The Bogong High Plains (), part of the

Victorian Alps The Victorian Alps, also known locally as the High Country, is a large mountain system in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria. Occupying the majority of eastern Victoria, it is the southwestern half of the Australian Alps (the other ...

of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

, are a section of

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

s located in the

Alpine National Park The Alpine National Park is a national park located in the Central Highlands and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. The national park is located northeast of Melbourne. It is the largest National Park in Victoria, and covers much of the hig ...

in the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and are situated south of Mount Bogong. In winter this area is one of the largest snow-covered areas in Australia and can be easily accessed from the

Hotham Alpine Resort Mount Hotham Alpine Resort is an Australian alpine resort, is located in the Alpine region of Victoria. Set on the slopes of Mount Hotham, the ski resort comprises an alpine village, situated at an altitude of AHD, making it the second hig ...

and Falls Creek ski resort. The area is very popular for both summer and winter time activities.

Ski touring Ski touring is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas. Touring is typically done off-piste and outside of ski resorts, and may extend over a period of more than one day. It is similar to backcountry skiing but excludes the ...

and all types of

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...

are possible through most winter months. A trail called Australian Alps Walking Track is popular for

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

in summer and cross-country skiing in winter.

Mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

and bushwalking are common in summer. Local towns and villages provide the best possibility for exploring the areas, including

Mount Beauty Mount Beauty is a small town in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. The town lies alongside the Kiewa River, at the junction of the Kiewa Valley Highway and Bogong High Plains Road in the Alpine Shire local government area. History The town was ...

and

Harrietville Harrietville is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Great Alpine Road, in the Alpine Shire. At the , Harrietville and the surrounding area had a population of 338. History Harrietville was named after the first white woman who lived ...

History

The traditional custodians of the land surrounding the Bogong High Plains are the

indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

Bidawal The Bidawal (also known as Bidhawal and Bidwell) were an Australian Aboriginal tribe of Gippsland, Victoria. According to Alfred William Howitt, the Bidawal were composed of "refugees from tribes". Language The Bidawal language was either a dial ...

, Dhudhuroa,

GunaiKurnai The Gunaikurnai or Gunai/Kurnai ( ) people, also referred to as the Gunnai or Kurnai, are an Aboriginal Australian nation of south-east Australia. They are the Traditional Custodians of most of present-day Gippsland and much of the southern slop ...

and NindiNgudjam Ngarigu Monero peoples. Europeans first explored and settled in the area as graziers sought pastoral land mainly for cattle. The biggest early development for the area was the Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme which began construction in the 1940s. Two dams were constructed, Pretty Valley Pondage and Rocky Valley Dam, and a series of aqueducts built to capture streams and bring their flows across into the catchments of the Kiewa Scheme. McKay Creek and West Kiewa Power Stations supply most of the electricity generated. Since completion of the Scheme, the area has become much more based around tourism, particularly skiing.

Scientific research

Systematic scientific research began in 1947, when Miss Maisie Fawcett ater Mrs S.G.M. Carrset up two grazing exclosures to directly investigate the impacts of animal grazing on Australian alpine and sub-alpine vegetation. These original plots have been monitored ever since, and represent the longest continuous series of ecological data of any site in Australia. All grazing was finally excluded from the area by the

Victorian government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and t ...

in 2005, in part because of the compelling evidence provided by this particular experiment. The Bogong High Plains continues to have an important place in scientific research. In summer, large numbers of scientists conduct research in the area, including studies of hydrology, vegetation change, fire response, weed invasions, occurrence of native animals (

mountain pygmy possum The mountain pygmy possum (''Burramys parvus''); also simply known as the burramys, is a small, mouse-sized (weighs ) nocturnal marsupial of Australia found in dense alpine rock screes and boulder fields, mainly southern Victoria and around Moun ...

, alpine skink) and introduced species (such as hares, horses and sambar deer). The area is also home to a component of the

International Tundra Experiment The International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) is a long-term international collaboration of researchers examining the responses of arctic and alpine plants and ecosystems to climate change. Researchers measure plant responses to standardized, small ...

(ITEX), which investigates aspects of global

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

. It is trying to predict the future impacts of temperature increases.

Bushfires

This area is prone to

bushfires A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...

because of the large amount of native forest. The

2003 Eastern Victorian alpine bushfires The Eastern Victorian alpine bushfires were a series of bushfires in 2003 that burnt in the Alpine National Park and Mount Buffalo National Park in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. The bushfire started with eighty-seven fires that were starte ...

devastated much of the areas of forest. Many well-known huts were destroyed. More recently the area was again threatened during the 2006-07 Australian bushfire season but due to favourable weather, damage appears to be minimal in comparison.

Huts

Alpine huts in the area provide accommodation for people out in the winter ski touring and those interested in hiking or other activities in the summertime. There are tens of huts in this area, each different and equipped for different purposes. They were first built by European pastoralists moving in from NSW in the 1830s. They are no longer used by pastoralists. Many are run by ski clubs but some are not regularly used or maintained at all. ;Wallace's Hut This is the oldest on the high plains. Originally built in 1889 like most of the huts has been extended since. It has no modern facilities and so is not used for accommodation. It measures by . ;Bogong Rover Chalet bogongroverchalet

This was the first lodge developed in the area, before the creation of the ski resorts in Australia. It was started in 1938 by

Rover Scouts Rover Scouts, Rovers, Rover Scouting or Rovering is a program associated with some Scouting organizations for adult men and women. A group of Rovers is called a 'Rover Crew'. Rovers was originated by The Boy Scouts Association in the United K ...

from Victoria. It has the best facilities of any hut or lodge outside of a resort in Australia, with full comforts and amenities for 35 people. It has been expanded and refurbished since it was built. It uses

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

, gas, wood heating and runs its own electricity generators. It has a full kitchen, showers and runs 13 winter weeks for Rovers and Venturer Scouts. ;Cope Hut This hut was built by the Ski Club of Victoria in 1929. ;Fitzgerald Hut This was one of the older huts. It was accidentally burnt down by a school group in 1991 and rebuilt in 1993. ;Roper Hut This was burnt down in the bushfire of 2003 and rebuilt in 2008. ;Wilkinson Lodge Affectionately known as Wilky, this hut was built by the State Electricity Commission as a hydrological survey hut prior to the construction of the Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme. The hut was later sold to a ski club but this sale never included title to the land on which it sat. The hut was purchased in 1962 by members of the Melbourne Bushwalkers who then donated it to the club. The hut was renovated and maintained by the Melbourne Bushwalkers and used throughout the winter as a base for cross-country skiing. It was well-used throughout the year for research and outdoor activities by members and by many other groups. It survived the 2003 bushfires but burnt down one year later (January 2004) in a cooking accident, while being used by non-members. The woodshed still remains. The National Parks and Wildlife Service which administers the land has refused permission to rebuild. ;Batty's Hut This hut burnt down in the bushfires of 2006. ;Cleve Cole Hut This hut on Mount Bogong was built in 1938 as a memorial to Cleve Cole who died on a ski trip on Mount Bogong. Technically, Mount Bogong is not part of the Bogong High Plains. Also on Mount Bogong are Michell Hut, on Eskdale Spur, which was rebuilt after the 2003 fires and Bivouac Hut on the Staircase Spur. Other huts in the area include Tawonga Huts, Young's Hut, Ryder's Huts, Cope Saddle Hut, Pretty Valley Hut, Edmondson Hut, Johnston's Hut, Buckety Plains Hut, Faithful's Hut, and Langford Gap Hut. Bogong High Plains map Stevage

Ecology

Vegetation

The Bogong High Plains contain a mixture of various types of vegetation. About 50% of the High Plains are heathlands, which cover some of the steeper and more wind protected areas in the high plains. The soils are typically shallow and rocky. Approximately 25% of the High Plains are grasslands, which occur in more exposed areas, on gentle slopes are typically more resistant to wind and frosts. Some of the best soils occur in wetlands, which cover about 10% of the high plains. These areas are defined as places where there is stationary water for at least one month per year. The presence of water typically leads to highly organic soils, from the decay of vegetable matter, and very little mineral matter. Snow patch herb fields occur in places where snow remains for a large portion of the summer and are very rare.

Range peaks

Mount Bogong, the highest mountain in Victoria, is just north of the High Plains. Technically it is not part of the high plains because it is separated from them by the Big River. There are several huts are on the mountain, the earliest of which was built following the death of a skier in 1936.

Mount Feathertop Mount Feathertop is the second-highest mountain in the Australian state of Victoria and is part of the Australian Alps and is located within the Alpine National Park. It rises to and is usually covered in snow from June to September. Unlike m ...

is a much more foreboding summit in the west of the Bogong High Plains. It is a popular bushwalking destination due to its proximity to Mount Hotham but can also be approached from

Bogong High Plains Road

The Bogong High Plains Road runs from Mt Beauty, up to the ski resort of Falls Creek, up to an elevation of around 1720m, before steeply descending through Trapyard Gap at gradients frequently exceeding 9%. The road was fully sealed in 2009, immediately gaining the interest of road cyclists as it allows a complete circuit through Nelse, Omeo, Mt Hotham, Harrietville and back to Mt Beauty. It is now used in the Peaks Challenge Falls Creek and Audax Alpine Classic ACE annual cycling events. File:Bogong High Plains Road 3 Stevage.jpg File:Bogong High Plains Road 4 Stevage.jpg File:Bogong High Plains Road 15 Stevage.jpg, Rocky Valley Storage dam just southeast of Falls Creek. File:Bogong High Plains Road 16 Stevage.jpg

References

External links

WikiSki
- Backcountry skiing in the Bogong High Plains
Flickr Hut Lovers photo pool

Bogong Rover Chalet
{{Authority control Plains of Australia Alpine National Park Victorian Alps Great Dividing Range