Dinner Plain Alpine Village

Surrounded by the Alpine National Park and located above the snowline at 1520 metres, Dinner Plain is Australia's best year-round destination.

Escape the summer heat and enjoy hiking, biking, fishing and relaxing or enjoy a romantic weekend away. In the winter months, enjoy downhill and cross country skiing, snowshoe shuffles and snowplay in Dinner Plain or a bus ride away at Mount Hotham.

Dinner Plain caters for singles, couples and familes with around 300 houses and apartments, all reflecting the spirit of the high country cattlemen's huts. Built of stone, timber and corrugated iron, each chalet blends in with the surrounding snow gums and the high plains landscape.

Relaxing by the fireside, exploring the bush tracks and trails or indulging yourself at the Onsen Retreat and Spa – there really is something for everyone.

There's no other village in Australia like Dinner Plain, and it's time for you to experience it yourself.

FACILITIES

Facilities include a hotel, licensed restaurants, licensed café & patisserie, licensed supermarket and ski hire services for all equipment and apparel. Lessons are also available. Skiing is downhill and cross country with a beginners' Poma for skiers and snowboarders and 15km of trails around the village, as well as the Mount Hotham-Dinner Plain Link Trail with its amazing views.

There are two tennis courts for hire and Adventures with Altitude, Snowshoe Shuffles and Walkabout Gourmet Adventures also operate from the village.

ACCOMMODATION

Dinner Plain offers visitors a range of accommodation options according to needs and budget. Resort or motel style accommodation is available including disabled facilities at some locations. A number of Bed and Breakfast establishments are also available. The largest range is in self-catering accommodation from Single Bedroom Apartments to large Twenty Bed chalets.

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

LOCATION

Legend has it that Dinner Plain was given its name by cattle drovers of last century who stopped for their midday dinner at this glorious spot in the mountains. Today you can still picnic on the grassy plains in summer with cattle for company.

The village of Dinner Plain, nestled in the middle of the Great Alpine Road, 10 kilometres from the panoramic mountain views surrounding Mt Hotham, gives today's traveller the choice of outdoor recreation in all seasons. In winter follow the cross country trails, toboggan or ease into downhill skiing on gentle runs before you take to the legendary runs of Mt Hotham.

Enjoy the cool mountain air on long summer days. Follow remote alpine streams and rivers as you wander through stunning snowgums and tall alpine ash. Walk alone or with Ilamas for company, or see the area on horseback as the early drovers did. Fish for trout or simply enjoy a short walk around the picturesque architecturally designed village.

THE VILLAGE

Located on the Great Alpine Road and surrounded by the Alpine National Park, Dinner Plain is Victoria’s coolest year round destination and if you love a relaxed village atmosphere, this is your kind of place.

Designed to compliment the beautiful snowgums and history of the area, Dinner Plain is open all year round and offers a choice of accommodation the mountain cattlemen could only have dreamed of. There’s a well-stocked supermarket for when you want to eat in or dine out at one of the many bars, cafés and restaurants open throughout the year.

Relaxing by the fireside, exploring the bush tracks and trails, mountain biking or spoiling yourself with a visit to the Onsen Retreat and Spa or Myabi Hair Design – there’s something for everyone.

SEASONS

Looking to escape the summer heat? Want to get high on adventure in Victoria’s Alpine High Country? Wander through vast swathes of colourful alpine wildflowers? Tour the Great Alpine Road and explore Victoria’s greatest national park? Or maybe just slip away for a romantic weekend? You can do it all right here, because every season there’s another reason to visit Dinner Plain.

Have you been hibernating over winter? Revitalise in the clear mountain air as the countryside sheds its winter snow and emerges fresh and green.

Warm sunny days, invitingly cool rivers and streams and alpine wildflowers in full bloom. Escape the heat of summer and simply relax, or get out and experience the adventure playground on your doorstep.

Cooler days are perfect to pursue lots of adventure activities – mountain biking, horseriding, 4WD touring and fishing. Enjoy the last of summer’s wildflowers and the crisp evenings that foretell the winter snows.

During winter, the mountains are at their most magnificent, shrouded in glittering white. Skiers and snowboarders swoop down slopes, families stroll along snowlined village streets and couples discover the romance of the snow. In the evening, slip into a hot spa or sauna, relax in front of a cosy log fire before enjoying dinner at one of the many dining options with a fine bottle of local wine.

GETTING THERE

From the Northern side of Melbourne head up the Hume Freeway (M31) to the Great Alpine Road (B500) exit near Wangaratta. Follow the Great Alpine Road through the picturesque Ovens Valley, passing through the towns and villages of Myrtleford, Porepunkah, Bright and Harrietville, before the spectacular drive up to Mt Hotham village. Dinner Plain is just 11km further along the Great Alpine Road, towards Omeo.

From the South-Eastern side of Melbourne, or in case of road closure between Harrietville and Hotham, take the route along the Princes Freeway (A1) through Gippsland, to Bairnsdale. From there, the Great Alpine Road (B500) heads north through spectacular high country views, passing through Bruthen, Ensay, Swift’s Creek and Omeo. Dinner Plain is a further 43 km from Omeo, heading towards the Alpine National Park.

The Hotham Airport at Horsehair Plain is the highest commercial airport in Australia.

During the winter months a coach service operates from Albury airport travelling to Hotham and Dinner Plain on Fridays and Sundays.

ACTIVITIES

This is adventure country with a capital A. As well as the renowned bushwalking in the Alpine High Country, there is abseiling, mountain bike riding, horse riding, fly fishing and canoeing. There is also 4WD tracks, rock climbing and river rafting. And of course in winter some of the best skiing and snowboarding in Australia.

If you've got the spirit of adventure but no experience, there are guides and instructors just waiting to get you going. They'll even supply the equipment - so what are you waiting for!

For those less attracted to the rush of adrenalin, there is still plenty to do. If you dream of sitting high on a mountain top in the sun, refreshed by a breeze, listening to a birdsong and surrounded by the best of Australia's alpine vistas, this is the place to be. The Alpine National Park, surrounding Dinner Plain, is Victoria's largest and boasts 10 of the state's 11 highest mountains.

SUMMER ACTIVITIES

WINTER ACTIVITIES

The winter season provides a range of activities and events including downhill and cross country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoe shuffles and snowplay, and whilst the popularity of the village is growing fast year-round, is still the peak time for most people to visit DInner Plain. Take advantage of the ability to fly into Hotham Airport, just 10 minutes from Dinner Plain, via Qantaslink with scheduled flights in Winter from either Melbourne or Sydney.

For the snow bunnies, there is a gentle downhill ski slope with poma lift for beginners in a safe and protected area and for those whose ability has grown beyond the basics, a regular shuttle bus connecting Dinner Plain to the unrivalled ski resort of Mt Hotham several times a day during ski season. Mt Hotham is widely regarded as Australia's powder snow capital and is only 12km along the Great Alpine Road from Dinner Plain. This is why Dinner Plain has become the preferred destination for many families wanting to enjoy the skiing of Hotham during the day, but be able to relax and enjoy the amenity of Dinner Plain after a day on the slopes. Comprehensive ski hire services and a ski school are also located in the village.

Have a fun-filled family day out exploring the extensive cross-country trail network that meanders around the village, or if you’re feeling adventurous take on the 10km journey between Dinner Plain and Mt Hotham. These well-marked trails wind through a woodland of snow gums and are a unique and memorable way to experience the wonder of Victoria’s Alpine High Country!

Welcome to Dinner Plain Alpine Village