The Bogong High Plains (BHP) are a unique part of Australia. To give you some perspective: think of the area as being smack bang in the Victorian High Country, behind the Falls Creek Ski Resort and home to Victoria’s tallest mountain, Mt. Bogong. Snow Gums, rounded hilltops, speccy sunsets and, of course, the snow in winter, are all features that give the area a very ‘ah the serenity’ type of feel (here’s looking at you Darryl Kerrigan).
Left: Mt Bogong in respects to Falls Creek and Nelse. Right: Bogong High Plains in respects to Falls Creek.
After a school ski trip first introduced me to the area in 2012, I’ve made regular pilgrimages back there and enjoyed every visit – no matter what time of the year.
This time of the year, though – Winter – is when it’s at its peak! Take a stroll with me down memory lane, as I showcase some of the highlights over the years of ski-touring in the BHP. Marvel at the fact that we have a winter paradise in Australia that can be accessed for free, with the right equipment and knowledge (don’t let the crowds at the resorts know)!
Look at them colours.
In the Beginning
I ventured to the Bogong High Plains on my first ski trip as a high school student. I’d never skied before the trip, but after completing 5 days of touring around on skinny telemark skis I was hooked! I had no idea what I was doing, but I had been dropped into a whole new world – and landed on my feet most of the time!
A teenage me thinking ‘how good is this?!’
Everything was white, people seemed to be happy everywhere we went, and I could fall over as much as I wanted to – nothing hurt! The first trip I was a part of was based at Johnston’s Hut, just under the summit of Mt. Nelse. Other similar huts exist nearby, such as Edmondson’s Hut, Fitzgerald Hut, and Kelly’s Hut, but they don’t have the same facilities as Johnston. Setting up a base camp near Johnston’s Hut (or any hut, really) is a great way to slowly introduce yourself to ski-touring around the area. Easy day trips to the other huts in the area for lunch, or laps on gentle terrain around the huts are great to both fill the trip itinerary and build on your skiing skills. There’s something for everyone out in the BHP.
Skiing in the BHP means no lift lines, no tracks, no worries.
Solo Night on Nelse
Not every ski-trip to the BHP needs to involve a hut though. After a few years of similar-style ski-touring missions based at a hut, I wanted to put my snow camping skills to the test! On a particularly still night, I camped under the summit of Nelse and saw the sunrise from up top the next morning.
Photo evidence that I survived snow camping on Mt. Nelse and saw the sunrise!
Setting up camp in the snow and managing all your bits and bobs in a cramped tent is a bit of a process that is almost as involved as renovating your home! Level out the floor with your skis, avoid creating any divots, build a wind barrier with blocks of snow, dig a well to put your feet in so you can sit up in your tent, create space for all your gear inside so it doesn’t freeze overnight, have a hot water bottle to keep yourself warm… the list of things to do goes on and on!
Tick them off one by one though, and not only will you be a happy little camper but you’ll also feel proud of yourself for surviving in sub-zero temperatures with all your gear. Since that initial night, I’ve improved my snow camping skills a little more – but not to the level of my idols, the Oates brothers, who completed a full winter traverse of the Australian Alps Walking Track (which passes through the BHP) a few years ago. Great content to read in your next lunch break.
Now that’s ‘a home among the gumtrees’!
Not every ski-trip to the BHP needs to involve a hut!
Cleve Cole Hut Frivolities
Yes, it’s nice to camp out alone in the snow – but hut-life is very good too. Cleve Cole Hut, over on nearby Mt. Bogong (technically not part of the BHP, but that’s like saying Tasmania is not technically part of Australia, which is a bit rude), is a delightful stone hut that has running water and an entire ‘Members Only’ section with even more facilities under lock and key.
At times when I’ve skied around this area, I’ve met a few other skiers and been able to ‘watch the show’ as they dropped into some of the gnarlier lines heading off Bogong! Being a resident of Cleve Cole Hut also means doing your bit to chop firewood (if you’re using the fire). Sure, you might be tired from a day of skiing, but there’s something very primal and enriching about chopping your own wood for your own fire and providing for yourself and your mates!
Cleve Cole Hut.
Being civilised inside Cleve Cole.
Scenic views from the hut window.
We make fire with this firewood! *grunting noises*
Transport to the Snow
Getting to the Bogong High Plains and seeing it in winter is usually relatively straightforward: drive your car up to Falls or Hotham, and get out there.
Or, park your car at Mt. Beauty and let them drive you up in a bus (save all the riff-raff with chains for the bus driver).
Orrrr, park your car at Mountain Creek or Eskdale Spur for a real off-road experience.
Fallen trees across the road are common, so waiting for 4WDers with winches and chainsaws might be how you spend a day. Seeing as the road goes above the snowline, you may return to find you can ski all the way down to the bottom, like a mate and I did once. This made for a great picture and memory of a beloved Subaru Outback!
A Subaru Outback IN the outback.
The Serenity
Heading outdoors for a lot of people is about getting away from the big smoke. Out in the Bogong High Plains in mid-winter, with the snow blowing in through the hut door, you can feel a million miles away from your typical daily responsibilities. When it’s blizzarding and you have to keep the hut and yourself warm… sure, you might be thinking more along the lines of ‘SERENITY NOW, SERENITY NOW’ ala Frank Costanza, but it’s better than worrying about KPI’s and cost-of-living crises!
While it might look like sunny weather, this photo doesn’t highlight the windy conditions very well. The squinting face does.
Much happier at lunchtime!
When it’s fine weather out there though, and you can see for miles (all the way to Mt. Kosciusko!), the serenity of the area is hard to beat. It’s like being in a real-life desktop screensaver. The quiet, the crispness in the air, the stillness in the frozen Snow Gums, all the bloody ‘ness’s’ you can think of that just make you go ‘ah, isn’t this great?’. That’s what skiing in the Bogong High Plains is all about to me.
Crystal clear skies on top of the BHP.
Out here, you can feel a million miles away from your typical daily responsibilities.
When it’s fine weather, the serenity of the area is hard to beat.
The quiet, the crispness in the air, the stillness in the frozen Snow Gums…
So there you have it: a blog about skiing that’s really not about skiing at all, right? It’s a subtle nod that the most important thing is not how you get out in our great outdoors, but just getting out there any way you can so you can check out an area like the Bogong High Plains. There’s still time left this year to see it in all its glory with snow-filled valleys, but if there’s anything in this blog that’s made you think ‘wow, that’s cool’, then mark a trip over there in your 2024 diary! You won’t regret it.
Check out Rocky Valley Ski Hire for tips on hiring appropriate skiing gear, listen to the ‘Those Tele Guys’ podcast (great content for those looking to get started, and can point you in the direction to seek more information). Or, just do what I did and pretty much hire some skis, have one lesson in the resort, then blindly follow your mates and a teacher out there! If you’re smart enough to be reading the Snowys’ blog, you’re smart enough to work it out!
It’s not about how you get out in our great outdoors, but just getting out there in any way you can.
This photo was my actual screen saver for about five years.
Ever snow camped before? How did you go? Let us know your experience in the comments below!
New to snow camping? Check out the Snowys blog, ‘How to Plan for Camping in the Snow‘.