By car

From Melbourne, the most direct route is via the Hume Highway to Wangaratta, then through Myrtleford, Bright and Harrietville before climbing the Great Alpine Road to Mount Hotham.

Allow approximately 4.5 hours from Melbourne, and extra time during winter for traffic, weather and alpine road conditions.

Before travelling, we strongly recommend checking the latest road and weather conditions on the Mount Hotham website.

By public transport

Train and coach services operate towards the Alpine region, with various transfer options available from Wangaratta, Bright and other regional towns.

Check the Mount Hotham website for the latest coach and transfer options.

Where: Wire Plain car park / Bus Stop Nb 12
Meeting point: In front of the Hotham HUB building.
Time of tour departure :
>> 16:30 (June-July)
>> 17:00 (August – September)
GPS: -36.996383 ; 147.17474

Find us below on Google Maps

Your adventure begins at Wire Plain, where your guide will meet you and fit you with snowshoes.

From there, we’ll make our way approximately 450 metres through the snow gums to our hidden Eco-Village. The walk usually takes around 20–30 minutes, with stops along the way to discover a little about the landscape, history and stories of the Australian Alps.

When we arrive, you’ll be welcomed by the fire with a warming glass of homemade Mulled Wine, spiced warm Apple juice or hot chocolate.

We’ll then settle into our central tipi for a relaxed three-course dinner centred around a traditional French cheese fondue.

Dinner guests

After dinner, we’ll guide you back to Wire Plain. Most dinner experiences finish at approximately 9:30pm.

Overnight guests

Instead of heading home, you’ll settle into your private, wood-heated Hypedome amongst the snow gums.

The following morning, we’ll serve you a hearty breakfast at the Eco-Village before your morning adventure back towards Wire Plain.

Mount Hotham weather can change quickly, so come prepared for genuine alpine conditions.

The best approach is to wear several warm layers that you can add or remove as required.

We recommend:

• Waterproof jacket
• Warm base and mid layers
• Beanie
• Gloves
• Warm socks
• Waterproof shoes or hiking boots suitable for walking in snow

Try to avoid cotton where possible. Once wet, cotton becomes cold very quickly. Wool and synthetic layers are much better suited to alpine conditions.

You don’t need ski boots or specialist snow gear, but you do need to be warm, dry and comfortable outdoors.

You can find out more information about suitable clothing on the SnowSafe website

Our eco-village is set-up in the wilderness of Hotham. Everything is carried in and out by man power to reduce our impact on the fragile alpine environment. We are completely off the grid, but for you comfort the eco-village are able to offer the following services:

Unfortunately dogs aren’t allowed in Alpine resorts. Heavy penalties apply for both owner and businesses. 

If you want to bring your pouch to the snow, we recommend visiting the neighbour village Dinner Plain. The only dog friendly snow destination in Vic. 

Absolutely – but there are some age restrictions.

Dinner Experience

Children under 5 may be able to join our dinner experience by prior arrangement. Please contact us before booking so we can make sure the experience is appropriate for your family.

Please note that we have limited facilities for very young children and do not offer a separate children’s menu.

Overnight Experience

For safety and comfort, the minimum age for our Overnight Experience is strictly 5 years old.

Snowshoe to Fondue Dinner

Your experience includes:

• Snowshoes and headtorch
• Guided snowshoe walk through the snow gums
• Stories and insights into the Australian and French Alps
• A welcoming glass of homemade Glühwein or hot chocolate
• Three-course dinner
• Traditional French cheese fondue
• Guided return to Wire Plain

Overnight Experience

The Overnight Experience includes everything from the Snowshoe to Fondue Dinner, plus:

• Private accommodation in one of our wood-heated Hypedomes
• Comfortable mattress and bedding
• Warm alpine sleeping bags
• Breakfast the following morning
• Morning return experience to Wire Plain

Optional extras

Depending on your booking, you may also be able to add:

• Nordic Bath / Hot Tub experience
• Skidoo experiences operated by SnowStuffPark

The mountain is an unpredictable environment. We run our adventure in all conditions including in average weather (we call it bikini weather). The only time we will cancel a tour is when the conditions are declared unsafe. If so, we will contact you directly to inform you and offer a refund or to reschedule.

The mountains are unpredictable – and that’s part of what makes the experience special.

We operate in most winter weather conditions, including snow, wind and the occasional good old-fashioned alpine storm.

We will only cancel an experience when we determine that conditions are unsafe to operate.

If Alpine Nature Experience cancels your experience for safety reasons, we’ll contact you directly and arrange either a reschedule or refund.

Poor weather by itself does not necessarily mean the experience will be cancelled, so please come prepared for alpine conditions.

Our experiences have very limited capacity and require considerable preparation, so bookings are non-refundable.

We understand, however, that plans sometimes change.

Changes requested more than 21 days before a Winter Experience may be possible, subject to availability, and incur a 10% administration fee (minimum $50).

Within 21 days of your experience, the booking balance is due and non-refundable.

In exceptional circumstances, if we’re able to approve a change, we may offer a voucher for the amount paid less the applicable administration fee. Any difference in price for the new date will apply.

We strongly recommend taking out appropriate travel insurance, particularly during winter.

Dinner and same-day guests

Alpine Resorts Victoria has granted an exception for Alpine Nature Experience guests arriving at Mount Hotham after 3:30pm and departing before midnight on the same day.

Eligible guests do not need to purchase a Resort Entry Permit for that visit.

Please follow the instructions provided with your booking, as you may need to provide evidence of your Alpine Nature Experience reservation.

Overnight guests

If you are staying overnight, you will need to purchase the appropriate Mount Hotham Resort Entry Permit for your stay.

Resort Entry is managed by Alpine Resorts Victoria and is separate from your Alpine Nature Experience booking.

Yes.

There are coach and transfer services connecting Mount Hotham with Melbourne and regional centres during winter.

Once at Mount Hotham, the free Village Bus operates around the resort and Wire Plain is Bus Stop 12.

Transport timetables and operators can change, so we recommend checking the Mount Hotham website for current options before booking your journey.

https://www.mthotham.com.au/resort/access

For the latest road conditions, please check the Mt Hotham website.
In poor weather conditions, we recommend the Omeo way as an easier and safer drive:

From Melbourne
Take the Monash Freeway (which turns into the Princes Hwy) to Bairnsdale, then Omeo,
then the Great Alpine Road to Hotham past the Hotham Airport and Dinner
Plain. Travel time around 5 to 6 hours with a distance of 460km.

Chains can be hired from Hoys in Omeo and returned at any Hoys shop.
You should always make sure you allow plenty of time to get to Mount Hotham.
For more info, go to the Mt Hotham website: How to get there.

Please be advised that we will not be able to refund tours unless both road accesses are closed

Most of the time you will not have to fit chains to get to us, however, it is a legal requirement to carry them. The weather can change quickly, so it is very important to ensure you and other road users reach the slopes safely. Diamond Pattern Wheel Chains must be carried and fitted where directed during the declared winter season. We recommend HOYS in Harrietville or Omeo as a preferred hire service. For more info go to the Mt Hotham website: How to get there

Our menu is fully vegetarian. You don’t have to specify this when booking. For Vegan and Celiac diets, we can organise a special meal for you (supplement applies). For any other food allergies, please check with us directly prior to your experience.

No. There are no private cooking facilities at the eco-village. Due to food safety reasons,BYO food isn’t allowed. Snacks for children are tolerated, within reason. Alpine Nature Experience is fully licenced and there is strictly no BYO. Heavy fines by license officers apply for both the business and customer, so we kindly ask you to respect this. We carry a range of local beverages at reasonable prices which have been selected to perfectly match our food offering.

No.

Your Hypedome is completely private to your booking.

Each Hypedome can accommodate up to four guests from the same group, with a double bed and additional bedding configuration available.

You will never share your Hypedome with guests from another booking.

No. We are fully off-the-grid and we carry in by hand all the supplies, including water. For this reason, we don’t have shower facilities at the eco-village in Winter. However, we have hand-washing facilities and a very cute dry toilet.

If you drive a diesel vehicle, you’ll need to fill up with a special ‘Winter mix’, also known as ‘Alpine Diesel’, which is sold in towns close to Hotham such as Omeo, Bright and Myrtleford. In a nutshell, when temperatures drop below zero (Celsius), diesel can start turning into wax or gel. When that happens, you aren’t going anywhere! For more info have a look at the Alpine Diesel page on the Hotham Website

For the Dinner experience, you can park at Wireplain. Wireplain is not an overnight car park unless the resort is full. For overnight guests, please park at an overnight car park. The closest one is Corner carpark. From there, Wireplain is 1 bus stop away, or a short 150m downhill walk.

For more info have a look at the Parking page on the Hotham website