What are alpine regions?

Alpine regions in Australia are high mountain areas with cool climates, regular winter snowfall, and distinctive ecosystems adapted to short growing seasons. They cover only about 0.15 per cent of Australia, the smallest alpine zone of any continent, but support unique plant and animal communities.

The Australian Alps stretch through south-eastern New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and north-eastern Victoria along the spine of the Great Dividing Range. They include Kosciuszko National Park (the largest), Namadgi National Park (in the ACT), and the Alpine, Mount Buffalo, and Baw Baw national parks (in Victoria). Tasmania has its own alpine zones in places such as Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair and Mount Field, though they sit at lower elevations because of the cooler latitude.

Mount Kosciuszko at 2,228 metres is the highest peak. Other major peaks include Mount Townsend (2,209 metres), Mount Twynam (2,196 metres), and Mount Bogong (1,986 metres, Victoria's highest). Snowfall in the Alps usually begins in June and persists through to September or October, supporting Australia's main ski industry at Thredbo, Perisher, Charlotte Pass, Falls Creek, Mount Hotham, and Mount Buller.

Alpine plants and animals are highly specialised. Snow gums, alpine grasslands, sphagnum bogs, and feldmark heaths support species such as the endangered mountain pygmy possum (the only mammal restricted to alpine Australia and rediscovered in 1966 after being known only from fossils), the broad-toothed mouse, and the corroboree frog. Alpine ecosystems are especially vulnerable to climate change because the species cannot move higher; the Bureau of Meteorology has documented declining snow depths and shorter snow seasons since the 1950s.