Spencer’s Creek, Kosciuszko National Park swim
In November 2010, a group of Icebergers swam across Spencer’s Creek in the Kosciuszko National Park at an altitude of approximately 1,800m. The river starts on the SW side of Mt Kosciuszko before joining the smaller Snowy River which starts at the NE side of Kosciuszko. Despite it being Melbourne Cup weekend, the mountains were blanketed in snow. Spencer’s Creek had 2m of snow and ice on the banks.
Our swim involved crossing the river, touching the snow and swimming back, a total distance of approximately fifty metres. The water temperature was about 4C and the air temperature was below zero frigid.
Spencer’s Creek has Australia’s highest and coldest meteorological weather station. It snowed at our Lodge and Hugh O’Connor was emulating Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man on our snow-covered deck. There are so many good stories of swimming in icy conditions.
Photographed before their icy swim Icebergers LtoR: Greg Fountain (RIP), Mike Potter (obscured), Terry Fox, Ian Blunt, Andrew Miller, Russell Parrington, Greg Kemp, David Sedgwick, Hugh O’Connor.
Photo taken by the late and great John Dineen (courtesy of Andrew and Liz Miller)
By Greg Kemp, (Reproduced from the Brighton Iceberger Newsletter 26 May 2022)