Falls Creek, Australia

In the Upper Kiewa Valley the town of Mount Beauty lies at the base of the state's highest peak, Mount Bogong (1986m). FALLS CREEK, 32km further along, on the edge of the Bogong High Plains, has a much more villagey feel than its sister resort at Mount Hotham. It also has probably Victoria's best skiing, with the largest snow-making system in Victoria to supplement any shortage of the real stuff, a wide variety of downhill pistes, and good cross-country trails. Snowboarding is really big here, too, and in addition there are rides on snowmobiles and snowbikes and a tube park for snowtubing. In mid-January the entire village of Falls Creek, plus visitors, get together to celebrate "A Taste of Falls Creek", a two-day food and wine festival.

For accommodation bookings and information, contact Falls Creek Central Reservations (Tel:1800 2 FALLS, Web: www.fallscreek.com.au ) or ask at the Mount Beauty Visitor Centre (daily 9am–5pm; Tel:03/5754 1962, Web: www.visitalpinevictoria.com.au ) at 31 Bogong High Plains Rd. The budget-conscious would do best to stay in Mount Beauty and travel to Falls Creek for their skiing: enquire about packages at the Mount Beauty Visitor Centre. Accommodation options in the valley include Mountain Creek Motel in Tawonga (Tel:03/5754 4247, Web: www.mountaincreekmotel.com ; motel units Price: $76–130); the wonderful Braeview B&B in Mount Beauty (Tel:03/5754 4746, Web: www.braeview.com.au ; Price: $101-130), which has two luxurious B&B guest rooms, one self-contained studio apartment and a separate cottage, all in an established garden; and the super-fancy Svarmisk Resort and Spa (Tel:03/5754 4544, Web: www.svarmisk.com.au ; Price: $251 and above), which is pure decadence.

Many of the pubs, restaurants and lodges in Falls Creek stay open in summer, notably The Man Hotel (daily 5pm– late), a cosy pub with great gourmet pizzas on Telemark Street.