Townsend is the second highest peak of mainland Australia. Located in Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains , Mount Townsend is 3.68 kilometres north of Australia's highest mainland peak, Mount Kosciuszko.The names of Mount Townsend and Mount Kosciuszko were originally attached to the other mountains. Measurements of the peaks originally called by those names showed Kosciuszko to be slightly lower than its neighbour, and rather than re-educating the populace that the highest mountain was Mount Townsend, the names were transposed by the New South Wales Lands Department, so that Mount Kosciuszko was re-named Townsend and vice-versa.Mount Townsend carrying a rock from the bottom in the pack, and leaving it at the top, with the goal of making Mount Townsend the taller of the two relatively similar in height peaks.