TRAVELLING to an Alpine village with your best four-legged mate or sliding down Australia’s longest toboggan slope can only be done at Dinner Plain and the last of recent major upgrades makes it an even better place to visit this snow season.
Last Thursday, 5 June, Minister for Regional Development, Jaclyn Symes, announced the completion of snowmaking and infrastructure upgrades at Dinner Plain Alpine Village, supported with $5.5 million from the Victorian Government and delivered by Alpine Shire Council.
“Investing in infrastructure across our regions paves the way for tourism to thrive and these upgrades will bring more visitors to Dinner Plain in a boost to local businesses, jobs and the local economy,” Ms Symes said.
With no resort fee, and the only alpine village in Victoria where dogs are allowed year-round, the freehold village which sits above the snowline makes Dinner Plain truly one of a kind.
“This project represents the time, effort and passion of our local community, working closely with council’s project officers to deliver a range of upgrades and improvements to the village,” Alpine Shire Mayor Cr Sarah Nicholas said.
Latest Stories
Only 15 minutes from Mount Hotham, Dinner Plain also boasts the Peashooter Toboggan Slope, which at 75 metres long and 40 metres wide, makes it Australia’s biggest and longest.
More consistent and reliable snow conditions will be achieved with upgrades to snowmaking systems, including new snow guns and a new snow factory for the toboggan slope which will allow the resort to make more snow, more often.
A new water bore and a 200,000-litre reservoir have been constructed to support snowmaking operations, with the added benefit of serving as a backup water source for the town in the event of bushfires.
Upgrades have also been delivered at Scrubbers Hut, which serves as a trailhead for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
The building has been improved with new seating, picnic and barbecue facilities, a mountain bike repair station and new accessible amenities including baby change facilities.
More than 100 new car spaces have been added across four new parking areas, while entrances to the village have been upgraded with better signage and lighting and safer pedestrian crossings, making the destination even more accessible for the whole family.
The playground area has also been upgraded with new playground equipment, picnic shelters, tables and benches.
The Victorian Government support for Dinner Plain includes $2 million through the joint Victorian and Australian government’s $68.6 million Local Economic Recovery program, which supports recovery and resilience for regional communities impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires.
