Active project record

Originally reported: 2020
Last reviewed: 21 July 2026
Current status: Rescoped project awaiting Commonwealth environmental approval

This page records the development of the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing and its status when last reviewed. It is not maintained in real time. Significant later developments may be covered through Keep It Wild Australia’s Protected Areas Tourism Watch reports.

The original proposal

The Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing is a multi-day walking route through Alpine National Park between Falls Creek and Mount Hotham.

The existing walk is approximately 37 kilometres and is generally completed over three days and two nights. It follows established alpine tracks across the Bogong High Plains and connects the two alpine resorts through a landscape of snow-gum woodland, open alpine plains, historic huts and exposed mountain country. (Parks Victoria)

The Victorian Government’s earlier master plan proposed extending the crossing into a longer five-day, four-night walking experience. Earlier versions described a route of approximately 57 kilometres incorporating Diamantina Spur, the Razorback and an optional ascent of Mount Feathertop. The proposal also included new overnight nodes with tent platforms, roofed hiker accommodation, toilets and associated visitor infrastructure. (Parks Victoria)

When Keep It Wild Australia first reported the project, the most contentious component was the proposed roofed accommodation inside Alpine National Park. The 2022 draft designs included camping platforms, small hiker huts and toilets at two overnight sites, supported by a $15 million Victorian Government commitment for Stage One. (Parks Victoria)

The wider master plan and business case contemplated a range of visitor options, including independent walking, guided commercial products, tented camping and purpose-built huts. Earlier government material stated that walkers would continue to be able to undertake the route independently and camp outside the bookable facilities. (Parks Victoria)

Current proposal

The project has been significantly reduced in scale.

Parks Victoria now describes the proposed Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing as a 52-kilometre multi-day walk, rather than the 57-kilometre route presented in earlier planning documents. It would continue to use existing tracks within Alpine National Park and include Diamantina Spur, the Razorback and an optional ascent of Mount Feathertop. (Parks Victoria)

The revised project proposes overnight campsites at:

  • Cope Hut
  • Westons Hut
  • High Knob

The current $15 million scope includes improvements to existing tracks, boardwalk sections where needed to protect sensitive vegetation, tent platforms, toilets, signage and a shelter at High Knob. Parks Victoria’s current artist impressions show a small shelter, raised toilets and tent platforms rather than huts or lodge-style accommodation. (Parks Victoria)

Most importantly, Parks Victoria now states that roofed accommodation has been excluded from the project scope and that there are no plans to progress, develop or revisit that component. (Parks Victoria)

Roofed accommodation removed

The removal of roofed accommodation is the most significant change since the original Keep It Wild Australia article.

Earlier versions of the project included small hiker huts or cabins at overnight locations. These facilities were intended to provide an alternative for people who did not want, or were unable, to carry a tent and full overnight pack. Government planning material also considered how licensed tour operators might use roofed accommodation as part of guided commercial packages. (Parks Victoria)

The current project no longer includes those huts.

Parks Victoria’s published position is unambiguous: roofed accommodation has been excluded, despite having appeared in the original master plan, and there are no plans to return to it. The overnight model is now based on tent platforms, toilets and a small communal shelter at High Knob. (Parks Victoria)

This represents a material change in both the physical footprint and the commercial implications of the project. The current proposal does not establish private lodge-style accommodation or dedicated commercial huts inside Alpine National Park.

Environmental approvals

The project has completed several Victorian planning and cultural heritage processes but still requires Commonwealth approval.

Parks Victoria says detailed environmental investigations have been undertaken, including flora and fauna surveys and a broader environmental assessment of the project area. The Victorian Minister for Planning determined that the project did not require a full Environmental Effects Statement under Victorian legislation. (Parks Victoria)

The project was also referred to the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The Commonwealth determined that the proposal is a controlled action, meaning it requires further assessment and approval because of its potential effects on matters of national environmental significance. Parks Victoria says the next stage will require additional information and a further opportunity for public comment. (Parks Victoria)

As at May 2026, construction timing remained dependent on completion of the EPBC assessment and the conditions attached to any Commonwealth approval. It would therefore be inaccurate to describe the project as fully approved or construction-ready. (Parks Victoria)

Environmental investigations

The project area has been subject to extensive environmental investigation over several years.

Parks Victoria reports that five ecological assessments were conducted between 2020 and 2025. These surveys covered approximately 64 kilometres of trail and 21 potential overnight-node locations, helping determine the final route and the sites retained in the revised project. (Parks Victoria)

An Environmental Assessment Report completed in October 2025 considered the natural values of the project area and the potential impacts of the proposed works. Parks Victoria says additional targeted surveys and micro-siting will occur before construction to avoid or reduce impacts on sensitive environmental and cultural heritage values. (Parks Victoria)

The revised design uses existing tracks wherever possible. Boardwalks, defined paths and tent platforms are intended to limit trampling and prevent informal camping areas from spreading into surrounding alpine vegetation. (Parks Victoria)

The Commonwealth controlled-action decision nevertheless confirms that potential impacts remain significant enough to require assessment under national environmental law.

Cultural heritage

A Cultural Heritage Management Plan has been approved, and Parks Victoria says the necessary Victorian planning permits have been issued. (Parks Victoria)

Traditional Owner groups have been involved in planning and are expected to remain involved during the next stages, including implementation of the approved cultural heritage requirements. (Parks Victoria)

The current public material does not identify the complete conditions contained in the Cultural Heritage Management Plan. It also does not set out in detail how Traditional Owners will participate in construction, interpretation, operation or long-term management of the crossing.

Consultation and redesign

Community engagement occurred during development of the original master plan between 2016 and 2018, followed by another formal consultation process in 2022.

The 2022 consultation sought feedback on draft track and accommodation designs. Parks Victoria says the project scope was subsequently changed in response to community feedback and the findings of environmental, cultural heritage and landscape investigations. (Parks Victoria)

Further information sessions were held in November 2024 to explain the revised proposal.

The shift from a 57-kilometre route with roofed accommodation to a 52-kilometre route based on public camping infrastructure reflects the cumulative effect of that consultation and assessment process. (Parks Victoria)

A further public-comment opportunity is expected as part of the Commonwealth EPBC assessment.

Project funding

The Victorian Government provided:

  • $2 million for detailed planning and development of the business case; and
  • $15 million to implement the project.

Parks Victoria lists the planning component as completed and the $15 million implementation allocation as active. (Parks Victoria)

The earlier business case considered a considerably broader project than the one now proposed. It assessed alternative routes, accommodation models, potential visitor demand, operational costs and regional economic benefits. Parks Victoria notes that the business case did not itself assess environmental or cultural heritage impacts. (Parks Victoria)

The publicly stated project budget remains $15 million despite removal of the roofed accommodation and changes to the route and campground designs. A revised breakdown showing how the allocation will be distributed across tracks, platforms, toilets, shelters, environmental measures and project management has not been published.

What has changed

The project has changed substantially since Keep It Wild Australia first reported it.

The proposed route has been reduced from approximately 57 kilometres to 52 kilometres.

The overnight arrangement has shifted from two proposed campgrounds with roofed hiker accommodation to three overnight sites based on tent platforms, toilets and a shelter at High Knob.

The roofed accommodation component has been removed completely, and Parks Victoria says it will not be reconsidered. (Parks Victoria)

The construction timetable has also been delayed. Earlier project material anticipated Stage One beginning in 2021 and being completed within a relatively short delivery period. As at May 2026, construction had not commenced and remained dependent on Commonwealth environmental approval. (Parks Victoria)

The proposal is therefore still active, but it is materially different from the project that prompted the original concerns about commercial huts and serviced accommodation inside Alpine National Park.

Commercial tourism implications

The current proposal has far fewer direct commercial components than the original master plan.

Licensed tour operators will still be able to guide visitors along the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing, provide transport, food, equipment and logistical support, and package the walk with accommodation in Falls Creek, Mount Hotham or surrounding towns.

That form of commercial use already occurs on many public walking routes and does not, by itself, involve private occupation of national park land.

The current project does not include:

  • private lodges;
  • operator-controlled huts;
  • commercial cabins;
  • exclusive camps;
  • dedicated accommodation leases; or
  • a single concessionaire controlling the crossing.

The tent platforms, toilets and shelter are being planned as public park infrastructure rather than facilities reserved for one commercial operator. The existing 37-kilometre route also remains available, and the broader track network continues to support independent walking and dispersed camping. (Parks Victoria)

The project is still relevant to Protected Areas Tourism Watch because of the scale of public investment, the formalisation of campsites and the government’s intention to establish a major nature-based tourism product. However, the original concern about purpose-built commercial accommodation inside the national park no longer reflects the current scope.

Why this project matters

The Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing is a significant example of a major protected-area tourism project being altered through assessment, consultation and sustained public scrutiny.

The original proposal would have introduced roofed accommodation into remote parts of Alpine National Park. The current version is more restrained and is centred on public walking and camping infrastructure.

That does not mean the revised project is without potential impact. New tent platforms, toilets, boardwalks, shelters and increased visitation can still affect alpine vegetation, wildlife, wilderness character and the experience of existing walkers. The Commonwealth’s decision to treat the project as a controlled action confirms that these issues require further assessment. (Parks Victoria)

The project is nevertheless an important distinction within the Tourism Watch archive. It shows that commercial-tourism concerns should be updated when proposals change. In this case, the most contested commercial component has been removed, while a broader publicly funded trail-development project remains active.

Confirmed

The existing Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing is a 37-kilometre walk through Alpine National Park.

The current project proposes extending the experience to approximately 52 kilometres.

The revised route would use existing tracks and include Diamantina Spur, the Razorback and an optional ascent of Mount Feathertop.

Overnight campsites are proposed at Cope Hut, Westons Hut and High Knob.

The current scope includes track upgrades, boardwalks, tent platforms, toilets, signage and a shelter at High Knob.

Roofed accommodation has been excluded, and Parks Victoria says there are no plans to revive it.

A Cultural Heritage Management Plan has been approved, and Victorian planning permits have been issued.

The Victorian Minister for Planning determined that an Environmental Effects Statement was not required.

The Commonwealth has determined that the project is a controlled action under the EPBC Act.

Construction has not commenced and remains dependent on Commonwealth approval.

The Victorian Government has allocated $2 million for planning and $15 million for implementation. (Parks Victoria)

Not yet confirmed

Whether the Commonwealth will approve the project and what conditions will be imposed.

When the next formal public-comment period will open.

The final construction timetable and opening date.

The final number and capacity of tent platforms at each overnight location.

Whether campsites or platforms will require advance bookings and fees.

Whether commercial operators will receive reserved allocations at overnight sites.

The final breakdown of the $15 million implementation budget.

The extent of additional micro-siting or route changes required following Commonwealth assessment.

The expected increase in annual visitor numbers under the revised, camping-based model.

The final environmental monitoring and rehabilitation requirements applying during and after construction.

Sources and documents

  • Parks Victoria: Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing project
  • Parks Victoria: Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing
  • Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing Business Case
  • Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing Environmental Assessment Report
  • Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing National Heritage Values Assessment
  • Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
  • Engage Victoria: Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing consultation
  • Parks Victoria community updates, 2022–2026