Dinner Plain Victoria

Dinner Plain is a small town located in the high country of the Victorian Alps near Mt Hotham that has the ambience of a cute alpine village. It is somewhat unique in that it’s the only Australian freehold settlement that sits above the snowline, and the combination of the snow, the snow gums, and the architecture of the Dinner Plain accommodation makes a Dinner Plain ski holiday incredibly attractive.

The buildings and houses have all been designed to fit in with the local environment. There is lots of stonework, natural timbers, and corrugated iron, and an emphasis on natural colours. Many of the chalets exude rustic elegance and are significantly more upscale than the high country cattlemen huts that they were supposedly inspired by! The culture and vibe of Dinner Plain has some similarities to the architecture; low key yet sophisticated. This is the place to completely escape the craziness of urban life and relax in style and comfort.

The charming village was only conceived in 1985, yet it has a long history as a spot where cattleman would stop to graze the cattle and the coaches between Omeo and Bright would stop on the plain to have dinner.

Dinner Plain Victoria is a great winter holiday destination in its own right or a Dinner Plain ski holiday can just be a base to ski Mt Hotham.

Pros and Cons of Dinner Plain Victoria

Pros

• Dinner Plain is very family-oriented.
• The town has a great vibe and a special feeling of community.
• DP is a great place to relax in front of the fire at your lodge and is a fabulous destination to escape the craziness of urban life.
• The village is much more protected from inclement weather compared to Mt Hotham. It’s easier to take the kids outside to make a snowman, go skiing, tobogganing, snowshoeing, or just stroll around the village.
• Dogs are allowed in Dinner Plain and it's one of very few places in Australia you can take your dog to play in the snow. Off-leash areas are very limited, but it's great that it's sort of dog friendly.
• For large groups, the accommodation at Dinner Plain provides slightly better value for money than at Hotham. The other advantage is that you can drive your car right to the door of your accommodation, unlike much of the accommodation at Mt Hotham where you have to haul your gear up stairs, across snow, and up and down hills. And if you can’t bear to leave your fur kids in someone else’s care, there are some lodgings that allow dogs (use the pet friendly filter on the Dinner Plain accommodation page). 
• Resort entry fees don't apply if you're staying and just playing at Dinner Plain. It's also a relatively inexpensive place to learn to ski or snowboard for the first time.

Cons

• The obvious con is the daily commute required to get to Mt Hotham.
• The natural snowfall at Dinner Plain isn’t that reliable so sometimes skiing on the little beginners’ slope isn’t possible, but the new snowmaking guns have alleviated this problem somewhat.
• There are very limited Dinner Plain accom options for those on a tight budget.

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Where is Dinner Plain Australia?

Dinner Plain is located just off the Great Alpine Road, 11km southeast of Mount Hotham, which is 381km northeast of Melbourne (approximately 4.5-5 hour drive) and 710km southwest of Sydney. The Hotham Airport is only 10km to the east, which receives charter flights. Many people drive between Dinner Plain and Hotham to go skiing (extortionate parking fees apply!) or there’s a regular bus service that connects Hotham and DP.

See the driving to Dinner Plain page for more information.

Dinner Plain Ski Area

Dinner Plain has one little groomed downhill ski slope serviced by a platter lift, which is only 175 metres long so the kids are always within coo-eee distance. The beginners’ slope is rather gentle. There’s one slightly pitchy area in the middle of the Dinner Plain ski slope, but it’s short lived so the run is still perfect for the kids, novices, and anyone else who wants to warm up on the baby slope before hitting the challenging runs at Mt Hotham ski resort. The Dinner Plain ski run is also great for foul weather days because it’s reasonably sheltered relative to Hotham.

Dinner Plain Accommodation

The accommodation at Dinner Plain tends to provide better value for money than Mt Hotham accommodation. The majority of the Dinner Plain accommodation consists of self-contained apartments, chalets and houses with plenty of living space to chill out, so the lodging is well suited to families or groups of friends. All the properties have the distinctive DP architecture and many have interiors that are akin to a rustic ski lodge with gorgeous open fireplaces. Some of the newer houses provide luxurious modern décor (if you want to feel like you're staying at your city pad).

For those travelling solo or in pairs there are only very limited options. These include a shared lodge and a handful of studio apartments. There’s negligible Dinner Plain accommodation for the mega budget oriented. Those travelling on a shoestring can find shared ski lodge options at Mt Hotham.

See all Dinner Plain accommodation here >>

Facilities

The “commercial precinct” of Dinner Plain is very small and there are a handful of dining options. For family friendly meals you can head to the Dinner Plain Hotel, whilst there are a couple of cafes for daytime fare. There are a couple of pubs where the nightlife can get rather festive.

Dinner Plain has two retail ski shops that also hire out snow equipment. The village also has a small licensed grocery store.

Dinner Plain Activities

In addition to general snow play and downhill skiing and snowboarding on the Dinner Plain ski slope, there are various other winter activities on offer. Cross country skiing and snowshoeing are popular, with easy groomed trails that loop around the DP village. For more serious cross country skiers, there are also Nordic skiing trails that connect Dinner Plain and Mt Hotham.

Another popular Dinner Plain winter activity is tobogganing on the “Peashooter” slope.

When the snow melts and the green season starts, Dinner Plain activities include bush walking, mountain bike riding on some trails, and tennis. There are often some great activities on for Easter as well as special bike riding events throughout summer.