| Mount Townsend | |
|---|---|
Dawn on Mount Townsend, viewed from Watson's Crags, October 2011. Photo by Leigh Blackall |
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| Elevation | 2,209 m (7,247 ft) AHD |
| Prominence | 189 m (620 ft) |
| Listing | Seven Second Summits |
| Location | |
| Location | New South Wales, Australia |
| Range | Snowy Mountains |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike or ski |
Mount Townsend is the second highest peak of mainland Australia. Located in Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains (part of the Great Dividing Range), Mount Townsend is 3.68 kilometres (2.29 mi) north of Australia's highest mainland peak, Mount Kosciuszko.
Although lower than Mount Kosciuszko, Mount Townsend has a more craggy peak and is arguably more dominant than the relatively round-topped Mount Kosciuszko. Due to ease of climbing Mount Kosciuszko, and the much lower accessibility of Mount Townsend, a tradition has emerged of each person who climbs Mount Townsend carrying a rock from the bottom in the pack, and leaving it at the top, with the goal of making Mount Townsend the taller of the two relatively similar in height peaks.
The names of Mount Townsend and Mount Kosciuszko were originally attached to the other mountains. Measurements of the peaks originally called by those names showed Kosciuszko to be slightly lower than its neighbour, and rather than re-educating the populace that the highest mountain was Mount Townsend, the names were transposed by the New South Wales Lands Department, so that Mount Kosciuszko was re-named Townsend and vice-versa. [1]
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