HISTORY OF SKI-ING IN THE NORTH-EAST
(www.northeastvictoria.online)
Ski-ing, as a means of transport can be traced back to at least 2000BC in Europe, and (unfortunately) once the rapid speed of a skier became known, soldiers became skiers.
In those early days the ski bindings were very simple, and not really suited to alpine terrain, and it wasn't until the mid-1800s that modern day ski bindings were designed.
This paved the way for alpine ski-ing, as well as the more technical aspects of cross-country ski-ing (such as the telemark turn).
In Australia, ski-ing developed alongside the construction of vehicular access to the high country, the initial impetus for this being the search for gold.
Areas that were opened up for this reason include the Dargo High Plains, Buller-Stirling and the Bogong High Plains.
However, the first explorers in many cases were Australian Aborigines; for example, the Taungurung People were the first adventurers to explore what is now the Mount Buller area.
During and after the gold rush, mountain cattleman started using the high country, droving cattle up to Mount Buller, and Mount Stirling, for the summer grazing season.
Mount Buffalo was first ascended by europeans in 1891, and in the 20th Century, exploration of the High Country continued, with epic ski journeys such as that made by Bill Waters in 1927.
Bill and his mates skied up the Bungalow Spur (out of Harrietville) and continued to Mount Feathertop, Mount Hotham and then over to Tawonga Huts.
Their initial itinerary (which included Mount Bogong) had to be changed because of bad weather, but it was still a very notable acheivement.
The ascent of Mount Bogong had to wait until the winter of 1928, as did the first crossing of the Bogong High Plains.
Bill Waters ashes were scattered on the High Plains, and a few years later a memorial, overlooking what is now Rocky Valley Dam, was erected in his honour - see the MonumentAustralia website for details.
The Fainters were explored by Cleve Cole, and his friends, in 1932; Mount Howitt was scaled by Eddie Robinson's crew in 1935, and Mount Skene in the same year, also lead by Cleve Cole.
Cole died (of hypothermia) the following year during a traverse of the Bogong High Plains to Mount Bogong, and the Cleve Cole Memorial Hut was subsequently built in his honour (the MonumentAustralia website has the details).
The first ski resort in Victoria was at Mount Buffalo, where the now famous Mount Buffalo Chalet was opened in 1910, and the creation of Victoria's first ski club in 1924 (the Ski Club of Victoria) added further interest in this new recreational activity.
Franz Skardarasy arrived at Mount Buffalo in 1936, and ran the first official ski school in Australia, specialising in the Arlberg style of ski-ing. He was based at Mount Buffalo, but also taught at Mount Hotham.
The Chalet was operated for many years by Victoria Railways, and was an iconic destination in both summer, and winter. it became privatley owned in the mid-1990s, and maintained the tradition of excellent service and ambience for many years.
In the modern era, small ski tows were in operation at Dingo Dell, and at Cresta, however these ceased operation after the 2005 bushfires.
The present day resort has 16 lifts, but no on-mountain accommodation; see the link below for more details.
The first ski accommodation in the Falls Creek area was right on the Bogong High Plains, and not in the present comparatively sheltered location; this was Cope Hut (built in the late 1920s). However, the village itself has its origin in a project by the Ski Club of Victoria to build a War Memorial clubhouse, with access to reasonably steep slopes for downhill skiing, and undulating terrain for cross-country skiing.
The site chosen was in the Ruined Castle area, north of the present day ski-village, however construction works for the Kiewa Hydro-electric Scheme precluded use of this site for several years, and in 1946 an alternative site between Frying Pan Spur and Ruined Castle Spur was selected.
Construction soon began, and by 1960 Falls Creek could offer all the comforts of the high life.
The first ski lift was constructed by the Nissen Alpine Club (in 1951) and the Myrtleford Ski Club installed the resort's second ski lift later in the same year.
The first chairlift was built in 1957, a notable event in that it was Australia's first such ski transport.
The present day resort has 16 lifts, and a wide variety of accommodation to choose from; see the link below for more details.
During and after the gold rush mountain cattleman started using the high country, droving cattle up to Mount Buller, and Mount Stirling, for the summer grazing season.
Many of these cattle droving families built huts in the high country, and following the style of this tradition, the first chalet was built at Mount Buller in 1929.
In the late 1940s the modern day resort of Mount Buller began to take shape, with the construction of alpine style buildings, and several ski lifts, the first of these being opened in 1949.
For many years there were two separate ski lift companies operating at Mount Buller, the Blue Lifts and the Orange Lifts, this situation being resolved when McMahon Constructions bought out the Blue Lifts in 1983, and the Orange in 1985.
The present day resort has 21 lifts, and a wide variety of accommodation to choose from; see the link below for more details.
The development of the Mount Hotham ski resort goes back the work of Bill Spargo, who persuaded the road maintenance department to turn the patrolman's cottage at Hotham into a ski lodge. And so, Hotham Cottage was opened in 1924, and was a popular venue for several years - meeting its nemesis in the January 1939 bushfires.
The accommodation was quickly reinstated, in the shape of the Hotham Heights Chalet, and throughou the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s the resort expanded, with more and more excellent accommodation.
The first ski lift was installed in 1950, and the network of lifts was then gradually expanded over the next three decades.
The present day resort has 11 lifts, and a wide variety of accommodation to choose from; see the link below for more details.
See Harry Stephenson’s masterpiece Ski-ing the High Plains for more details of the events mentioned here. Janis Lloyd’s Ski-ing into History also covers this period. Both books have been out of print for a long time, but many libraries still have a treasured copy of both titles.
See also the National Alpine Museum of Australia at Mount Buller; link below.
The listing below provides direct access to the main (that is, official) website for each of the Ski-ing/Mountain Resorts listed.
The homepage of each site will load in a fresh window of your browser.
Intro Screen on a fresh browser page
COPYRIGHT © 1995-2022, Chris McLaughlin.