Falls Creek has been isolated from its main tourist road and sister community of Mt Beauty since floods caused a landslide in October.
Major Road Projects Victoria, which has been removing debris from the site since, has set an Anzac Day target to reopen a single lane at the landslip site, program director Dipal Sorathia told a community meeting in Mt Beauty on March 6.
“Still we are very much subject to weather because as we get closer to winter, we’re going to get more and more rain and ... we have snow at Falls already," Mr Sorathia said.
Major Road Projects Victoria could not confirm when both lanes would be accessible, but said it was working hard on mid-term and long-term solutions with minimal disruption to the upcoming snow season.
Falls Creek Alpine Resort chief operating officer Stuart Smythe was delighted the 2023 winter season would be going ahead as usual.
“It has been a really frustrating summer, with a huge event calendar having to be cancelled and many businesses and stakeholders again losing income through no fault of their own,” Mr Smythe said.
“So we are really excited that the Bogong High Plains road will be open well in time for winter 2023.”
Falls Creek Chamber of Commerce president Lisa Logan welcomed some certainty on the road’s reopening, but noted mountain businesses were still doing it tough.
“In the meantime, we’re still in a situation where we don't have regular access, we still don’t get the opportunity to generate an income and we still have very inadequate support.”
In February, the Victorian Government offered $2.9 million in service charge relief to Falls Creek businesses after the resort was forced to cancel its summer events.
Ms Logan said the support was welcomed, but businesses were still faced with utilities, loan repayments and other overheads while unable to make income.
A government spokesman said it would continue to work with Alpine Resorts Victoria and local businesses.
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