The highest elevation on the Australian continent is found at the summit of Mount Kosciuszko, 7,310 feet (2,228 metres), in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. Wikipedia on the etymology:

The mountain was named by the Polish explorer Paweł (Paul) Edmund Strzelecki in 1840, in honour of Tadeusz Kościuszko, general and hero of the Kościuszko Uprising and American Revolutionary War, because of its perceived resemblance to the Kościuszko Mound in Kraków, Poland.^[7]

Apparently this peak had no prior Aboriginal name, though the matter isn’t without some disagreement (within the Aboriginal community). There is also a bizarre case of longstanding cartological confusion regarding proper respective labeling of Mount Kosciuszko and the nearby second-highest peak, Mount Townsend.

Access to the summit today is easier than for any other continent-topper, about six miles from the farthest point drivable by motor vehicle, some of which can be cycled. The surrounding Kosciuszko National Park contains the ski resorts Perisher, Thredbo, and Charlotte Pass.

Music fans may be interested to learn, or already know, that Australian band Midnight Oil have a song named after the mountain, from 1984’s Red Sails in the Sunset.

It’s also noted in the Wikipedia article that technically there are higher elevations in Australia’s extra-continental territory, e.g. Mawson Peak on Heard Island (9,006 feet / 2,745 metres).

🖌️ Header Image: Mount Kosciusko, seen from the Victorian border (Mount Hope Ranges)—the mountain range as depicted by Eugene von Guerard, 1866 (Public Domain)