THE REALLY HIGH COUNTRY - MOUNT BEAUTY AND FALLS CREEK (27 MARCH 2016)

Liz has never seen Falls Creek, and I've not been there for years and years, over 50 in fact. It was time to see how much I could remember and what the mountains looked like without their frosting of snow.

From Porepunkah we travelled through Bright and out along the Great Alpine Road until we reached the turn off at Germantown. Our route today would take us initially through the township of Mount Beauty, but to get there we had to climb up and over a mountain ridge and traverse the Tawonga Gap.

The ascent was on. The far ridge was our first target.

As I have said before, at this time of the year, and particularly over the Easter break, cyclists swarm to the high country. Many come to test their mettle as part of the 'Seven Peaks Challenge'. A successful climb to the tops of Mt Baw Baw, Mount Buffalo, Mt Buller, Dinner Plain, Falls Creek, Hotham, and Lake Mountain within a specified time frame sees the rider rewarded with a 'stamped passport', something we were told provides significant bragging rights amongst those of this bent.

Now whilst I have nothing but admiration for the effort and endeavour which is required to achieve this goal, we became utterly fed up with the constant need to safely pass these amateur athletes on narrow, winding mountain roads, where, as on this occasion, many have no regard for their own safety and the obvious need to ride in single file. And believe me, this stretch of highway is wide and open compared to much of what we later travelled.

Twenty minutes or so out of Porepunkah and we had reached the Tawonga Gap and summit of the range which separates the Ovens and Kiewa Valleys.

A viewing platform like this presents an obvious invitation.

What a sight unfolded before us. Here in the valley below is the township of Mount Beauty with the crest of Mount Bogong, the highest of the Victorian Alps peaks rearing up though the morning haze.  At this point I must comment that very few of these photos do adequate justice to what we were seeing...this is stunning scenery.

The name 'Mount' Beauty has always struck me as odd....the township lies at the bottom of the valley floor. But then, that's not the only aspect of this town which is out of the ordinary. A very good informative sign here at Sullivan's Lookout gave us all the gen. Let me quote directly from it: 

"Hume and Hovell first came across the Kiewa River in 1824, at its confluence with the Murray River. Following the drought of 1838-44, pastoralists sought out the rich pastures in the fertile Kiewa Valley. 

The Bogong High Plains became a popular summer grazing destination for many Kiewa Valley cattle farmers.  Cattle would be taken up to the high plains for the summer and then mustered and returned to the valley for winter.

For the remainder of the 19th and 20th centuries the major industries of the Kiewa Valley were cattle grazing,dairying, tobacco growing, timber harvesting and milling.  Viticulture and green tea production were introduced [when] tobacco growing and timber production [were] no longer pursued.

In 1911 a Hydro Electric Scheme was mooted for the High Plains due to the amount of rainfall and melting winter snows. It was not until 1937 that the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SEC) recommended the scheme with the building of three power stations at McKay Creek, Clover and West Kiewa.

Workers and their families were first housed at Bogong Village.  When this became too restrictive as a base camp, Mount Beauty was established in 1947. At its peak the scheme employed over 4,000 people. The scheme was finished by 1961 and the administration of Mount Beauty was handed over to the Bright Shire, now the Alpine Shire.

Today Mount Beauty is a thriving community.  It is classified as one of the most complete company towns in Victoria due to the housing being established by the SEC."

So there you have it. None of what we were seeing would have been here if not for the hydro scheme, and it's a pretty substantial scheme at that. Beside the legacy of the Mount Beauty township, the network of hydro-electric power stations of this venture can produce nearly 400 MW of power, or in lay terms, enough electricity for the needs of approximately 65,000 homes. 

And here's the really clever bit. This power generation is all renewable and because the various stations are situated at levels one below the other, the water which powers their turbines flows from one to the next before its final discharge back into the Kiewa River system. So not only is this a system for which the driving energy source is provided free each year in the form of rain and snow melt, the same volume of water is reused four times in the process.....a 'renewable renewable'.  Now that is natty!

Obviously, from the Tawonga Gap it was all downhill

to the approaches into Mount Beauty,

where, after crossing the West Kiewa River

the climb began again, this time in earnest. 

This is good advice indeed.

I'll not bore you with a constant stream of 'road' photos. Let me just say the 43 kms from here to the Falls Creek Village are a grind. Halfway up, we passed the tiny hamlet which is Bogong Village.

It was not hard to see why this cluster of houses clinging to the steep mountain side became inadequate as a base camp for the hydro workers as their numbers swelled. This is not the place for those with a knee complaint or a heart condition!

We were soon above the normal winter snow line, signified by the fact that the white road marking lines were now yellow.

As we climbed ever higher, we began to pass another feature of this mountain road.....pull out points specifically designed to allow those who had not already done so to fit snow chains to their tyres. Having experienced this very road under heavy snow I can confirm the necessity for these. 




Apart from the fact it is now illegal to venture up here not so equipped during the 'declared' season, it is utter madness. There are no safety fences between the roadway and a very nasty drop on the downhill side of the road, and any who think that a vehicle without chains can be adequately controlled in heavy snow has never done it!

Large marker poles soon appeared on the road edges. At this time of the year these look like overkill, but again I can attest to the fact that in times of heavy snow, when the edge of the road can only be guessed at, these are lifesavers.

I suppose the authorities do have to act on the basis of catering to the lowest common denominator!

So after more than half an hour we had our fist glimpse of the Falls Creek complex through the dead branches of fire ravaged snow gums. For me, it was odd to be here at a time when the mountains were completely devoid of snow.

But this is not to say it was not busy. We firstly drove through the Falls Creek village

to the car park at the high end of town. From here, at an altitude of about 4,000 feet (I can't do heights like this in metres, just as I can't do wind speeds in kph), a few of the winter ski runs stood out as bare strips in the distant hillside vegetation.

In this closer shot you can see the poles of a ski tow marching up the mountain side between the runs.

From the vantage point of this upper day park (there are many different parking facilities here....some designated for day use only whilst others accommodate the vehicles of those staying beyond 24 hours) we could see out across the mountain ridges and valleys off in the direction from which we had come. Here the residual ravages of the bush fire which raged through here a couple of years ago were again evident. 

Many folk, I am sure, think of Falls Creek as a winter playground only. This could not be further from the truth. During the summer and autumn seasons, many come here to tramp across the Bogong High Plains or to just relax in the much cooler climes of the alpine region. This group was obviously planning to trudge for some time judging by the amount of kit its members were preparing. 

For us mere mortals, here on a quick voyage of discovery only, it was time to get down to the business end of the Falls Creek Village. As we drove back down the hill and past the local Police Station office and information centre, I did wonder about the level of competition there would be amongst the girls and boys in blue for a winter posting here. 'Darn...it's my day off....I'll just have to go skiing on my free pass!'

This place is all business. Falls Creek caters very much for newcomers to the skiing lark as well as for those of moderate and advanced skills and so attracts many families with their youngsters. What we see now is a far cry from the time when the first lodge was built here in 1948, the first tow rope installed in 1951 and the first chair lift began carrying skiers to the heights in 1957.

The resort now features 4,500 accommodation beds, and consequently a large number of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs to amuse the guests at night. And it is strictly managed. For example, some apartments are privately owned, but the resort's management requires that they must be available for hire when not occupied. Hmmmm!  I wonder if the resort management also takes responsibility for any damage which might be inflicted by irresponsible guests?

From a lower car park 

we wandered over to the hub of the resort where we took the stairs

up to the Village Green where the uplifted arms of the snow making machines were poised like the grasping arms of a preying mantis over the lawns.

Here too, silent during its summer hiatus, is the base station of one of the large Falls Creek chair lifts,

which carries skiers up to one of the many runs when the area is white with snow.

Despite the numbers of tourists who were wandering around, it soon became apparent that this time of the year is anything but the high season. As we mounted yet another stairway

we could only find two food outlets open for business. Jerry's Stall, perched here above the green, offered an assortment of European type dishes, bratwurst and the like,

whilst the nearby, those with a yen for a spot of stodge with their coffee could indulge themselves with a dunking donut.

 

As for the Last Hoot bar, cafe and pizzeria, its doors were firmly shut, a far cry from what we would see here in a few months' time when those returning from the slopes could congregate here and in all the other pubs and bars for the obligatory nightly 'apres-ski' knees up.

As you would expect with all the beds available here, chalets and apartments abound, some nestled behind the trees,

others clumped together on the hillsides. 
















These are but a few  examples of the many which are dotted all over the Falls Creek area.











As we toddled on down past these Falls Creek fun palaces and made our way back to the main road, I was taken by this sign. At this time of the year it seems to be a completely unnecessary warning, but when this entire area is blanketed by snow, many get around on their skis. Then a far greater degree of caution is necessary, particularly for those who have yet to master a fundamental, yet quite difficult (for beginners) essential of the art of skiing...the ability to stop at will.....quickly, and hopefully still upright and in control.







Liz could not resist a quick peek inside the local supermarket, which I have to say appeared to be very well stocked. And here we came across a real reminder of home in this bag of good old Adelaide Balfours hot cross buns (I have no idea why they were in with the spuds!).







So, with one last look up at the empty and motionless chairlift, beetling its way across the granite crest of this hill towards the slopes of  the ski run on the other side, we took our leave of Falls Creek.






Before we begin our descent let me leave you with two last views of this very popular ski resort, the first courtesy of 'tripadvisor', of the car park from which we had just departed when Falls Creek is a 'winter wonderland'.  




And this, thanks to 'cruisinmotorhomes' of the majority of the village complex in the late afternoon. What a difference a few months can make.








Liz does not do mountain roads well, and I was somewhat relieved that as we made our descent, her attention was distracted for a time. We had spotted these morons skate boarding down the steep mountain road on our way up to the summit, and here we found ourselves stuck behind not only the idiot on the board, but his following 'film crew'.




Mind you, they did not really hold us up too much. In fact at one stage we had to get a serious wriggle on to allow Liz to snatch this shot (after many unsuccessful attempts on various bends). What really annoyed me about this nonsense was the fact that the riders would swing wide on many of the curves, forcing oncoming motorists to brake sharply to avoid a collision. Needless to say, as Mr Stupid and his entourage came to a halt, with very little warning I might add, at the end of this run, we did exchange the odd pleasantry or two.  I managed to point out that the helmets being worn were superfluous to need....there was nothing of significance beneath them which required protection. I was on safe ground this time....even The Navigator was spluttering with outrage.





With the road ahead now clear of these 'legends in their own lunchtimes' we continued our descent through the high stands of mountain ash










until we were again transiting a much busier Mount Beauty township, 

making our way back across the Tawonga Gap and down the other side of the ridge back into the Ovens Valley where the now familiar shape of Mount Buffalo was there to greet our return.












At the Germantown junction we rejoined the B500 with its reminder of the other major ski resort of this area,












and made our way back into, what was by now, the ever increasing chaos of Bright.

It was the Easter market day.....we were sure half the population of Victoria must have been here, straggling across the main road seemingly oblivious to, or arrogantly unconcerned about, the approaching traffic 








or thronging around the stalls.













Even the road out of town was clogged with cars, parked and on the move.








We were now more than satisfied with our previously made decision to steer well clear of Bright throughout the Easter weekend other then when in transit. These few photos do not give a really true impression of just how crowded this town was. We remain ever grateful that we had been forced by circumstance to bed down in Porepunkah.