far fewer people than on the Main Range.
Or in from Guthega, to Illawong and then up Twynam; or across the dam and up Guthega Ridge - I've camped up there in summer and there are some very good places to pitch a tent within a couple of hours at most from the carpark.

[Ellobuddha]

Out towards Bobs Ridge on Cascade trail has plenty of sheltered spots to choose from for different wind directions. Has great views of Ramshead Range and South towards Vic. Also then have the option of spending a night at Cascade zhut if you feel like a fire.

Ramshead is far more impressive but a harder slog - especially if others aren't fit.

Maybe a night at each??

[climberman]

Don't go this week.

[Lophophaps]

Don't go this week.

LOL. The weather above 1000 metre is atrocious, 100 kph winds. This is the sort of weather that makes dreams of the Bungles or Central Australia. In the current alpine weather there would be very few places that would be viable for XC skiing, snowshoes, downhill skiing and probably driving.

[climberman]

The weather in Wollongong has 100kph winds! I had to ride home in it (to be honest, it was kind of fun).