Falls Creek, Victoria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Falls Creek | |
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| Location: |
Mount Beauty
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| Nearest city: | Wodonga |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Top elevation: | 1780m |
| Base elevation: | 1500m |
| Skiable area: | 450 ha. |
| Runs: | 92 |
| Longest run: | 3km |
| Lift system: | 14 lifts |
| Snowfall: | 4m (overall per season) |
| Web site: | Falls Creek |
Falls Creek is a car-free ski resort in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. It is located about 350 kilometres by road from Melbourne in the Alpine National Park, with the nearest town Mount Beauty, approximately 30 kilometres away. The resort lies between an altitude of 1,500 and 1,600 metres, with the highest lifted point at 1780 metres. the snow there is said to be the best in australia. Skiing is possible on the nearby peak of Mount McKay at 1,842 metres, traveling by snowcat from the resort. It is Victoria's largest ski resort by area.
Until 2005, when the Government of Victoria did not renew grazing licenses, the high plains in the area were used for cattle grazing in the summer since 1851. Mount Bogong, Victoria's highest mountain, is nearby. Some of the cattlemen's huts still survive and are a tourist attraction in summer. After World War II a hydroelectric power scheme was started in the Kiewa River valley by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria.
On land previously used only for summer cattle grazing in the natural alpine grasslands, the first ski lodge was built in 1948 by workers from the scheme. The first lift, a rope tow, was built in 1951 and the first chairlift in Australia was constructed there in 1957.
Falls Creek, with its higher altitude, is regarded as having better runs for proficient skiers than Mount Buffalo or Mount Buller and ranks with Mount Hotham as Victoria's best. However, Australia's notoriously fickle snow conditions ensure that snowmaking using the water from the nearby Rocky Valley Dam is sometimes, particularly early in the season, the main source of skiable snow. Consequently, like all Australian snowfields, Falls Creek's customer base is almost entirely domestic, however many international cross country skiers travel to Falls Creek for the Kangaroo Hoppet, Australia's Worldloppet event on the last Saturday of August.
The resort features 4,500 accommodation beds, and consequently a large number of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs to amuse the guests at night. Some apartments are privately owned, but the resort's management requires that they must be available for hire when not occupied.
The resort also serves as a summer base to explore the massive national park surrounding the resort.
