Part 6: Victoria's Snow Fields

The State Library of Victoria’s collection of early photographs and albums documenting the fun and comradeship on the ski slopes in the 1920s and 1930s contains some real gems.

Kathleen Magill’s photograph album Across the Alps on Skis provides a great record of the activities of the Ski Club of Victoria and its intrepid members in 1927 and 28. Founded in 1924, the club was instrumental in opening up Victorian ski fields such as Mount Buller, Mount Hotham and Falls Creek. Skiers would often start their exploration of the Alps from the St Bernard Hospice, which was on the perimeter of the ski fields near Harrietville. This Hospice was originally established in the late 19th century as basic accommodation for travellers to the Alpine region in the summer months, but from 1925 was open during the winter months through the efforts of the Ski Club of Victoria.

The early skiers depicted in Magill’s photographs were intrepid adventurers enduring long trips by train, car, horse and finally tramping through the snow, while pulling their gear behind them on sleds. The accommodation was rudimentary and cattlemen’s huts were often used as the base for a snow camp. Hotham Heights was one of the first guesthouses in the Alpine region. The stone cottage was built in 1925 for the Country Roads Board patrolman, Bill Spargo. It accommodated about 20 people in four bedrooms and an attic dormitory. When it snowed heavily the ramp leading to the attic was the only access to the building.

Some of the first visitors to Hotham Heights were members of the Ski Club of Victoria. They were a hardy lot. During the winter of 1924 members of the Club camped at Lovich’s Hut on Mount Buller. This was a cattleman’s hut built of logs with a dirt floor, and was at that time the only shelter on the mountain, although a corrugated iron hut was built a year later.

While the accommodation at this time was basic, so too was the ski gear, especially compared with today. Skiers wore jodhpurs, jackets, high-collared shirts, ties and boots with gaiters. They used long wooden skis with toe irons and a leather strap that went around the heel. One can only imagine the condition of skiers at the end of a day’s outing without the protection of modern ski boots, gloves and waterproof gear.