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From Town Tools. For the current version, visit https://www.towntools.org/bright-victoria-au/getting-to-the-snow
Bright is the gateway to the snow — Mt Hotham up the Great Alpine Road, Falls Creek over Mt Beauty. This page reads the live forecast high on Mt Hotham so you know if it's snowing up top, and lays out the rules for the drive: chains, where to fit them, resort entry, and how long it really takes.
Cold, but no snow forecast.
It is below freezing, but no snow is forecast.
The Great Alpine Road climbs about 1,400 m from Bright to Mt Hotham. Heavy snow can close it, and through the declared snow season every vehicle must carry chains.
As of 12 Oct, 10:51 pm. Modelled forecast for Mt Hotham (~1,750 m), refreshed about every half hour.
None
On the ground now
The next three days
Day
Snow
Low
High
Today
—
4°C
11°C
Tomorrow
—
-2°C
10°C
Wednesday
—
-5°C
10°C
This page shows the weather, not whether the road is open
Whether the road and the resort are open is decided by Mt Hotham Alpine Resort Management and the Department of Transport (VicRoads), not by any forecast. The resorts declare the snow season and direct when chains must be fitted, on the day and on the mountain. Whether the road is actually open or closed is an official decision, not something this page can tell you. Check the channels below before you set out.
Check before you travel
Mt Hotham — road access & chainsThe resort's own live road and chain status for the Great Alpine Road climb — check this the morning you drive.
Through the declared snow season every vehicle entering the alpine resorts must carry diamond-pattern wheel chains — including 4WDs and AWDs. You fit them at the 'Fit Chains Here' bays on the climb, when directed by signs or staff. Two-wheel-drives must fit when directed; 4WD/AWD may be waved through depending on the day's conditions. Ladder chains, spider chains and snow socks are not accepted. Not carrying chains is an offence.
You can't hire chains once you're on the mountain, so pick them up at the base of the climb. Harrietville — the last town before the Hotham ascent, about 25 km from Bright — is the usual stop (Hoys hires and shows you how to fit them). For the Falls Creek side, hire in Mt Beauty.
Mt Hotham charges $69 per vehicle per day in 2026 (private vehicle under 10 seats), valid to midnight on the day and bought before you enter. Falls Creek was about $67 per vehicle per day in 2025 — confirm the 2026 price before you go. These fees apply only during the declared snow season; outside it the roads are free.
Bright to Mt Hotham is about 51 km — roughly an hour in the dry, via Harrietville and the Meg switchback. Bright to Falls Creek is about 60 km, around an hour, via Mt Beauty. In snow, chains and traffic, add 30 to 60 minutes and leave early — the car parks fill on weekends and in the school holidays.
Fetched 12 Oct, 10:51 pm. These are modelled estimates for Mt Hotham (~1,750 m), not measurements, and not a decision about the road. Weather data by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Victoria's alpine snow season opened on the King's Birthday long weekend, Saturday 6 June 2026, and runs to about early October. Chain-carrying rules and resort entry fees apply for the declared season. A green, snow-free forecast up top does not mean the season's rules are off.