metres (7,310 ft) is the highest mountain in Australia and is named in honor of the Polish national hero General Tadeusz Kościuszko. Mount Kosciuszko is 5 mi walkup to the summit from Charlotte Pass. Australia's landmass is 2.9 million sq mi on the Indo-Australian Plate. Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans, Australia is
separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas. Australia includes 21k mi of coastline and the Great Barrier Reef lies off the north-east coast. The population density is among the lowest in the world with the largest part of Australia being desert or semi-arid lands commonly known as the outback. Mount Wilhelm ("Enduwa Kombuglu" in the local Kuman language) is the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea at 14,790 ft (4,509 metres) and is part of the Bismarck Range where three provinces intersect, Simbu, Western Highlands and Madang. The mountain is on the island of New Guinea and the Indonesian province of
Papua. Mount Wilhelm is the most accessible mountain to climb in Papua New Guinea and there are two routes to the top. The most popular is a climb from the village of Keglsug at the end of the road from Kundiawa in Simbu province and involves climbing up and through a mountain rain forest and then along an alpine grassland glacial valley to the twin lakes of Piunde and Aunde were there are two huts, one being an old Australian National University monitoring station and the other an 'A-Frame' hut. As with most climbs, it is usually done in the pre-dawn and takes 4 hours depending on fitness. Reaching the peak at dawn allows better chance of clear weather. The second climb from the village of Ambullua in the Western Highlands province is a more difficult 4-day hike but both suggests hiring a guide in Keglsugl for around 50 Kina. Papua New Guinea is officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea in the Oceania occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous
offshore islands and in southwestern Pacific Ocean. Its capital, and one of its few major cities, is Port Moresby and is one of the most diverse countries on Earth with over 850 indigenous languages and at least as many traditional societies, out of a population of just under 6 million. After being ruled by three external powers since 1884, Papua New Guinea gained its independence from Australia in 1975. It remains a Commonwealth realm.The majority of the population lives in traditional societies and practice subsistence-based agriculture and have explicit acknowledgement within the
nation's constitutional framework. The Constitution expresses the wish for traditional villages and communities to remain as viable units of Papua New Guinean society. The country's geography is in places, extremely rugged with a mountain range running the length of the island, forming a highlands region. This terrain has made it difficult for the country to develop transportation infrastructure and in some areas, planes are the only mode of transport. It is also one of the most rural and is one of the world's least explored, culturally and geographically, and many undiscovered species of plants and animals are thought to exist in the interior of Papua New Guinea.Initial Itinerary
Day 1 Fly into Melbourne (MEL)(or Sydney) and stay night
Day 2 Drive to Thredbo (5 hours) Head to base camp
Day 3 Mt Kosciusko and Exploration of start of Australia
Day 4 Explore Australia
Day 5 Explore Australia
Day 6 Explore Australia
Day 7 Explore Australia (BNE)
Day 8 Head to Brisbane or back to Melbourne (or Sydney) stay night
Day 9 Fly into Port Moresby (POM) and then Goraka
Day 10 Travel to Keglsugl (easy) or Ambullua (hard)
Day 11 Summit Mount Wilhelm
Day 12 Explore Papua New Guinea
Day 13 Explore Papua New Guinea
Day 14 Fly from Goraka into Port Moresby then Sydney/ Melbourne stay night
Day 15 Head back to Seattle
