You don’t expect to see New South Wales from Victoria’s High Country, but that’s what the Mt Kosciuszko Lookout is for. Just off the Great Alpine Road before Omeo, a stone wall with a peak-finder plate looks north-east across the valleys to the Main Range and Mt Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia. We stopped on our second day, after coming over Mt Hotham, on the way down to Omeo.
About the LookoutAbout
The lookout is a rest area on a ridge just west of Omeo, set in open eucalypt forest. A low stone wall runs along the edge, and on top of it a long white plate draws the skyline and names the peaks. To the north-east, in NSW, it shows the Main Range in Kosciuszko National Park, with Mt Townsend (2,209 m), Mt Kosciuszko (2,228 m) and Tom Groggin Station below. Closer in, in Victoria’s Alpine National Park, are Davies Plain, the Cobberas and Mt Tambo.
Quick facts
- AddressMt Kosciuszko Lookout, Great Alpine Road, Omeo VIC 3898, AustraliaSee on the trip map →
- FacilitiesParkingPicnic TablesLookoutsNo ToiletsNo Drinking Water
- Good to knowJust west of OmeoPeak-finder plateClear day needed
- FeesFree
- 8.5/10Overall rated
Getting There
The lookout is on the Great Alpine Road between Dinner Plain and Omeo, just before you reach town coming from Mt Hotham. A brown sign, Mt Kosciuszko Lookout, with camera and picnic symbols, points down a short, wide gravel road through the forest to the car park. It’s an easy turn for any car.
The View Across to NSWThe view
The view is wide rather than dramatic: forested ridges and the farmland around Omeo in the foreground, then range after range fading into the distance. The plate on the wall is the key, matching each bump on the skyline to a name, from the Main Range in NSW across to the Cobberas and Mt Tambo in Victoria. On our summer afternoon it was hazy and the farthest peaks were hard to pick out, so a clear, crisp day is the time to come for Kosciuszko itself.
Stories in the ShelterThe shelter
A timber shelter at the back of the car park holds two Great Alpine Road panels. The First People tells of the Aboriginal people of the high country, and Formation of the Alps runs through how the mountains were built, from volcanoes and lava flows to the ridges and high plains you see today. A route map traces the whole Great Alpine Road from Wangaratta over Mt Hotham to Omeo and Bairnsdale.
Things to Do NearbyThings to do
Omeo is just down the road, and its tyre shop properly fixed the puncture we’d plugged on the side of the road earlier on the trip. Back over the mountain, Danny’s Lookout looks out over the ranges from the top of the climb to Mt Hotham.
Summary
The Mt Kosciuszko Lookout is a short, easy stop just before Omeo, with a big car park, a shelter, benches and a stone wall that names the peaks all the way to Australia’s highest. Come on a clear day to pick out Kosciuszko itself.
A view from Victoria to the roof of Australia.
Just off the Great Alpine Road before Omeo, a stone wall with a peak-finder plate looks north-east over the valleys to the Main Range in NSW, with Mt Kosciuszko on the skyline on a clear day. It’s a short stop, with a shelter and benches, and a good place to stretch your legs.
- Travellers
- 4WD tourers
- Picnics
Yes. It’s free, it’s just off the main road, and it’s not often you can pick out Australia’s highest mountain from another state.
Recommended Gear for the Mt Kosciuszko Lookout
A pair of binoculars is the thing to bring for the far peaks. There’s no water here, so carry your own in good water containers; a pair of camping chairs and a stove like the Dune single burner make it a good spot for a cuppa.
