Kosciuszko

Declared in 1944, it protects Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 m), the highest peak in mainland Australia, named in 1840 by the Polish explorer Paweł Strzelecki after the Polish military hero Tadeusz Kościuszko, for the likeness he saw between its shape and a famous burial mound raised to Kościuszko in Kraków. For all that it is the roof of the continent, its modest height and the absence of any technical difficulty mean it can be walked up in a few hours without specialist gear, which makes it one of the most accessible of the Seven Summits — the highest peaks of each continent. It has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1977, and its alpine meadows, under snow much of the year, support unique ecosystems adapted to a subalpine climate unusual on a largely arid continent.