I've been a mountain person for as long as I can remember. As a child growing up in the country I didn't even see an ocean for the first time until i was about 11 years old, so all I have ever really known is sweeping plains, rugged hills, and beautiful countryside. Im now 30 and I am still drawn to mountains or the countryside - there is something just so cathartic, relaxing, blissful about being surrounded by rocks, trees and terrain that has been etched into the landscape.

So my boyfriend and I decided that we needed an adventure away together - he has been away a lot for work and I've been stressed out with my work project of redesigning a company website - that we both wanted to retreat to our happy place - the mountains! And what better mountain than Australia's largest summit, Mount Kosciuszko.

Located in Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains, NSW, Mount Kosciuszko stands 2228m above sea level. Now there are two ways that the mountain can be climbed:

Start from the base at Thredbo Village and wind your way through forested paths, eyeing beautiful and calming flowing rivers until you find the terrain open up to bear its barren, yet mesmerising, landscape,
Get the ski-lift to the Eagles nest (1900m above sea level) and walk 13km (return) to the summit.

Seeing as though my boyfriend and I had attempted this last year and only made it to the Eagles Nest due to 110km winds and -10 chill factor (never attempt this in winter!) Having the mentality that we might as well pick up where we left off, he went for option 2 - ski lift to the Eagles nest.

Walking on an iron path, the hike up is actually quite easy. The path is well signed as well, notifying you of other tracks that can be taken off that path - the longest one being Charlottes Path. Bathrooms are also located on this trek and is a good "half way" mark. (even though its more closer to the summit).

Now - the one disappointing thing is that if you dont time your hike early enough the summit will be busy. A busy summit means you're waiting in a line to have a photo taken at the infamous stone - and unavoidably have people in the background, which if you're wanting a photo with only the mountains in the background you might be out of pot luck here. Not that a busy summit is a bad thing either - my boyfriend and I met some really lovely people at the top of the mountain from all over the world and Australia.

The hike up from the Eagles Nest and back will take about 3 hours. Absolutely worth it if climbing Australia's tallest mountain is on your bucket list!

Getting there & staying the night:

From Sydney, Mount Kosciuszko is roughly 5-6 hours, ruling out a short day trip. There is plenty of accommodation options in Thredbo for a range of budgets. My boyfriend and I love to camp, so we found a lovely spot in The Diggings Campground and woke up to a beautiful river in the morning. There's plenty of other campgrounds around the National Park so you can always check out the grounds when you get there.

Check it out here: http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/campgrounds/the-diggings-campground