Turn L and cross the river at “Vic Attridge Bridge”, a steel footbridge. This is the Ovens River.

At the time it was built in 1929, Cope Hut was the most spacious and comfortable hut of the High Plains. It was funded by the state government and even had fresh water piped to it! It was even known as “The Menzies of the High Plains” (only older Victorians will get that one!)
Most huts were built by cattlemen as basic accommodation during the summer season when their cattle grazed the mountains. During this walk you’ll see huts that vary from fairly substantial structures to very basic. Many have been burnt to the ground by bushfire or by careless occupants lighting too large a fire on cold nights. Due to concerns for the environment and quality of water, cattle numbers on the high plains have been decreasing since about 1980, and grazing was finally banned in August 2006.

Wallace’s Hut is a delightful place to stop for lunch. There is a toilet, a picnic table and many huge snow gums to shelter under. It is the oldest hut on the High Plains, originally built in 1889 by the three Wallace brothers (Arthur, William and Stewart), using snowgum slabs laid on their sides, and wooden woollybut shingles for the roof. Nestling in a grove of ancient snowgums, the hut’s old name of “Seldom Seen Inn” was well deserved. The SEC took over the hut in the 1930s when the Wallace’s grazing lease expired. They modernized it and an employee working on the survey team lived here. When the SEC had no further use for it they took away the corrugated iron roof and left the old hut to the mercy of the elements. A reprieve for the hut came in the nick of time when the Rover Scouts raised enough money to buy and restore it. Today the hut is protected by the National Trust. The most recent restoration works occurred in early 2012, when rotting posts, slabs and wall plates were replaced, and the chimney and entry door were rebuilt.

Falls Creek Village (ie the post office) is at 1585 metres elevation. How did Falls Creek resort start? After working each day on the Kiewa hydro scheme, construction workers travelled about 20 mins down the valley to Bogong Village for the night or even further to Mt Beauty. During the 1950’s, about ten of these workers found a sheltered valley close to Rocky Valley Dam. They decided to build a simple hut in the valley, stay some nights and learn to ski after work. Their site was chosen carefully to provide protection from storms and there was plenty of fresh water from a nearby stream that they named “Falls Creek”.
As you walk through the village area, note how most of the roofs don’t have gutters or downpipes. This allows heavy snowfalls to slide off the roof without damaging the guttering.

There is a great view down the Kiewa Valley and across to Falls Creek Village. After work each day on the hydro scheme, the construction workers travelled about 20 mins down the valley to Bogong Village (or 40 mins to Mt Beauty) for the night. During the 1950’s, about ten of these workers found a sheltered valley close to Rocky Valley Dam. They decided to build a simple hut in the valley, stay some nights and learn to ski after work. Their site was chosen carefully to provide protection from storms and there was plenty of fresh water from a nearby stream that they named “Falls Creek”. That’s how the resort started.

Dibbins Hut has been built three times. After the first one burnt down, Arthur Dibbins built number two in about 1919-1920. It was constructed of huge heavy timbers laid horizontally, and the doorway was so low that its nickname was the “Creep Inn”. It was really dark and gloomy inside. The present hut is the result of substantial restoration work done in 1987, though the low doorway still remains. During the 2003 bushfires it was only saved by a lot of helicopter water bombing, and even so, fire still burnt to within a few metres of the hut. The river in front of the hut is a pleasant place to stop.

Mt Tabletop is a distinctive flat plateau linked to the Great Dividing Range by a low ridge. It’s remote and offers spectacular views over an area that you won’t see from anywhere else. The mountain exists because of a layer of hard basalt on top that has resisted weathering better than the surrounding areas. The start of the track can be a bit tricky to find. After about 10 mins of walking it becomes much clearer. This is an out-and-back walk so if at any time you are having trouble finding the route, stop and retrace your steps back to the start.

The walk follows the impressive Razorback Ridge all the way to its other end (where you can do a side walk to the summit of Mt Feathertop if you want), then continues down the well graded Bungalow Spur to Harrietville. You should presume there will be no water available along the route (although there may be some at a spring 10 mins past Federation Hut), so carry what you need for the day.

Mt Feathertop (at 1922m) is the 2nd highest mountain in Victoria and undoubtedly one of Australia’s most dramatic and most photographed peaks.

The pole line from here was first established in the 1860’s as part of a network of tracks linking the goldfields of Harrietville, Glen Willis and Omeo. In 1939, the pole line was re-aligned to be more useful to winter skiers, and still follows the same route.
This is a good area for spotting wild brumbies. Brumbies are feral animals, descended from runaway horses. Because of their weight, feral horse inflict heavy damage on sensitive sub-alpine vegetation and also spread weeds. Parks Victoria operate a brumby removal programme. Foxes are also common above the treeline. They’re large, plentiful and sometimes hunt in broad daylight.