Wire Plain reimagined...and the Alpine Gateway to be completed
By CHRIS EPSKAMP and JEFF ZEUSCHNER
THE first images and draft plan for new visitor facilities at Mt Hotham's Wire Plain have been released.
A long overdue development, Wire Plain has recently struggled to cope with huge volumes of day visitors utilising the area for snowplay, dog sled rides and crosscountry skiing/snow shoeing on winter weekends.
One only has to view the line–up for the rustic outdoor toilets to understand that change is desperately needed.
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To be known as the Hotham Hub, the new facility promises to be a boon to both visitors and local business.
Draft plans show a large central seating area with modern toilet facilities, complemented by a commercial kitchen and bar, plus visitor information and retail spaces.
Tourism Minister Steve Dimopoulos said the $4.5 million investment by the State Government aims to accommodate snow goers of all levels, with a family friendly area for tobogganing and snowplay.
Scheduled to start construction following the 2022 winter season, the project will be delivered in two stages, creating up to 28 construction jobs and eight ongoing positions when works are expected to be completed in 2024.
The precinct is also expected to support 'green–season activation', providing a centralised location for summer hiking and mountain biking visitors, plus supporting new commercial tours and rentals associated with the activities.
The Hotham Hub is also expected to double as a conference facility.
Submissions for a tender seeking a suitable operator for tenure over the commercial areas of the Hotham Hub facility closed on August 28.
Mt Hotham Alpine Resort Management Board CEO, Amber Gardner, said the Hotham Hub will activate a new recreational precinct, ensuring the resort can better cater for existing customers and also target emerging markets, particularly first–time snow visitors.
MEANWHILE, completion of the Alpine Gateway at Mt Hotham's Loch car park is due over summer.
The new two–storey Alpine Gateway facility, bankrolled by $4.2 million in State Government funding, will provide year–round benefits to visitors.
The new building will incorporate a top deck with a large level space for 135 cars and a viewing platform with a fully enclosed lower level providing visitors to the ski area with change rooms and toilets plus safe and direct ski field access for the skiers and snowboarders of all abilities.
Interpretive facilities will welcome visitors and showcase the resort.
Significantly, Alpine Gateway provides a real alternative to the Corral Car Park, reducing vehicular congestion in the heart of the Mt Hotham village.
Outside the snow season, Alpine Gateway will be the trailhead for the proposed Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing multi–day walk and a range of other signature walks.
The project is part of the resort's efforts to support climate change adaptation and sustained community resilience by providing a year–round facility.
Whilst improving the visitor experience, it is also hoped the development will stimulate new commercial opportunities in the village and local communities.
"The Alpine Gateway is a strategic enabling project that will create a new visitor hub and parking facility with capacity for further public and private investment within the resort in support of a new visitor precinct," Ms Gardner, said.
"This facility will provide a much–needed boost to Mt Hotham's year–round offering and the local visitor economy."
Proposals for Hotham Central being assessed
By JEFF ZEUSCHNER
MT HOTHAM Resort Management is working to progress commercial development opportunities at Hotham Central Precinct ahead of next season.
Developers were earlier this season invited to contribute to the next phase of Mt Hotham's visitor–centric expansion by expressing interest in four "premium parcels" of land in the heart of the resort.
It is understood Mt Hotham Resort Management received a high level of interest, including from current mountain operators, for a variety of developments, which are currently being assessed.
All four land parcels have immediate access to the ski area, the resort's transport interchange, and existing commercial hubs.
They are located in and around the current Corral Car Park area, which is to be redeveloped to include a Village Square and public outdoor space, as well as a promenade.
