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

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Where is Eyjafjallajokull Volcano?

Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, Iceland

Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, Iceland’s sleeping volcano, burst into life for the first time in 190 years on the 20 March and again, on the 14 April. This post is not about Eyjafjallajokull Volcano being a dream, travel destination but more about how it has affected all of Europe and those with travel plans.

The huge ash plumes being generated from this natural occurrence have air travel to and from Europe on hold, and no end is in sight! This is resulting in travel chaos for both air travellers having to resort to land travel and competing with the already busy land services of rail, bus and ferry. It has been reported that many are even resorting to extensive trips via taxi’s just to reach their desired destination. The financial implication to the grounded air services will not be know for some time but of course, it will filter down the system and many other businesses will also be greatly affected.

There is now speculation from scientists, saying history has shown when Eyjafjallajokull erupts, the much bigger, nearby Katla volcano often follows within days or months. More can be READ HERE

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TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Eyjafjallajokull Volcano

The Figures

Flights – 24,000 cancelled
Cost – $1 billion plus
Major airports closed – 40
Travellers affected – 5 million
Extent of ash plume – 5,000 km
Height of plume – 7 km
History – The volcano last erupted from Dec 1821 to Jan 1823.

Eyjafjallajökull Volcano Time Lapse

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Where is Narvik?

A view over Narvik

The small port town of Narvik is situated on the shores of Narvik Fjord, 220km inside the arctic circle of Norway. I made it to this travel destination during the summer of 1989. Whilst Scandinavia was rather a rushed visit due to the expense of the region for backpackers, the landscapes were simply beautiful.

Narvik will offer the visitor the opportunity to step into the arctic circle, witness the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights and if visiting during the peak of summer, experience sightseeing in the light of the midnight sun. A strange experience! Narvik is a popular winter destination offering terrific alpine skiing and snowboarding.

Norway (Country Guide)

Map

TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Narvik

One Great Reason to Visit Narvik

One great reason to visit this travel destination especially during the peak of summer is to experience the long shadows of the night sky that is still like dusk, accompanied by the Aurora Borealis.

Hollandsfjord Narvik Norway

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Travel Photo of the Week: Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, Australia

Dove Lake with Cradle Mountain in the background is located in the Cradle Mountain National Park in the state of Tasmania. The area forms part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The area offers a variety of bushwalking. Some short walks and some overnight camping walks. The abundance of wildlife so close up is fabulous for the visitor – to see paddy melon wallabies nibbling at the grasses, echidnas and bennets wallabies just to name a few.

Photo courtesy of Australian reader Julie.