Wrenford Collection – Charlotte Pass

Charlotte Pass Snow Resort is Australia’s highest ski resort at 1,765m, and is completely snowbound in winter. The original Kosciusko Chalet was built in 1930 by the NSW Government Tourist Bureau, unfortunately burning down in 1938. It was rebuilt for the 1939 season, and with many additions later, remains as the iconic structure in the village with its unique architecture. A popular resort for families, it offers several ski lifts, including the Kosciusko Triple Chair which takes skiers to the top of Kangaroo Ridge for a magnificent view of Mt Kosciusko and the Main Range. Charlotte Pass is the starting point for summer walks to the summit of Mt Kosciusko or Blue Lake.

These images are from the Barry Wrenford Photographic Library. They are part of a 10,000 image library of virtually a complete time capsule of the Snowies during the 1980’s and up into the 90’s. Almost all are pristine high resolution master transparencies that were taken using two Linhof cameras, one for 6x7cm and the other for 6x17cm format.