It has certainly been a tumultuous year for the Alpine Shire in 2025.

Look back with us at the iconic moments from the past 12 months:

Australia Day: Sunday, 26 January:

At the celebrations held in towns around the Alpine Shire, several Australia Day honours were bestowed on a number of deserving groups and individuals for their acts of service or community spirit.

After being nominated the previous year, winners of each Community Award category received their awards at ceremonies around the shire.

Myrtleford's Isabelle Cooke made history as the youngest recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award.

Snow Season: June-July:

Our mountains received metres of fresh, powdery snow in the early weeks of winter this year, which was greatly appreciated by sightseers, snowboarders, skiers and local businesses alike as thousands flocked to Falls Creek, Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain to spend a superb day in the snow.

At times, motorists were caught unprepared and were turned back down the mountain to acquire snow chains, or ended up sliding into snowy ditches to be rescued by emergency services.

Children's Book Week: 16 - 23 August:

The Mount Beauty Primary School had a head-start celebrating Children's Book Week this year, as their dress-up day was held early on Friday, 8 August.

The remainder of primary schools in the Alpine Shire were not far behind, as teachers, administrators and students 'Booked An Adventure', spending the day as their favourite fictional characters over the commemorative week.

Porepunkah Shooting: Tuesday, 26 August:

The fatal shooting of two Victoria Police officers, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, at a property on the outskirts of Porepunkah, shocked Australia.

The incident in itself was a traumatic occurrence, which also had a widespread impact for the community for months to follow.

Businesses were heavily affected in Porepunkah itself and in Myrtleford, Mount Buffalo, Bright, Harrietville and beyond, as lockdowns deterred tourists from visiting in the final weeks of the snow season, while police continued to search for fugitive and alleged gunman Dezi Freeman.

Myrtleford Splash Park: Wednesday, 17 September:

After years of planning, Myrtleford officially unveiled its brand new splash park to the public, with a number of children - as well as local Indi federal MP Helen Haines and Alpine Shire Mayor Cr Sarah Nicholas - bravely testing out the new facility in less-than-warm weather.

The splash park was brought to fruition through a collaboration between the Myrtleford Chamber of Commerce, Alpine Shire Council, the Australian government and Myrtleford's own two resident Crackpots, who installed an epic mosaic platypus to match the aquatic theme, according to Elder Mike Harding of the Ngurraiillam people's design.

Dachshund Derby & Oktoberfest: Saturday, 11 October:

The Dachshund Derby and Oktoberfest celebrations drew a large crowd to Mountain Monk Brewers in Mount Beauty, with dog and beer lovers zeroing in on the region to celebrate all things German.

There were so many dogs entered into this year's Dachshund Derby, it needed six heats before participant numbers for the final were whittled down, with Darcy the Dachshund taking home the trophy.

Myrtleford Mill sale: Friday, 31 October:

The Borg Group's 'Porta Products Pty Ltd' acquired the New Zealand-owned Carter Holt Harvey Plywood Pty Ltd (CHH Plywood), which resulted in the change of ownership of the Myrtleford Plywood Mill.

A spokesperson from the Borg Group said over the following months, the CHH Plywood range produced in Myrtleford would be integrated with Porta's existing product portfolio to create 'a more cohesive and comprehensive offering for customers Australia-wide'.

Bright Rod Run: 7 - 9 November:

A sea of shining hoods met attendees' eyes at Pioneer Park, as Bright hosted its latest Rod Run in the region.

All were invited to admire a seemingly never-ending fleet of fancy and vintage cars as they made two circuits of town, showing off their best set of wheels.

Russell Dunning's silver 1950 Mercury Eight Monterey coupe won 'Best in Show', an award sponsored by Bright Rod & Kustom Club.