Escape to Falls Creek

Not much has been happening in Thredbo recently. November is probably always the quietest month of the year. The winds have been up and we have had a good drop of rain. There are some small patches of snow still to be found up high but nothing to bother hiking to. Meanwhile I had my first walk up the mountain last Saturday to the top of Snowgums chair, luckily avoiding the thunderstorms.

As promised during Winter, I have put together a few photos that I took when I ran away from Thredbo last July. This report is dedicated to Falls Creek in Victoria where I skied under blue skies for a couple of days. Although I had been to Buller and Hotham way back in the 80’s, I had never before been to Falls Creek. My first impressions were that it was smaller than I had imagined. The village is in the throws of a major upgrade with new buildings very obvious from the parking areas. Talking of which, the day parking is great – really close to the lifts and ticket offices. The lift system is a little archaic and slow but with no crowds or queues to contend with I enjoyed the relaxed pace, especially with such wonderfully calm, clear and cool weather. The scenery was quite different and enjoyable, while the runs are (coming from Thredbo) generally short. There were some tree runs but I think you wouldn't like to be caught out in a whiteout. My favourites were off the Summit Quad and International Poma (one of those you place between your legs).

Most notable was the demeanour of the staff. Every staff member wore a smile and had a friendly word to say. Not since North America have I encountered such friendly staff. The second most notable thing about Falls Creek was the number of clean, dry and well-stocked public toilets. It may seem silly of me to raise this but I really noticed the difference.

One other unusual discovery was the use of “trails merge” signs that, even in the off piste areas were quite abundant. The drive up and down from Mt Beauty, where I stayed, was very tight and fun but I’m not sure I would want to do it much when covered with snow.

The village of Mt Beauty is actually in a valley

The Bogong mountains tower over the valleys

Top of Summit Quad looking down on the village of Falls Creek

Valley of the Moon area offered some interesting off piste

Skiing in the past? Reminders of days long ago

Top of Ruined Castle

Looking across to Ruined Castle

Tight trees

Covered magic carpet - a great idea, as are the signs

Sunset over the Bogongs (like the moth)

I will put up a report on Mount Hotham when next I get a chance.

Grumpy Report: It may be my aging years or is Customer Service a thing of the past? Not forgetting Telstra, I have encountered (and still am) some very poor customer service from two national Australian companies. I won’t name them yet but if I get no satisfaction in the next month or so, I’ll let you in on who they are.