National Geographic Maps: Trails Illustrated

Australian Alps

Australian Alps were discovered in 1839 by Polish explorer Paul Edmund Strzhelski. He gave the name of Kosciusko (in honor of the military and political leader Tadeusz Kosciuszko) to the highest, in his opinion, mountain. Later studies, it was found that the mountain, called Townsend, is actually higher. In addition, it had steeper slopes, and therefore it is more like a mountain peak. The government renamed Kosciuszko in Townsend and Townsend in Kosciusko.