The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) reports that ‘Originally proposed in a 2008 (and long obsolete) Nature Based Tourism Strategy, a Falls to Hotham ‘icon’ tourist walk has been re-invigorated yet again’.

For some background to this project, check this page for various articles from Mountain Journal.

The VNPA report goes on to say:

‘The ‘Falls to Hotham Crossing’ has now re-appeared in a new parks Victoria planning process, despite receiving ‘significant opposition’ in earlier processes.

Somehow tourism industry bodies seem to be able to get funding for projects in parks without first going through a proper park planning process. That’s not the way park visitor planning should operate. In its various iterations, the proposal has included building huts and lodges along the route. Most recently, in Parks Victoria’s 2016 Falls to Hotham draft plan, the walking trail was rerouted up the extremely steep Diamantina Spur, with a series of serviced huts near the top of the spur, adjacent to Mt Feathertop. This is a very big intrusion on a fairly remote and magnificent part of our great Alpine National Park.

There are far better ways to spend scarce resources on the park, and far better ways to encourage people to experience the park. However, Parks Victoria seems to have been given little option but to move this scarcely feasible, and potentially damaging, project along.’