Falls Creek, Victoria

Falls Creek

The Ruined Castle chairlift and terrain park
Location Alpine National Park
Australian Alps
Victoria, Australia
Nearest city Mount Beauty - 30 km (20 mi)
Wodonga
Coordinates 36°51′54″S 147°16′23″E / 36.865°S 147.273°E / -36.865; 147.273Coordinates: 36°51′54″S 147°16′23″E / 36.865°S 147.273°E / -36.865; 147.273
Vertical    380 m (1,247 ft)
Top elevation 1,780 m (5,840 ft)
Base elevation 1,400 m (4,593 ft)
Skiable area 450 ha (1,110 acres)
Runs 92
- 17% beginner
- 60% intermediate
- 23% advanced
Longest run 3 km (1.9 mi), Wishing Well
Lift system 14 lifts
Terrain parks 4
Snowfall 4 m (160 in) per year
Snowmaking limited
Night skiing limited, Wed & Sat 6–9 pm
Website fallscreek.com.au

The Falls Creek Alpine Resort is an alpine ski resort in the Hume region in northeastern Victoria, Australia. It is located in the Alpine National Park in the Victorian Alps, approximately 350 kilometres (220 miles) by road from Melbourne, with the nearest town Mount Beauty, approximately 30 km (20 mi) away. The resort lies between an elevation of 1,210 and 1,830 m (3,970 and 6,004 ft) above sea level, with the highest lifted point at 1,780 m (5,840 ft). Skiing is possible on the nearby peak of Mount McKay at 1,842 m (6,043 ft), accessed by snowcat from the resort.

History

After World War II, the Kiewa Hydroelectric 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 Post Office opened on 9 June 1958 (with telegraph and telephone facilities only until 1964).[1]

The high plains in the area were used for summer cattle grazing from 1851 until 2005, when the Government of Victoria did not renew grazing licenses due to concerns about the cattle's impact on the fragile alpine environment. Some of the cattlemen's huts still survive and are a tourist attraction in summer. Mount Bogong, Victoria's highest mountain, is nearby.

Alpine resort

Falls Creek Hotel in summer (January)
St Falls ski lodge
Huski Hotel

Falls Creek is beginner/intermediate friendly, with almost 80% of the resort dedicated to these types of skiers/snowboarders. However, Australia's notoriously fickle snow conditions ensure that snowmaking using the water from the nearby Rocky Valley Lake 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 and international snowboarders to Stylewars, The Australian Slopestyle Championships and Australia's highest sanctioned TTR World Tour event held in the first week of September.

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 national park surrounding the resort.

Falls Creek is accessible by the Bogong High Plains Road from Mount Beauty all year round, though like all of Australia's snow resorts snow chains must be carried during winter and fitted if directed. The road continues across the High Plains and descends to meet the Omeo Highway north of the hamlet of Anglers Rest, however the route from this side is closed during the snow season.

In summer both routes are popular with cyclists, and various cycling events are held that involve climbing to the resort, including the popular SCODY 3 Peaks Challenge (recently renamed to Falls Creek Peaks Challenge).

Quick Statistics

In winter

Alpine

Cross country

Lifts

Climate

Climate data for Falls Creek, Victoria
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 29.7
(85.5)		 28.6
(83.5)		 25.3
(77.5)		 19.1
(66.4)		 16.1
(61)		 13.2
(55.8)		 9.8
(49.6)		 11.9
(53.4)		 14.5
(58.1)		 21.7
(71.1)		 25.3
(77.5)		 25.1
(77.2)		 29.7
(85.5)
Average high °C (°F) 17.7
(63.9)		 17.3
(63.1)		 14.2
(57.6)		 9.7
(49.5)		 6.0
(42.8)		 2.9
(37.2)		 1.2
(34.2)		 2.0
(35.6)		 4.9
(40.8)		 9.3
(48.7)		 12.6
(54.7)		 15.1
(59.2)		 9.4
(48.9)
Average low °C (°F) 8.7
(47.7)		 8.6
(47.5)		 6.2
(43.2)		 3.0
(37.4)		 0.6
(33.1)		 −1.6
(29.1)		 −2.9
(26.8)		 −2.6
(27.3)		 −0.8
(30.6)		 1.6
(34.9)		 4.3
(39.7)		 6.1
(43)		 2.6
(36.7)
Record low °C (°F) −3.9
(25)		 −6.5
(20.3)		 −3.6
(25.5)		 −6.9
(19.6)		 −7.7
(18.1)		 −8.6
(16.5)		 −8.5
(16.7)		 −9.3
(15.3)		 −8.6
(16.5)		 −7.0
(19.4)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 −4.5
(23.9)		 −9.3
(15.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 108.3
(4.264)		 95.7
(3.768)		 98.4
(3.874)		 85.6
(3.37)		 100.7
(3.965)		 137.3
(5.406)		 91.4
(3.598)		 89.3
(3.516)		 119.3
(4.697)		 118.5
(4.665)		 128.3
(5.051)		 110.0
(4.331)		 1,253.9
(49.366)
Average precipitation days 10.2 9.6 9.9 9.5 10.4 13.4 13.9 13.7 13.3 12.3 11.9 10.7 138.8
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[2]


Notable racers

See also

References

  1. ↑ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 11 April 2008
  2. ↑ "Climate Statistics for Falls Creek". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
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