ABOUT US

Acknowledgment of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live and play at Mt Hotham and we give respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. We recognise the deep and continuing connection they have on these lands and waters, and their ongoing role in caring for country.

Mt Hotham Alpine Resort is recognised as the traditional lands of the Gunaikurnai and Taungurung people.
The Gunaikurnai, Taungurung, Yaitmathang and Dhudhuroa people's connections stretch back tens of thousands of years and provide valuable knowledge of Country and associated ecosystems that strengthen and enrich the development and management of Mt Hotham Alpine Resort. 

The Brabralung Trail, connecting Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain, honours the Gunaikurnai people from Gipplsand, the Dhudhuroa people from the Murray River side, and the Yaitmathang people from the mountains to the north, who have been utilising this path seasonally for millennia. Walking this trail is an opportunity to learn of the past, understand the present and discover the future aspirations of the Aboriginal First Peoples for the Victorian Alps.

To learn more about the rich history of the Gunaukurnai people, follow the Bataluk cultural trail through Gippsland on your journey to or from the mountains.

Skiing at Mt Hotham

The Hotham area has been a skiing destination for tourists for over 125 years, ever since the first travellers over the ranges strapped timber planks onto their boots at the Mount St Bernard Hospice in the 1880s.

Many thousands of years before the arrival of the first Europeans, Aboriginal people gathered in large numbers in the high country, particularly during the spring and summer months. Though the history of contact is poorly recorded, it is known that the principal language groups in the Hotham region included the Gunai Kurnai, Dhudoroa and the Jaitmathang.

European Squatters

In the mid 1830s, European squatters looking for grazing lands began to move into the district and, in 1851, gold was officially discovered in the region. This attracted a large population on each side of the Divide and saw significant movement of travelers over the ranges. Ultimately resulting in the establishment of more permanent populations in the shadow of Hotham.

Tourism

With increased publicity in the 1880s, skiing as a tourism activity began to emerge. However, it was during the 1920s with the establishment of the Hotham Heights Chalet, that Hotham as a skiing destination really began. In 1933, the Railways Department took over the management of the Hotham Heights Chalet and the 1940s saw the establishment of the first ski clubs and lodges such as the Alpine Ski Club of Victoria (1944), the Wangaratta Ski Club (1946), Edelweiss Ski Club (1947) and the University Ski Club (1948).

The Alpine Resorts Commission

The Department of Crown Lands and Survey assumed responsibility for Mt Hotham in 1962, appointing a Committee of Management. The 1983 Alpine Resorts Act saw the formation of the Alpine Resorts Commission (ARC) to manage all Victorian Alpine Resorts permanently reserved as Crown Land.

Mount Hotham Resort Management Board

In 1998, separate management boards were created for the individual resorts and the Mount Hotham Resort Management Board assumed management of Mt Hotham. The following years saw the development of new ski terrain, lifts, chalets and in 1999 the opening of the Mt Hotham airport.

Alpine Resorts Victoria

On 22 March 2021, the Victorian Government announced the establishment of Alpine Resorts Victoria (ARV), merging Victoria’s four alpine resort management boards and creating a new champion for Victoria’s $1.1 billion alpine economy, ensuring a sustainable future for the state’s alpine resorts.
Commencing operation on Saturday 1 October 2022, ARV governs Falls Creek, Mt Hotham, Mt Buller, Mt Stirling, Lake Mountain and Mt Baw Baw resorts. More information can be found on the ARV website here. 

Climate

At Mt Hotham the snowfalls that ensure a persistent snow cover typically begin from mid-June and then continue sporadically until early September. The prevailing wind across the Bogong High Plains and Mt Hotham is from the northwest, and south-easterly winds (often associated with fog and mist) are also quite common. The average total annual precipitation (including both snowfall and rainfall), is 1494mm; and with temperatures ranging from an average winter min of -3.4°C to an average summer max of 15.7°C, it's easy to understand why Mt Hotham’s flora and fauna are well adapted to facing the challenging conditions typically found within an alpine environment.  

Fauna

To date over 100 indigenous fauna have been found and recorded within the Resort! Mt Hotham is home to native Australian mammals, such as the Mountain Pygmy Possum, Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Black-tailed Wallaby, Platypus, Short Beak Echidna, Common Wombat, Common Ringtail and Brushtail Possums, Mainland Dusky Antechinus, Broad-tooth Rat and Bush Rat and numerous species of small bats. In fact, it was at Mt Hotham that the Mountain Pygmy Possum, once believed to be extinct, was discovered within the University Ski Club in 1966. Since this discovery more populations of Mountain Pygmy Possum have been discovered within the resort and are carefully monitored for their conservation. Recently a second 'Tunnel of Love' was constructed to allow the possums to cross under The Great Alpine Road. 

You'll also be able to spy a variety of birds on the mountain such as the Wedge Tail Eagle, Magpie, Kookaburra, Nankeen Kestrel, Superb Lyrebird, Crimson Rosella, Flame Robin and a variety of Honeyeaters. Mt Hotham is also home to numerous alpine reptiles, such as the She-Oak Skink, the Mountain Galaxias Fish and the Alpine Tree Frog. There are also a number of introduced species within the resort such as the Rabbit, Hare, Fox, Deer and Cat that pose a significant threat to our amazing Aussie wildlife.

Many of the indigenous species are further threatened by climate change. As such, Mt Hotham has been working hard to reduce its electricity consumption and it's greenhouse gas emissions and the Mount Hotham Alpine Resort Management Board have been investigating alternative energy production.

Flora

Between November and February Mt Hotham bursts into flower thanks to its rich alpine species diversity. The Resort stocks several books that can help you identify species as you explore, and a self-guided ecology walk brochure is available to help you identify communities of significance. With over 400 native species, many of which are unique to the Australian alps, it's a sight you won't soon forget.

Much of the flora within the Resort is indigenous, from the Snow Gums that dominate the upper slopes to the Alpine Ash and Mountain Gum which populate the woodlands downslope and the Snow Daisy and Horny Snow-grass that are common in snow patch communities. Historically, many exotic (weed) plants were introduced through cattle grazing and for soil stabilisation purposes. This, combined with more recent construction and development, as well as recreation and tourism activities, has led to an increase in the exotic flora at the Resort. Some of these exotic species have become invasive, such as Ox-eye Daisy, Grey Salix Willow, English Broom, Yarrow and Soft Rush. These invasive weeds pose a threat to the biological diversity of the Resort and as such, the Board conducts a thorough annual weed eradication program to combat this threat.

The Victorian Alps Nursery

As part of Mount Hotham Resort Management Board's environment program, the Victorian Alps Nursery supplies the plant tube stock for rehabilitation projects on Mt Hotham and at other alpine resorts in Victoria and New South Wales. The nursery has evolved after lengthy research into germinating and propagating alpine and sub-alpine species of the Australian mainland. This work has been supported by the Victorian government's conservation department and La Trobe University. Production standards were established by Elizabeth MacPhee, an expert horticultural scientist with many years experience in the production of high altitude plants and, Rebecca Read, the nursery’s principal horticulturist, continues to refine methods of propagation for alpine species.

The Victorian Alps Nursery is the place to go to get expert advice about your alpine re-vegetation project. Not only can the team give you a personal consultation, they can facilitate your plant order requirements. Find out more by contacting the team below.

Phone 0408151130
Email alpinenursery@mthotham.com.au