The best place to ski in Australia
Australia is the only place where you can ski among the native snow gum trees
When you think ‘skiing’ Australia is not the first place that comes to mind. New Zealand and South American ski fields are better known for Southern Hemisphere ski resorts.
The beauty of skiing amongst the snow gums – something that can only be done in Australia – is quite special despite the drawbacks. Skiing in Australia can be expensive and the resorts are few and far between.
In New South Wales, best known perhaps is Thredbo which has long runs though the bottom of Crackenback (the longest) can be slushy or non-existent in bad seasons.
Perisher Blue is a short tube ride away and has some good runs across three ski areas.
Charlotte Pass requires an oversnow transport ride in. While the highest of the Australian resorts, it has limited terrain and short runs. It is reasonably remote and has a limited on number of people who can stay on the mountain, so fewer people to avoid on the slopes.
In Victoria, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham are both renowned for having fewer skiers and snowboarders to compete with as these mountains are further away from Melbourne than Mt Buller, a three-hour drive from the big city.
There are other resorts in both Victoria and New South Wales and you can always stay off mountain to keep costs down.
Jindabyne is the big town about half an hour down the hill from Thredbo and Perisher.
Mt Beauty sits at the base of Falls Creek resort. Why is the creek at the top and the mountain at the botton. That’s always struck as odd!
Merijig is a cute little village at the base of Mt Buller and Bright is a very pretty town servicing Mt Hotham.
The Australian Alps are beautiful in winter and this winter, with great snow falls, skiers and boarders tell us that it has been a superb ski season. The resorts needed it but since the 2008 stock market fall, there haven’t been the numbers heading to the ski fields in such numbers. Let’s hope the resorts did well this year in spite of this.
