Mt Kosciuszko history began in Welaregang in 1840

On the 9th March 1840 Paul Edmund Strzelecki and his team started from John Hay & James Chalmers farm in Welaregang to reach the highest peak of Muniang or the Snowy Mountains. With one year delay caused by COVID 19 pandemic, we are now celebrating the 181-st anniversary of this event and are unveiling a commemorative bronze plaque. Strzelecki’s 1840 expedition is quite well remembered in the Australian history. It brought Kosciuszko name (initially in the anglicised version ‘Kosciusko’) to the highest peak of the mainland Australia (Mt Kosciuszko), to the highest range of mountains in the Snowies (Kosciuszko Massif), and to the National Park (Kosciuszko National Park), thus contributing to ‘Kosciuszko’ becoming one of the major Australian tourist and commercial icons. Today “Kosciuszko Chairlift”, “Kosciuszko Vodka”, “Kosciuszko Pale Ale” and “Kosciuszko Wines” belong to recognizable businesses in the region.