Charlotte Pass

Charlotte Pass
View of the village of Charlotte Pass
State :  Australia State : New South Wales Founded : 1930
Coordinates : 36 ° 26 ′  S , 148 ° 20 ′  E Coordinates: 36 ° 26 ′  S , 148 ° 20 ′  E Height : 1755  m
Time zone : AEST (UTC + 10)
LGA : Snowy River Shire Website : www.charlottepass.com.au
Charlotte Pass

Charlotte Pass is a pass, ski resort and ski area in the southeastern part of the Australian state of New South Wales . The 1,837 m high pass in the southern part of Kosciuszko National Park , where Kosciuszko Road crosses Kangaroo Ridge . The village of the same name (altitude: 1,760 m) lies at the foot of the Kangaroo Ridge in the southeast of the pass. It is the highest permanently inhabited settlement in Australia and the location of one of the oldest Australian winter sports areas.

The pass and the village were named after Charlotte Adams (born 1859), who was the first woman of European descent to climb Mount Kosciuszko in 1881 .

Charlotte Pass provides access to some of Australia's highest alpine areas and was previously the starting point for public access to Mount Kosciuszko. Today the public road ends on the pass.

history

The region of the Snowy Mountains was thought to have been settled by Aborigines around 20,000 years ago . In the summer, huge tribal gatherings were held in the highlands to celebrate together and to eat Bogong butterflies . This tradition continued until around 1865. The area was first explored by Europeans in 1835. In 1840 Paul Edmund de Strzelecki climbed Mount Kosciuszko and named it after the Polish freedom fighter. Shepherds followed, who used the Snowy Mountains as pasture for cattle in the summer. Bnajo Paterson's poem The Man from Snowy River describes this time. The herders left several shelters all over the area.

Kosciuszko National Park, where Charlotte Pass is located, was established on December 5, 1906 as the National Chase Snowy Mountains . In 1944 it was renamed Kosciuszko State Park and in 1967 it was given its current name.

View over the Charlotte Pass to the main chain of the Snowy Mountains in winter

The chalet in August

The historic Kosciuszko Chalet was the first building in Charlotte Pass village and opened on May 10, 1930. This chalet was one of several lodging houses that the Australian government built in alpine regions. It was lavishly furnished for the time. The chalet burned down in August 1938 and a new chalet was built in its place the following summer. The chalet is still the largest and most important building in the village and is also its center in winter.

The first skiers in Australia were around 60 years earlier in Kiandra in the northern Snowy Mountains, but the first Kosciuszko Chalet , built in Charlotte Pass in 1930, allowed for a relatively comfortable stay in the highest mountains in Australia. At 1,760 m, Charlotte Pass is the highest valley station of all ski areas in Australia and in winter can only be reached by lifts, sledges or snowmobiles. The growing number of ski tourists at Charlotte Pass led to the construction of a café in Smiggin Holes around 1939 , from where horse-drawn sleighs brought the skiers to the beginning of the strenuous ascent to the Kosciuszko Chalet. It was only with the construction of the extensive Snowy Mountains system from 1949 that the Snowy Mountains were opened up by ski tourism on a large scale and the nearby ski areas of Thredbo and Perisher , the most famous in Australia, were founded.

Ski slopes on the other side of the Charlotte Pass on the flanks of Mount Kosciuszko were also created during this time, but are less considered today. The Australian Alpine Club was founded in 1950 by Charles Anton with the aim of building a range of lodges for touring skiers across the Australian Alps. Huts were built in the hinterland near Mount Kosciuszko, e.g. B. the Kunama Hut , which opened in the 1953 season. A rope lift was built on Mount Northcote and opened in 1954. The ski area turned out to be very suitable for fast descents, but the hut was destroyed by an avalanche in 1956, which also killed a skier. In 1964, Australia had the longest chairlift in the world for a brief period, which carried skiers from Thredbo Valley to Charlotte Pass. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, it soon had to be closed.

For many decades, Charlotte Pass was the starting point for the road to Mount Kosciuszko, but today the road ends at Charlotte Pass. The last 9 km to the top of the mountain were abandoned in 1982 for environmental reasons.

The village and ski area are part of Kosciuszko National Park and the ski resort was owned by Charlotte Pass Village Pty. Ltd. (CPV) and is operated by this. The lease contracts expire in June 2015. In addition to the chalet, the village consists of 12 other lodges and offers accommodation for 607 guests.

free time activities

To ski

The Charlotte Pass Alpine Resort covers the area between Kangaroo Ridge , Mount Stillwell and Guthries Ridge .

It is the highest and oldest ski area in Australia.

In this ski area there are five lifts, a triple chair lift, a drag lift (with hangers), two button lifts and a “moving carpet” (which replaced the rope lift in 2008). This opens up 50 hectares of slopes. The highest mountain station is at 1,964 m, the valley station at 1,755 m. Only part of the area is currently accessible by lifts. A small snow park was built in 2008. There are a few snow cannons in the ski area with which heavily trafficked areas are covered with snow and which help to open problematic slopes earlier in the year. The Australian Mountains website in the Australian ski lift directory lists all lifts that have ever been operated on Charlotte Pass .

The ski area is also very popular with touring skiers because the village offers direct access to the highest mountains in Australia.

The ski area is generally more snow reliable than other Australian ski areas because of its altitude. In 1981 it snowed so much that the mountain station of the triple chairlift on Kangaroo Ridge sank so far in the snow that the upper ends of the supports were 50 cm below the snow. Such heavy snowfall is an exception.

In the future, Charlotte Pass is likely to be the only ski resort in Australia with significant natural snowfall due to global warming .

Mount Stillwell Kangaroo Ridge Little Stillwell middle station of the triple chairlift to Kangaroo Ridge Exit point Basin Poma Ego Flats Snow-Eucalyptus

hike

In summer, Charlotte Pass is the starting point for many hikers to climb Mount Kosciuszko and the main ridge of the Snowy Mountains. The Summit Walk is 18 km and the Lakes Walk is 22 km. There is a good view of the main ridge and the source of the Snowy River from the Snow Gums Boardwalk at Charlotte Pass and the path to the summit leads through subalpine forest on Guthrie Ridge . Mount Kosciuszko itself can be seen from the first vantage point.

Seaman's Hut on the old road from Charlotte Pass to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko

The route from Charlotte Pass to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko follows the old road that was closed to motor vehicles in 1982. At 4.5 km it crosses the Snowy River and then slowly climbs to Seaman's Hut , which is reached at 6 km. The trail finally leads to the summit via Rawson's Pass (kilometer 8).

The hiking trail from Charlotte Pass to Blue Lake crosses the Snowy River and then ascends through alpine meadows past Hedley Tarn Lookout to the Blue Lake Lookout . Blue Lake is one of only four circular lakes in all of Australia and contains the most developed glacier aspects in Kosciuszko National Park. The lake can be reached on a four-hour circular walk from Charlotte Pass.

There is a shorter and easier ascent to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko from Thredbo.

Driveway

In summer, the Charlotte Pass is accessible from Jindabyne via Kosciuszko Road .

In winter the area is snow-covered and can only be reached by snowmobile from the terminus of the Perisher Valley Skitube , 8 km northeast, or from Jindabyne. The Charlotte Pass Village Pty. Ltd. owns three 18-seat all -wheel -drive buses that run to Charlotte Pass every half hour.

The area was not always considered to be easily accessible for all people. In the mid-20th century, local politician John Wesley Seiffert called the chalet in Charlotte Pass a “hotbed of snobbery”. Through his public criticism, he achieved reduced bus fares in the area and thus opened the ski area to a larger population.

environment

The alpine region is exposed to extreme temperatures and is considered to be sensitive to interventions.

The Charlotte Pass area has a long history of environmental surveys including: B. 1937 studies of the plankton in the nearby glacier lake Blue Lake using a boat with a shallow draft and z. B. 1997 studies on the Bergbilchbeutler .

climate

Charlotte Pass
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     128   18th 5     127   17th 5     133   15th 3     154   10 -1     185   7th -3     186   3 -5     191   2 -7     207   3 -6     192   5 -3     217   9 -1     192   13 2     154   16 4th Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source:

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Charlotte Pass Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 17.6 17.1 14.7 10.4 6.8 3.2 1.9 2.6 5.0 9.1 12.5 15.5 O 9.7 Min. Temperature (° C) 5.1 4.8 2.5 -0.5 -2.7 -5.1 -6.6 -5.7 -3.3 -0.6 1.8 3.6 O −0.6 Precipitation ( mm ) 127.9 127.3 132.5 154.3 184.8 185.8 191.2 207.1 192.1 216.5 191.5 154.3 Σ 2,065.3 Source:

Charlotte Pass has a sub- polar maritime climate ( effective climate classification Cfc ), while the higher mountain peaks have an alpine climate ( Eth ). With the exception of the Arctic Territories, the lowest temperatures in Australia were recorded there; this was -23 ° C on June 28, 1994.

The highest temperature ever recorded in this area was 33.5 ° C

The average temperature in summer is between 4 ° C and 17 ° C and that in winter between -2 ° C and 2 ° C.

The mean annual rainfall is 2,329.6 mm, about half of which is snow between the end of May and the end of September. The snow depths generally do not exceed 2.5 - 3.0 m. For Charlotte Pass there are no official records of practicing snow depths, but for Spencer's Creek (1,830 m) it is close. A typical summit snow depth is 1.5-2.0 m

Snowfalls have been recorded in every season. Sometimes the snow stays for days even in summer. Unusual snowfalls can make the area more interesting, but are typically associated with extreme weather events across the country that can wreak havoc and become devastating. So were z. B. Weather conditions that resulted in snowfall at Charlotte Pass on Boxing Day and the following day (December 26-27) responsible for deaths at the Sydney-Hobart Regatta that year.

ecology

An interesting species in the area is the Bergbilchbeutler ( Burramys parvus ), which was only known as a fossil from 1894 to 1966.

environmental Protection

In the area there are particularly many laws to protect the environment, because it reacts so sensitively to outside influences.

The collection of waste and the treatment of waste water is the responsibility of the respective tenant.

Kosziuszko Chalet Hotel Charlotte Pass Ski Center Bella Vista Staff Lodge (Cell Block, Cellavista) Kosciuszko Alpine Club Knockshannock Lodge Jerrabomberra Lodge Spencer's Creek Lodge Stillwell Lodge Southern Alps Ski Lodge Pygmy Possum Lodge Snowbird Lodge Arlberg Lodge Burrawang Lodge Alitji Lodge Gan Gil Lodge Other facilities (Guthries Poma (platter lift) and Pulpit drag lift) are not visible Wastewater treatment (Shakespeare's Lodge) Basin Poma Kosi Carpet (moving carpet) Kosciuszko “Fox Hole” triple chairlift on the eastern edge of the Stillwell Ridge workshops

Web links

Commons : Charlotte Pass  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Charlotte Pass Ski Resort
• Charlotte Pass - Snowy Mountains Tourism
• List of all 13 lifts that have existed at Charlotte Pass since 1938 (English)
• Hiking Trails from Charlotte Pass
• Snow Report for Charlotte Pass . Ski.com.au
• Snow Report for Charlotte Pass . OntheSnow.com
• Jerrabomberra Lodge

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Charlotte Pass . Snowy Mountains regional tourism organization. 2006. Archived from the original on March 31, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 30, 2008. 
2. ^ Kiandra Historical Society
3. ↑ Kosciuszko Huts Association ( Memento of the original of May 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ^ Recreation in the Australian Alps . Department of the Environment and Heritage (Australia), Australian Alps national parks Co-operative Management Program. January 24, 2005. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved on December 1, 2008.
5. ↑ Kosciuszko Chalet Hotel . CharlottePass.com.au ( Memento of the original from March 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ↑ Robert Upe, Jim Darby, Russell Holt, Susan Bredow: 50 reasons to love Australian snow . In: The Sydney Morning Herald . June 6, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
7. ^ History . Perisher Resort
8. ^ History . Thredbo Resort
9. ^ History . Perisher Resort
10. ↑ History of the Australian Alpine Club (English)
11. ^ Of ice and men . In: The Sydney Morning Herald . January 24, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
12. ↑ ^{a b c d} Charlotte Pass Ski Resort - About . Charlotte Pass Village. Pty Ltd .. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 30, 2008. 
13. ↑ ^{a b} Kosciuszko National Park: Contemporary Management ( MS Word ; 63 kB) New South Wales Department of Education and Training, Riverina Environmental Education Center. Archived from the original on July 22, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 30, 2008. 
14. ↑ Charlotte Pass Alpine Resort - Precinct Map (PDF) New South Wales Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources. 2004. Archived from the original on September 18, 2006. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 30, 2008. 
15. ↑ Charlotte Pass Alpine Resort Precincts (PDF; 195 kB) New South Wales Department of Planning. 2007. Archived from the original on August 29, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 30, 2008. 
16. ↑ Australian ski lift directory ( English ) Australian Mountains. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
17. ↑ 11 Years of the CCCSC Kosciuszko Tour - 1993 to 2003 . Canberra Cross Country Ski Club. August 20, 2004. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved on April 30, 2008.
18. ↑ Photo in the dining room of Tar Gan Gil Lodge, Charlotte Pass Village
19. ^ Climate Education - Abundant Snow Seasons . Bureau of Meteorology, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Archived from the original on March 17, 2009. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 25, 2008. 
20. ^ Australian ski resorts must diversify or perish: ANU study . Australian National University . June 10, 1997. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
21. ^ The Rooftop of Australia - Kosciuszko to Jindabyne . Australian Alps National Parks
22. ↑ ^{a b} Kosciuszko National Park - Walking . Office of Environment & Heritage. NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
23. ↑ 'Seiffert, John Wesley (1905-1965)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition . Australian National University . 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
24. ^ National recovery plan for the Threatened Alpine Flora . Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. September 3, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
25. ↑ WISENET Journal, Number 44, July 1997, Dr Isobel Bennett, AO - An oral history interview by Diana Wyndham . Women in Science Inquiry Network Inc. January 1997. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
26. ↑ Re-assessment of burramys parvus population size and distribution of habitat in Kosciuszko National Park: 1997 Progress Report. . Australian Institute of Alpine Studies . May 2, 1998. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
27. ↑ Charlotte Pass . Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
28. ↑ 1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2008 . Australian Bureau of Statistics . February 7, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
29. ↑ ^{a b c} Kosciuszko National Park - Climate . New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change. April 22, 2008. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 30, 2008. 
30. ^ Australian Snow Statistics . Michael Paine - Sydney Australia. June 2, 2005. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
31. ^ Snow Depth Chart - 1968 to 2007 (PDF) South East Printing, Cooma. 2008. Archived from the original on August 30, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 30, 2008. 
32. ^ Chart of Snow Depths . Canberra Cross Country Ski Club. 1999. Archived from the original on July 22, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
33. ^ ^{A b} Preliminary Report on Meteorological Aspects of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race - Executive Summary . Bureau of Meteorology, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
34. ↑ Significant Weather - December 2004 (PDF; 238 kB) Bureau of Meteorology, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
35. ^ Preliminary Report on Meteorological Aspects of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race . Bureau of Meteorology, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
36. ^ Mountain Pygmy-possum - Priority actions . New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change. September 1, 2005. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
37. ^ Southern Exposure - Mountain Pygmy Possum . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2000. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 30, 2008.