Where is Dinner Plain?

Typical Architecture

Dinner Plain is a town located on the Great Alpine Road in the high plains of Victoria, Australia. It is 389 km kilometres NW of Melbourne. Julie Wilson shares with Travel Tips Plus what attracts her to Dinner Plain.

This unique architecturally designed village, nestled amongst the snow gums, has a population of around 90 people and has over 200 lodges and chalets for tourists, making it a welcoming travel destination. The tradition of hospitality at Dinner Plain goes back well over a century, when mountain cattlemen first discovered this beautiful stretch of countryside as an ideal place to relax, eat up a meal and graze their cattle.

Visitors come all year round to enjoy the high plains life. In winter the village is a excellent base for cross–country and downhill skiing in winter. The gentle slopes are great for beginner skiing and are ideal for nordic skiing. There are 16 kilometres of trails around Dinner Plain. Shuttle buses ferry people to Mount Hotham for downhill skiing.

In summer, cycling and hiking are great attractions. The ski trail between Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain provides an excellent easy-grade walking tracks, and the architecture of the village and alpine wildflowers are a great attraction.

JB Hut

There are also key events throughout the year. My favourite events are:

Geebung Polo on Easter Sunday
Come and watch the exhibition of horsemanship and polo skills at Horsehair Plain. See the High Country cattlemen of the ‘Geebung‘ team take on the city slicker ‘Cuff n Collar’ team. The day starts with the announcer reciting Banjo Patterson’s famous poem “The Geebung Polo Club”, after which the event is named.

Cross Country Pub to Pub Race in August
The Annual Cross Country “Pub to Pub” takes place in early August. This 14 km race from the General Store in Mount Hotham to Dinner Plain Hotel is an event for skiers of all ages and abilities, and you’re likely to see first year skiers lining up with Australian champions.

Sled Dog Challenge
This annual event showcases the top dogs of sled dog racing in Australia and is the only Australian snow-based race of its kind. This race is held over an August weekend with 2, 3, 4 and 6 dog teams competing. Over 65 Mushers (dog team drivers) and more than 350 sled dogs are expected to compete in this year’s event.

Map

TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Dinner Plain

One Great Reason to Visit

One great reason to visit this travel destination is To see the Dinner Plain architecture ~ All buildings in the village are designed in an Australian alpine style based on early mountain cattlemen’s huts. Corrugated iron, timber and stone are used for the external walls, with pitched iron roofs. Buildings are limited to the height of the existing trees.

Dinner Plain- Mt Hotham, Australia

For More Information

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 7th, 2010 at 1:15 am and is filed under Australasia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.