{"id":348,"date":"2013-01-19T17:38:24","date_gmt":"2013-01-19T09:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.joel.net.au\/?p=348"},"modified":"2026-07-01T20:13:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T12:13:31","slug":"good-thing-i-had-that-stack-of-pancakes-this-morning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/day.lat\/lon\/2013\/01\/19\/good-thing-i-had-that-stack-of-pancakes-this-morning\/","title":{"rendered":"Good thing I had that stack of pancakes this morning"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mount
Mount Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Continuing on from Canberra, I started driving southwest towards Australia’s highest mountain range and the famous Snowy River region. After a sweet little dirt road shortcut that led me through another fun river crossing, I found myself on a busy road connecting Canberra with Australia’s most famous alpine region. It was quite busy, but most of the traffic seemed to be going the other way. I was dying for a cup of coffee (still under fire bans overnight) and noticed a popular-looking, family-run pancake restaurant along the way. I decided to add a few hotcakes with maple syrup, ice cream, and cream to my coffee order. Hotcakes were described as being bigger and heavier than pancakes (which they also sold). I should probably note that everyone who worked in this restaurant looked rather large, so this was not a meal to recommend having often.<\/p>\n

\"Mount
Mount Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mount
Mount Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mount
Mount Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mount
Mount Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I had my fill of cakes and coffee, then headed down the highway until I reached Jindabyne, the gateway to the Snowy Mountains. They had a big information centre there where you could talk with rangers and get answers to questions – which I always prefer to looking things up. My questions were, “Where can I camp?” “Where can I mountain bike?”, and “Where can I hike?” The answer to all three questions was “lots of places!” And much information was given to me to show me where to go. It was mentioned that numerous hiking trails could also be biked, but when the summit trail to Australia’s highest peak was mentioned as a cycling option, I knew I had to try it.<\/p>\n

\"Mount
Mount Kosciuszko Summit, Mount Kosciuszko National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mount
Mount Kosciuszko Summit, Mount Kosciuszko National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Truth be told, Australia is a relatively flat place. Even the highest peak, Mt Kosciuszko, is only a little higher than Mexico City at 7310ft (2228m) – but STILL! It had to be done! The actual trail is about 9 km each way and follows an old gravel road up to the summit, but I was told you are not permitted to ride your bike for the last mile (1.6 kms) of it. Having now cycled the trail, I can tell you it is definitely thigh-master stuff for the 9 km up, with only one dip for recuperation along the way. You climb out of low forested areas and up into alpine views with no trees and very low scrub with snow still clinging to the south side of some peaks in the area. The trail also crosses the Snowy River in its infancy. <\/p>\n

\"Mount
Mount Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Trail
Trail up to Mount Kosciuszko Summit, Mount Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mt Kosciuszko Mountain Bike and Hiking Climb<\/strong>
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