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Here's the breakdown:

 

NSW National Parks Pass covers:

Thredbo, Perisher, Charlotte Pass and Selwyn snowfields.

$27 a day in Winter or

$190 Annual Pass (with STILL no mention of provisions for hire cars in all the documentation!)

 

Vic Parks covers:

Falls Creek, Lake Mountain, Mount Baw Baw, Mount Buller, Mount Stirling and Mount Hotham Alpine Resorts.

Day Entry: Varies resort to resort...

Lake Mountain $25/$35

Mt Baw Baw $30midweek/35weekend

Mt Buller/Stirling $35 plus overnight surcharges $7midweek/$14weekend - more if minivan!

Mt Hotham $35 ($350 for a Season Pass)

Falls Creek $32 ($270 Season Pass)

 

Season Passes come in multiple forms.

White Season Entry - $220.00

Green Season Entry - $25.00

All Season Entry - $245.00

All Resorts Entry -$413.00

 

So there is not a lot of continuity between the Vic Resorts ... and it is confusing to say the least, when you are trying to workout which season pass to buy from where....

 

The NSW resorts have it simplified - they just need to get the hire car situation sorted. Surely a LOT of people use hire cars!

 

So it seems the only 'resort' in Australia (mainland Australia ... haven't even looked at Tassie) that is not hit with a resort fee is Dinner Plain. But that is mainly cross country isn't it...?

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MB none of the Vic resorts are actually part of a National Park. They are all unincorporated areas as well meaning that the local shires/councils are not financially responsible for them. The resorts are administered by the Alpine Resorts Co-ordinating Council and Alpine Resort Management Boards. These guys are also responsible for management of the roads within the unincorporated areas. Much of the resort entry fees are to cover the costs of snow clearing and road maintenance. There are actually no entry fees for the Alpine National Park in Vic unlike Kosciusko NP.

Most of the NSW resorts in KNP were built prior to it actually becoming a NP in 1967. Prior to then when the resorts were being built is was a State Park. Unlike in Vic where the resorts have remained annexed from the NP, NSW resorts were incorporated into the NP.

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Actually....after doing that exercise and realizing how expensive it is to get access to the Vic resorts I feeling a whole lot BETTER about paying $190 for a Season Pass to NSW Parks.

 

If I get me a $190 Hire Car deal again this year I will be stoked, especially as it means I can duck around to Perisher and Charlotte's Pass if I want to without additional charges.

 

It would cost $223 more to have that flexibility in Victoria! slap

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Originally Posted By: Go Native
MB none of the Vic resorts are actually part of a National Park. They are all unincorporated areas as well meaning that the local shires/councils are not financially responsible for them. The resorts are administered by the Alpine Resorts Co-ordinating Council and Alpine Resort Management Boards. These guys are also responsible for management of the roads within the unincorporated areas. Much of the resort entry fees are to cover the costs of snow clearing and road maintenance. There are actually no entry fees for the Alpine National Park in Vic unlike Kosciusko NP.
Most of the NSW resorts in KNP were built prior to it actually becoming a NP in 1967. Prior to then when the resorts were being built is was a State Park. Unlike in Vic where the resorts have remained annexed from the NP, NSW resorts were incorporated into the NP.

Thanks for that GN...couldn't find that info anywhere on the net! Interesting.
The Vic resorts do call them 'park passes' though...silly buggers.
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Dinner Plain is not really a ski resort and is the only area in the Alps that is freehold instead of leasehold land and it is administered by the Alpine Shire. The shire maintains the roads and thankfully doesn't hit up users for a fee.

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Originally Posted By: Go Native
... The shire maintains the roads and thankfully doesn't hit up users for a fee.

Welllll....
maybe "doesn't hit up visitors for a fee" is more accurate.
I am sure that the residents of the Alpine Shire pay rates to the shire and those rates are used for services such as road maintenance. I wonder if they get jacked off paying their rates to see a proportion spent on roads used by snow tourists, or if they welcome the influx of business into their town and see it as a necessary cost...

Who is responsible for the roads and cost of snow clearing/upgrades etc in and around the Japanese resorts - and where does that money come from?

I would assume in somewhere like Hakuba, that the majority of roads there are used year round by residents and businesses from the area, and a local government would maintain them. But what about more seasonal places?

Is Aus being short sighted by charging park entry, or is it a necessary evil?
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Most of the roads here are maintained by the local councils, paid for by rates from residents. This is mostly for the main roads though. Many roads off the main ones are considered private and not cleared by the council. The road out from of my house in Kutchan is considered private and all the residents who use the road pay a fee to the coordinator of our little area who organises private snow clearing contractors for the winter. It's the same in Hirafu, many of the areas off the main roads through town are considered private and local residential groups put in for contractors to keep things clear. If you actually want them to clear driveways as well then it costs extra. If you run out of space to push the snow around and require the snow to be trucked out it very quickly becomes very expensive.

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MB - There's always:

Ben Lomond in TAS - apparently does a nice toasted ham & cheese sandwich. And Corrin Forest in ACT.

There's also probably a few old nutcracker tows around if you know where to look.

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When in August?

I haven't booked yet, but August is the month we wrangle a girls trip!

I just called our accomodation to see if we can squeeze an extra one in (no luck yet) - got a mate of my 2nd son's wanting to come with us.

 

They were so excited last night - 3 Yr12 boys, all proficient boarders, sitting around arguing about whether they should go to Niseko or Colorado for the Snow Trainers Course in January, and how they would swing the driving thing in those locations and in Thredbo if they go work there next season. Now that there are two other boys and they are talking about financial planning and fitness training it might actually happen!! :o)

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our place is booked 22nd to 26th - so I wont be there then (wish they would blurry well hurry up and get the settlement thru - been waiting MONTHS! - then I can tell them to stop booking it up.)

The week previous and the week after are both free so I will likely grab one or the other (or maybe both if I am feeling particularly in need of some snow time).

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What I would like to know is why Thredbo lift prices are similar to Perisher. Thredbo has what 12 lifts and Perisher around 50? Thredbo is also probably the only ski resort in Aus that has a thriving summer business. I believe just as many people stay there through the summer months as in winter? Sure not all lifts run through summer but the resort owners have other business investments in the village to take advantage of the summer season business. So they have far less lifts and can't really use the Aus has such a short season excuse. Is it not just a complete ripoff?

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As far as I know...

 

27 of the extra lifts that Perisher has are surface lifts - mainly attached platters or t-bars ... they are a lot cheaper to buy/run/maintain.

 

14 Thredbo (7 surface)$103

47 Perisher (34 surface) $105

 

Summer lift's in Thredbo are limited to the Kosciusko Express.

Yes it is a year round resort, but visitor numbers are way lower out of the white season, with sell outs only for select evenings or weekends for country music festivals etc.

 

As for what the cost breakdown is - I really don't know at all - I would love to see a balance sheet ...what it costs to run the lifts, and what any profit is spent on. There are some expansion plans - which if they happened would be quite exciting and open up a lot of other area's/lessen congestion .... would be nice to see lift profits spent in this area.

 

I certainly didn't feel I got value for my money with my 1 day ticket at Perisher last year. Everything was on a wind hold with the exception of some surface lifts, we took the skitube and had beginner board lesson's booked for the 2 beginners in the group - it cost a fortune and was probably the worst day I ever had on the snow. It was probably just the day, but I have never had a day like it at Thredbo. Worst day weather wise we had to take the old rickety snowgums pair lift instead of the High Speed Kosi Quad but there was not a long wait for it, as most people were smart enough to hit the bar instead of the snow.

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Lets face it. Ski resorts in Oz aren't a community service. They are a business, and all businesses are there for one reason. Making money $$$$$$$$$.

 

Thedbo does however offer a better lift rate for a week then Perisher Blue does and accommodation is a little cheaper there too.

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there are times when flying to NZ to get my boarding fix is about the same or cheaper than going local (we are talking about 7 day trips) then again I don't drive and the bus from sydney to Perisher is a pain to deal with

 

/planing this years local trips

//also want a big trip to japan (I missed out on last season :( )

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Oh I am sure I will get a chance to find PB on a good day at some stage this year - but I am just so in love with Thredbo it is hard to leave. We were staying for a few days not far from the skitube stop so we decided to go to PB (girls trip), and the newbies wanted to go tubing as well (wind hold too!)

 

As I say - it was blowing a gale.

I was standing holding my board waiting for my friends, and the next thing I knew I was flat on my back - completely blown over! Was not just a breeze!

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