We’ve just heard it is snowing again in Dinner Plain, near Hotham, Victoria. A friend, who also is a Dinner Plain fan says, “It snows every month in Dinner Plain”.
When we’re not camping, we drive up the Great Alpine Road to our home-away-from-home.
You can also escape the summer heat and book Cascade Chalet now – it’s available and sleeps 8. You can park your van or RV in the driveway, and enjoy hikes, wildlife, frisbee golf, pub nights, walks to cattlemen’s huts and a waterfall!
Use Cascade as a base to explore SOOO many gorgeous mountain campgrounds.
Here’s more details about our cosy mountain home:
Firstly, it backs onto the bush – filled with beautiful snowgums and wildflowers in season.
Window seats look out to it, and it is perfect place to curl up with a book or solve a jigsaw. We’ve provided some jigsaw puzzles, games and books just for this!
I love the open fire. During last April’s visit, it was on every night, those cool evenings are such a contrast to Queensland’s humidity.
The whole house has been refurbished. New window seats, couches, occasional chairs, artwork, kitchen appliances, TV and beds. The beds can be king/queen – or split as singles in three rooms – so they suit all sorts of travellers.
The pole home has mudroom (or entry) living/kitchen/dining and a bathroom on the lower level. The laundry and drying area are here as well. We’ve made sure all the cooking essentials are stocked, as well as an Espresso coffee machine.
The first floor has two bedrooms with built-ins. One with another cute window seat that looks over the front yard – and the second bathroom with a separate toilet.
The top floor has a big loft where we have added the second TV, bean bags and beds…we know it will be popular with families!
The separate loft bedroom also looks over the front of the house. All up you can sleep eight, not counting the large window box downstairs. It’s perfect for singles, four couples, groups or families.
Each bedroom has drawers, bedside tables and bedside lighting. Local artwork has been chosen carefully, with local creatures and flora pictured on the walls – that you are likely to see outside!
The first place anyone sits is our ‘Wombat’ – a huge bean bag with memory foam that moulds to your shape. I thought the window boxes would come first, but no – they are second best – despite the views! The views are just as beautiful in the off season, compared to when snow loads up the snowgums.
The house is a few metres from the Collectors Cirque (a trail that surrounds the whole village and takes you to the toboggan run and pommel/ski slope), the trail to Carmichael Falls and the MTB (mountain biking) tracks.
I haven’t even mentioned the hikes! No wonder this is a happy place for me. Birdwatchers will love it – I spotted emus on a trail, and flame robins outside our door!
There are alpine sedge walks, info boards around the village and lots of walks to pretty places, lookouts, even an old cattlemen’s hut.
Dinner Plain itself is worth a visit. It is the ONLY freehold village you will find above the snowline in Australia. It is a real community, with some residing year round, and even has a post office and alpine school! We love that it has two pubs, a club – all providing yummy meals, a small supermarket, homewares store, ski wear shops AND cafes with great hot chocolate (and coffee). With strict building codes and colours, the architecture is one of a kind up here – we like checking out the interesting names and builds. It really is the prettiest alpine village!
Look out for the husky rides in winter, a playground, a skatepark off season, great events we are looking forward to and we laughed a bucket as three generations played frisbee golf. So much fun, our boys brought out the frisbees every day we were there in Autumn.
The chalet is close to 35 million dollar Cobungra Station – established in 1851 by the Gray family. Read more about the property – and you can even check it out at their annual Easter event – Dinner Plain Polo.
You can also walk to Hotham. There are more hikes over there – and pubs!
Plus scenic drives – here are some of our recent Alpine adventures.
So book away – and please tell your friends! This is a special little corner of Australia.
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