This high peak and plain area, near Falls Creek in Victoria, is much smaller than Kosciuszko, and the peaks are significantly lower. Mt Bogong itself, at 1,984m, is the highest in the state. Because there are big gaps and low saddles between the peaks, personally I would recommend this area for day walks rather than extended walks, but having said that, many enthusiasts love the big climbs and long ridges that can be explored for extended trips.

Accommodation is readily available at the nearby ski village, Falls Creek, except during the ski season, which typically runs from June to September. The best walking here is in spring and early autumn. It can be extremely dry and blow-fly-ridden in summer.

Thanks to regular bushfires, few cattleman’s huts survive, but the best of them, Wallace’s Hut, has rightly been given National Heritage status.

Far from being a wilderness area, the High Plains have been highly modified by hydro-electricity developments and the building of skiing facilities, but they still offer wonderful walking opportunities. Delightful easy walks follow the aqueduct trails around the perimeter of the high plains.

A number of walking trails are marked by snow poles — a great help in crossing the relatively featureless high plains —  and navigation will be much easier in extreme conditions if you carry a map which shows the numbers on the poles.

Until recent years, cattle were grazed on the High Plains every summer. Sadly, it is easy to identify the plains that have been overgrazed, like Pretty Valley. In these areas, most of the ground is barren and stony; the scrub is scratchy because the softer plants have been eaten out; and the sphagnum bogs have been ruined. These bogs are a particularly important part of the environment, as they hold back the snow melt, slowly releasing the water to the streams below. Without them, creeks erode.

The Australian Alps Walking Track, which runs for 650 km from Canberra to Walhalla, crosses the Bogong High Plains.

Link to John Chapman’s Bogong pages...

Link to Ken Beath’s Bogong photos...

Link to Phil & Monica Coleman’s guided Bogong walks...

Link to the Australian Alps Walking Track...