EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Thirty kilometres east of Bright, in the Upper Kiewa Valley, the town of Mount Beauty lies at the base of the state's highest peak, Mount Bogong (1986m). FALLS CREEK , 32km further along, on the edge of the Bogong High Plains, has a much more villagey feel than its sister resort at Mount Hotham. It also has probably Victoria's best skiing , with the largest snow-making system in Victoria to supplement any shortage of the real stuff, a wide variety of downhill pistes, and good cross-country trails. A park for snowboarders has been established, too, in the Vertigo Valley near the Scott's Chair ski lift. For accommodation bookings and information, contact Falls Creek Central Reservations (free call 1800 033 079), or ask at the Mount Beauty Visitor Information Centre (daily 9am-5pm, tel 03/5754 4531 or free call 1800 808 277, www.mtbeauty.com ) on the Bogong High Plains Road in the town. The budget-conscious would do best to stay in Mount Beauty and travel to Falls Creek for their skiing: enquire about packages at the Mount Beauty Accommodation Service (tel 03/5754 1267 or free call 1800 636 239). Accommodation options in the valley include Mountain Creek Lodge in Tawonga (tel 03/5754 4247, fax 5754 4860; motel units $70-115, dorms $20-35), and the wonderful Brae View in Mount Beauty (tel 03/5754 4746, www.braeview.com.au ; $90 and upwards).

Many of the pubs, restaurants and lodges in Falls Creek stay open in summer : some of the best are The Cock 'n' Bull , a pleasant old-English-style pub on the corner of Christie and Slalom streets, The Man , a cosy pub on Telemark Street, and the Winterhaven Restaurant on Slalom Street. There's a wide variety of summer activities from which to choose: Falls Creek Trail Rides (tel 03/5758 3655 or 0419 244 773), operating from December to the end of April, has day-rides on the Bogong High Plains for around $80 per day as well as shorter trips, and Dinner Plain Trail Rides (tel 03/5159 6661, www.horsetreks.com ) offers fully-inclusive overnight horse treks from $160 per day. Halleys Comet Quad Chairlift (tel 03/5758 3280) takes bushwalkers to the top of Frying Pan Spur (Dec 26-Jan 26/27 daily 11am-3pm, Labour Day & Easter weekend same hours; $11); and nature lovers can join Jill from the Australian Alpine Nursery on one of her Alpine Nature Rambles (tel 03/5758 3492, www.rambles.com.au/rambles ; $100-120 per walk for a minimum of four people). From December until the end of April, Bogong Horseback Adventures (tel 03/5754 4849, fax 5754 4181, www.bogonghorse.com.au ), based on a farm at Tawonga near Mount Beauty, organizes five- to twelve-night packhorse tours across the high plains ($1530-2900 per person), traversing country that is otherwise only accessible to the most experienced and hardy bushwalkers; the rest of the year they run all-inclusive food, wine and riding weekends through the Kiewa Valley and the lower levels of the Alpine National Park (from $429 per person). As for festivals , the entire village of Falls Creek, plus visitors, get together to celebrate the Food, Wine & Wildflower Weekend in mid-January.