Falls Creek

Falls Creek is an alpine resort village on the Bogong High Plains in north-east Victoria, roughly 375 kilometres from Melbourne. The resort sits at an elevation of around 1,600 metres and is the largest alpine village in Victoria by both skiable area and bed numbers. It was first developed for skiing in the 1940s and now operates year-round with distinct winter and summer seasons.

In winter (June to September), Falls Creek receives an average snow depth of around one metre on the upper slopes and offers 92 hectares of skiable terrain across 65 marked runs. The resort is known for its gentle beginner and intermediate terrain, which makes it popular with families and learning skiers. The Village Bowl area at the base is car-free (vehicles are left in the car parks below the village and transport is by oversnow shuttle), which gives Falls Creek a European alpine village feel that the other Victorian resorts do not quite match.

The summer and autumn seasons have grown significantly in recent years. The Bogong High Plains come alive with wildflowers from November to February, including fields of alpine daisies, trigger plants and royal bluebells. The Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing is a 37 kilometre point-to-point walk through the high plains between Falls Creek and Mount Hotham that takes two to three days and is one of the premier alpine hikes in Australia. Mountain biking trails now crisscross the resort, with a mix of cross-country loops and flow trails serviced by chairlifts in summer.

Mount Bogong, at 1,986 metres the highest peak in Victoria, is accessible from Falls Creek via several walking tracks. The standard Staircase Spur route is a challenging full-day hike that rewards with panoramic views across the entire High Plains. The Bogong moth migration, when billions of moths fly from lowland breeding grounds to shelter in the granite boulders near the summit, is a phenomenon that has sustained Aboriginal gatherings at this site for thousands of years.

Falls Creek is accessed by the sealed Bogong High Plains Road from Mount Beauty in the Kiewa Valley. The road is well maintained year-round but snow chains are required in winter. The village has a range of accommodation from hostels and apartments to luxury lodges, and the dining scene has improved markedly in recent years.