Why You Should Hit the Slopes at Falls Creek This Spring

Falls Creek is best known for winter fun, but that doesn’t mean the appeal only lasts one season. In the Victorian Alps, the snow persists into the warmer weather (often with a solid base built up through the winter), and there are longer, sunnier days to enjoy it – and thinner crowds. Great drinking and dining options on the mountainside make an ideal bookend to your springtime adventures.

So whether you want to explore by ski, snowboard or snowmobile, or you can’t wait to slip into a hot spa with views of snow-capped mountains, there’s plenty of choice. And just about everything is within walking (or skiing) distance in Falls Creek village.

Here’s our guide to making the most of spring in the alps.

DO

Twilight skiing and boarding

Extend your heroic day on the slopes with the resort’s twilight offerings. Twice a week in September, lights guide the way down Wombat’s Ramble – all the way from Halley’s Comet to Slalom Plaza – even as the sun dips below the mountain. It feels like a different experience altogether, with a festive atmosphere descending as the stars come out.

Cross-country skiing

There are more directions to go than down. Rather than chasing gravity’s pull, you can trek across the landscape for a more demanding, but very rewarding, workout on cross-country skis. The labyrinthine trail map means you can pick a new route nearly every time, and there are options for beginners as well as experienced skiers. It’s a terrific way to see the resort’s gorgeous back country, including the largely untouched Bogong High Plains.

Snowmobile tours

Eventually your legs will need a rest, which is where the bucket-list snowmobile tour comes in. You can book a 1.5-hour daytime tour or a two-hour sunset option, starting near the top of the Eagle Express chairlift. You can drive yourself or take a passenger seat (you’ll just need a drivers licence if you plan to drive yourself). It’s one of the best ways to explore the alps and access some particularly majestic views of the Summit, Frying Pan Spur and more from Mount McKay.

EAT

Huski Kitchen

The menu changes regularly at Huski Kitchen, but you can rely on warming Southeast Asian flavours. Think fragrant tom yum soup, dan dan noodles with confit duck and Sichuan peppers, and fluffy Japanese cheesecake with yuzushu cream for dessert. Cocktails include innovative numbers like the Pho Basil Smash (pho-spice-infused gin, lime, sugar and Thai basil) and the Kim Chi Red Eye (vodka, Asahi, spices and kimchi juice). And you can get a hearty Aussie-style breakfast in the morning.

Falls Creek Hotel

At the height of the season you can ski right to the door of this family-run stay, which has earned a reputation as one of the best lunch stops on the mountain. It’s open to the public for lunch (with other sittings reserved for in-house guests). Expect pub mainstays including burgers, parmas and a wiener schnitzel, as well as some lighter salads and poke-style bowls. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, don’t miss Harvey Hour – a tradition running since the hotel’s inception in the ’70s – for Harvey Wallbanger cocktails by the jug and live music on the deck.

DRINK

Lakeside

The drinks menu at this village hotel makes the absolute most of its High Country location. That means wine from Indigo in Beechworth, Nomads Garden in Eldorado, and Billy Button in Bright; craft beer from Bright Brewery, Mount Beauty’s Mountain Monk and Bridge Road in Beechworth; whisky from Backwoods in Yackandandah; and gin from award-winning neighbours Falls Creek Distillery. The bar is open until 10pm, making for a well-earned nightcap (and a round of pool) after a day of fresh-air adventure. And you can catch live music most Saturdays.

Sorella & Apartment 3

Hidden behind a curtain at boutique hotel Elk at Falls, Apartment 3 serves subtly creative cocktails like a Cherry Smoked Old Fashioned, made with charred cherry wood, and a Spicy Mango Marg, with habanero-infused tequila, plus a bevy of wines, spirits and digestifs. Kick on around the 360-degree fireplace at Elk’s newly opened diner, Sorella, right next door. It’s doing Mediterranean share plates of all shapes and sizes – from anchovy soldiers, stracciatella and gin-cured salmon to roasted harissa chook and rib eye with Manjimup truffles.

STAY

St Falls Resort

These luxury apartments, just metres from Wombat’s Ramble green run, come with stunning Kiewa Valley views and toasty underfloor heating. Most of the one- to three-bedroom stays have a spa or hot tub, as well as a private terrace and kitchen. The in-house bar, cafe and restaurant, 1550, is a popular all-day option, and the village’s shops, ski hire and creche are a stone’s throw away.

Elk at Falls

Like St Falls, Elk at Falls offers direct ski-in, ski-out access thanks to a location just two minutes’ walk – or an even shorter ski – from the chairlift. The in-house hot spas are a popular feature, as is the complimentary luggage-transfer service. Along with the enviable location and top-shelf service, these stylish apartments keep guests flocking back.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Falls Creek Resort.