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A Little Bit of History
Falls Creek in the 50's - LEFT: Boy coming from Bogong Ski Club RIGHT: Lady on rope tow lift where Summit Chair Currently stands The European workers who helped build the Rocky Valley hydro-electric storage darn after the Second World War were the first to imagine Falls Creek as a resort. At the time the land in the area was controlled by the State Electricity Commission and they became the resort's first managers. Prior to European settlement, Aborigines inhabited the high plains in spring and summer for many thousands of years. The first European to visit the Bogong High Plains was John Mitchell who climbed from the Kiewa Valley in 1843. In 1851 the plains were traversed from the Buckety Plain spur by Brown and Wells.Settlement of the lowlands areas surrounding the Bogong High Plains inevitably led to the use of alpine land for stock grazing and grazing licenses were first issued in 1851 to Jack Wells and Jim Brown. Most of the Bogong High Plains was pioneered by these cattlemen. Limited numbers of cattle are still permitted to graze the high country. Falls Creek was first known as "Horseshoe Creek" by the early cattlemen. It was renamed by the Country Roads Board whilst carrying out a road survey for the State Electricity Commission in 1938. The first building to be erected in the Falls Creek area was a weather recording hut for the State Electricity Commission circa 1946-47. Mr. and Mrs. Tony St. Elmo-Beveridge lived in this hut and around 1951 they built a rope tow where the Summit Quad Chairlift now stands. Skyline Lodge built in 1948 was the first lodge followed in 1949 by Bogong Ski Club, Albury and Myrtleford Ski Clubs and then in the early 1950's Mr. Tom Mitchell built Dawn lodge. Later the name was changed to Magpie before being pulled down to make way for Rocky Valley Ski Club Mr. Bob Hymans two storey Grand Coeur lodge built in 1949-50 could accommodate some 70 people but in 1961 it was destroyed by fire. Mr. Cec Dobson opened the first general store in the early 1950's supplying groceries to the developing lodges and an increasing number of guests. Cec's store was where Winterhaven now stands. Mr. Marsh Collis built a rope tow in the mid 1950's called Dogpatch Ski Tow which ran near to the location of the present Nissen building. Bob Hymans built the first chairlift in Australia at Falls Creek in 1957. In 1961 Alpine Developments Pty. Ltd. was formed to buy St. Elmo's tow and the old Nissen Lodge. After gaining a lease on part of the hill, Alpine Developments completed the Summit and Village T-bars in time for the winter of 1961. It was these lifts which really propelled Falls Creek from being only a romp for enthusiasts into the first stages of a proper ski resort. In the 60's and 70's lifts were built in both the front and back bowls (Sun Valley T-Bar in 1967, Eagle Chair in 1980). In 1983 the ownership of the lift company changed and since then over $18 million has been spent in developing some of the finest ski facilities in Australia. The Alpine Resorts Commission that now has management responsibility for Falls Creek was established in 1984 following the proclamation of the Alpine Resorts Act during 1983.
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