Discover the Blue Waterholes Region: Kosciuszko's Karst Country
The Blue Waterholes region is a hidden gem located in the remote northern section of Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales (NSW). The Blue Waterholes area offers hikers a unique opportunity to explore a striking karst landscape, providing a strong contrast to the granite plateau that characterises much of Kosciuszko.
Terrain and Unique Karst Geology
The unique landscape around Blue Waterholes is shaped by the underlying limestone formations of the nearby Cooleman Plain. These special landforms are a major reason for the Australian Alps’ National Heritage Listing, as they provide a window into a geological history that spans millions of years.
The Shape of the Land
A defining feature of a karst landscape is its inability to retain surface water, which rapidly drains underground into the rock. Consequently, these areas are typically characterised by features such as sinkholes and dry creek beds where water would otherwise be expected to flow.
Clarke Gorge
The standout feature of the Blue Waterholes area is Clarke Gorge, which is accessible via short walks. Its sheer, stark walls provide a dramatic and unexpected contrast to the gentle, rolling landscape of the surrounding plain.
Caves and Cliffs
The Blue Waterholes area offers short walks leading to caves, cliffs, and gorges carved out by often-dry rivers.
A-Tents and Block Streams
Cooleman Plain also features A-tents, which are rare and vulnerable geological formations appearing as small, brittle limestone outcrops. Hikers might also spot block streams (or stone rivers)—periglacial features created when cold periods caused large rock piles to loosen and slide down hillsides.
Wildlife and Vegetation
This unique karst environment supports specialised life, including cave-adapted fauna. Above ground, hikers on Cooleman Plain should be aware that its delicate geological features, such as the A-tents, are highly vulnerable to heavy impacts, especially from the hard hooves of feral horses.
Although the region has recovered significantly since grazing ceased in the 1960s, feral animals remain a threat to these important habitats. The area’s vegetation is equally diverse, spanning the montane, subalpine, and alpine zones of the Australian Alps, which are collectively home to a high number of vascular plant species.
Flora
The area is marked by grassy and sometimes swampy clearings that evoke a sense of remote pastoral country. Being at a high altitude, the vegetation is generally exposed and stunted, often forming dense, ground-hugging mats in response to the cold, high winds, and nutrient-poor soils. This high-country environment above the treeline is a mosaic of distinct plant communities—including expansive grasslands, heathlands, herbfields, and bogs—that reflect variations in snow cover and drainage. Snow grasses are the dominant ground cover, carpeting the higher ridges and valleys.
Fauna
The Cooleman Plain region is a specialised karst landscape, where limestone features like caves and gorges provide a habitat for unique cave-adapted fauna. Historically, the streams on this high plain also supported abundant river fish.
This high-country ecosystem is a refuge for endemic small mammals, including cold-climate specialists like the endangered mountain pygmy-possum and the broad-toothed rat. Found in rocky and grassy habitats, their survival depends on the insulation from winter snow and dense, ground-hugging vegetation. Larger, more adaptable species like wombats and echidnas are also present, particularly in warmer months.
This entire ecosystem is linked by the Bogong moth. The area’s rock crevices and boulder fields are crucial aestivation sites for massive migrations of these moths, which in turn are a critical food source for the pygmy-possum population.
Historical Significance and Indigenous Connections
Indigenous Heritage
The Blue Waterholes region is part of the extensive high country inhabited and used by First Nations Peoples for millennia. This connection is reflected in the name of the adjacent Coolamine Station, which is derived from the original Aboriginal name, Coolalamine.
Seasonal Feasts and Gathering Places
Aboriginal people from across south-eastern Australia traditionally travelled to the high mountains on a seasonal basis, primarily visiting in summer to gather for cultural practices, celebrations, and to access the abundant food resources.
Bogong Moth Hunting
The primary seasonal activity was the gathering and eating of the Bogong moth (Agrotis infusa), a vital food source. These moths migrate to the summits and congregate in cool, dark crevices, a behaviour that made them easy to harvest by simply scraping them off the rocks.
Gathering Protocol
The moth hunting season was an annual pilgrimage that followed specific protocols. Groups would travel to traditional gathering places at the foot of the steeper slopes, such as the Tumut region, to participate in trade, ceremony, and celebration.
Archaeological Remains
Evidence of this ancient life is found across the high country, including deposits of stone tools, rock flakes left behind from toolmaking, and the mortars and pestles used to grind the moths into food.
Grazing on the Cooleman Plain
The recent history of the Blue Waterholes region is dominated by pastoralism. This limestone karst landscape was part of the Coolamine Run, established by Terence Murray in the 1830s and 1840s. It was historically famed as a “grazing paradise” rich in kangaroo grass, with its plains and winding streams like Cave Creek evoking a sense of remote pastoral life. In the early 20th century, the wider region was subdivided for denser, year-round settlement, leading to small service towns like Rules Point for farmers on Long Plain and Cooleman Plain. Nearby sites like the Old Currango and Currango Homesteads are historically valuable, offering insights into the area’s pioneering families. This pastoral activity continued until 1969, when it was stopped following the declaration of Kosciuszko National Park.
Weather and Seasonality
Characteristic of high-altitude environments in the Australian Alps, the region experiences a variety of conditions. During summer and autumn, daytime temperatures are relatively mild, but it’s not uncommon for night-time temperatures to fall below freezing. This occurs as cold air drainage causes frost to collect in basins and valleys, creating localized frost hollows on the plains. The winter season is extended, with snow coverage sometimes lasting as long as four months.
Temperature Graph
Below is the average temperature for this region, where the shaded area highlights the range expected 80% of the time.
Best Time for Walking
The ideal time to explore the Blue Waterholes region, like much of the high country, is from mid-spring to late autumn. For the finest and driest conditions, plan your trip between summer and early autumn. This period also features the peak of the mountain flowers, which transform the high country into a floral wonderland, typically in January. Spring is another popular choice, as water sources are more abundant, but be prepared for more variable weather compared to the stable summer months.
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- Hiking
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