How To Have A Ski Holiday On A Budget

Ever wondered how to go on a ski holiday in Australia on a budget? When it comes to the snow, Australia does it just as well as the rest of them, and if the price scares you off, well – you just haven’t done your research…

If there’s one thing that really grinds my gears, it’s when people say, “It’s cheaper to go to Japan and ski than it is to do it in Australia".

Granted, flying to Japan (or New Zealand, or the French Alps) is an incredible way to partake in winter sports, but if you’re lacking in the time department, it’s definitely not the most logical option. Plus, as we discovered, it’s not actually cheaper!

Seeing the snow in Australia isn’t hard, it doesn’t take long, and it doesn’t have to be expensive, you just need to arm yourself with some knowledge before you head off to the slopes.

Avoid the chalets

Staying at a luxury ski lodge or chalet is one of life’s greatest pleasures, let’s just put that out there.

However, if your budget simply doesn’t allow it, it doesn’t mean boycotting your ski dreams and staying home. Do your research about nearby accommodations and decide what you’re willing to sacrifice. For example, would you stay in shared accommodation to save a few hundred dollars a night? Or are you willing to give up comforts like a bar and sauna, but need to stay in a private room? No matter what you decide, there’s a range of options available in Jindabyne. Located just 30 minutes out of Thredbo and Perisher, you can find something within your budget, in close vicinity to the slopes. Likewise, if you’re heading to Mount Hotham; Hotham Heights and Dinner Plain will provide a range of affordable accommodation options.

Here are our budget picks:

Thredbo YHA

Situated in the heart of the village, this comfortable backpacker accommodation is a short walk to the slopes and has a full kitchen to use throughout your stay.

Ski Club of East Gippsland

Ski Club of East Gippsland is just a 10-minute walk from Mount Hotham Alpine Resort and just over 2.5km from Mount Hotham, there’s also free wi-fi and a free area shuttle.

Sundeck Hotel, Perisher Valley

A family-friendly hotel with free brekkie, and only an eight-minute walk to Village 8 Express and Perisher Resort.

Arlberg Hotel, Mount Hotham

Featuring its own bar, bistro, spa and sauna, Arlberg Hotel also has no minimum night stay, meaning you can stay just one night if you like. It also has one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments that sleep up to 12 guests, so families and groups don’t need to split up.

Candlelight Lodge, Thredbo

At the luxurious end of the budget scale, Candlelight Lodge has sweeping views of the slopes and is situated within a 15-minute stroll of Thredbo Leisure Centre. It also has its own bar and sauna.

Feathertop Alpine Lodge, Falls Creek

This luxe-style family retreat is just a 15-minute walk from Falls Express and features its own restaurant, bar and lounge – as well as some pretty decadent furnishings.

Organise your gear ahead of time

So many people fall into the trap that comes with being unorganised. Waiting to hire your snow gear until you get to the slopes means that you’re at the mercy of the retailers who can quite frankly charge you anything they’d like ($50 per day just for the pants and jacket in some parts!).

To ensure you’re not selling an organ to get a set of skis and a jacket, try places like eBay and Gumtree before heading off for the weekend. Better still, ask a friend to borrow theirs – odds are if they’re not planning to hit the slopes, their gear is just taking up room in their house!

Pack your own meals

Sure, part of the attraction of a snow break is the nightlife. The beautiful warming meals, the mulled wine – oh, and the jam-packed restaurants?

Yep. Some of your favourite ski villages just aren’t built to handle the volume of the winter snow crowd. Eateries in places like Jindabyne are often packed to the brim and for those on a budget, can be a little out of the price range. If you’re in a group, it gets even harder to get in to eat – so the best advice is to stay somewhere with a kitchen, prepare your own meals, brew your own mulled wine, and spread out in your own dwelling, without having to give the table back by 8 pm.

It’s also a good idea to buy your supplies before you make the trip, as the supermarkets in ski towns are often much more expensive because they can be.

Buy an annual ski pass, it’s cheaper

For just $1,249, you can buy an Epic Australia Pass . With that, you get unlimited, unrestricted access to Perisher, Falls Creek, Hotham and more during the season. With the annual pass, you also get savings on accommodation options, like 15 per cent off rooms at popular accommodation, The Station. You also get six ‘Bring a mate’ discounted lift ticket invitations to share, up to 25 per cent off lessons, discounts from food and drink outlets and free access to Night Skiing and Boarding.

Ski the smaller mountains

If it doesn’t faze you which mountains you ski, then it could be worth investigating smaller mountains. Mount Mawson in Tasmania is a small club field operated by the Southern Tasmanian Ski Association and is operated and patrolled by volunteers. Catering to the beginner and all the way up to the advanced skier, the snow field features three rope tows and four kilometres of slopes, which are included in your ticket price.

Book for the shoulder season

By booking your ski trip for the month of June or September, you could potentially save hundreds. Though there’s always the risk that the quality of snow could be jeopardised – so that’s something you have to take into account.

From cabins to canvas, craft distillers to destination dining, Heathcote locals reveal their eco-savvy passions in ways that resonate with those seeking to travel lightly.

Heathcote , on traditional Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, is synonymous with its garnet-hued shiraz, but wine isn’t the only string to its bow. The town itself is sprinkled with heritage buildings from the gold rush era, and beyond that a growing collection of sustainable gastronomy and eco-friendly escapes. Nearby Bendigo, one of only 65 cities in the world recognised as a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy, plates up an astonishing calibre of produce, wine and food for its size. Increasingly the entire region is taking up the challenge, though Heathcote in particular shines with its focus on sustainability.

Pink Cliffs GeologicalReserve — The dramatic landscape of Heathcote’s Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Goodfrey)

The eco-stays bringing sustainability to Heathcote

Yellow BoxWood’s safari-style tents — Yellow Box Wood’s safari-style tents are nestled on 40 hectares of bushland. (Image: Emily Goodfrey)

Andee and Lisa Davidson spent years working in southern Africa before settling in Heathcote. “We had a vision of how this could be,” explains Andee. “We wanted a retreat, but one that was off-grid and environmentally sustainable.” Now, at Yellow Box Wood , two luxury safari-style tents are at the heart of 40 hectares of rolling hills and native bush, with kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, goanna and birdlife aplenty. It’s all solar-powered, wood for the fire is mainly fallen timber, and water is collected on the carport roof. No lack of creature comforts though – en suite with rain shower, espresso coffee maker, comfy seating, wood-burning fire all set to go. There’s also a solar-heated, mineral salt pool in a bush setting, walking tracks, and even a mini bush golf course. On my visit, I put the vision to the test. Cocooned in the plush four-poster bed I can glimpse the stars, while the heater casts a golden glow on the canvas. In the morning, I wake to a blush-pink sunrise, kangaroos feeding and a soundtrack of magpies.

If a tent is not your style, Stephen and Cally Trompp’s carbon-neutral Mt Ida Eco Cabin might entice with its generous deck and farmland views. Inside the cabin, corrugated iron walls as rusty as a shearing shed, gleaming (recycled) floorboards, timber truss ceiling (crafted by Stephen), wood-fired heater and an old-school turntable with a pile of vinyls to spin. It’s fun, and a little boho. “Everything is recycled. The cabin takes maximum advantage of the sun in winter. It’s all solar-powered. Don’t panic, though,” says Stephen, “you can still charge your phone and get 4G reception!” Settle into an Adirondack chair on the deck or pedal off on a mountain bike to suss out the wineries.

A taste of Spain in Central Victoria

Another person with a vision is Evan Pritchard at his Three Dams Estate where the wines reflect his deep love of Spain and of Spanish-style grapes, such as tempranillo. Afternoons in the ‘wine shed’ or cantina are matched with music (flamenco is a favourite), Spanish bites from tapas to paella (with Evan on the pans!) and views to Mount Alexander. Sustainability is also a passion. “You don’t need to buy anything. We decided to be off-grid from the start, but it is a lifestyle change,” he says. “You need to think about it and be careful.” Everything here is recycled, reassembled, refurbished. Evan has an electric car (with solar-powered charger), solar-power for the winery, and even a jaunty little electric tractor/forklift. “I love the idea of all the things you can do using the sun.” Sipping a crisp rosado (a Spanish rosé) with Evan in the sunshine, I couldn’t agree more.

The vineyard redefining sustainable winemaking

Silver Spoon winery — The Silverspoon Estate winery is completely off-grid. (Image: Graham Hosking)

On the other side of Heathcote, Silver Spoon Estate demonstrates sustainability on a more extensive scale. Tracie and Peter Young’s winery, cellar door, award-winning restaurant and their own house are all solar-powered and off the grid. Sustainability is intrinsic to everything they do. The property sprawls across 100 hectares, with 20 hectares under vine – shiraz, viognier, grenache, tempranillo. As the climate has changed, so too has the approach. These are dry-grown vineyards. “We prune for drought. That means lower yields but more intense flavours,” says Peter. The fine-dining restaurant offers sweeping views, a wood-burning fire and a deck for languid lunches. Head chef Ben Hong sources regional, sustainable ingredients and weaves estate wines into the menu – think crispy wild mushroom arancini, viognier-infused chicken breast.

Silver Spoon’s award-winning restaurant.

Heathcote’s other hidden gems

Not all local wineries have a cellar door, but I find local treasures at the Heathcote Wine Hub , a petite 1855 timber church in the main street, lovingly returned to life by Karen Robertson and Carey Moncrieff. “Carey is a scrounger,” says Karen. “He doesn’t throw a single thing away.” He does, however, craft things into something quite special. Heritage floors, light-filtering lancet windows and shelves of regional wines create the perfect ambience for wine tasting. Or order a glass and linger over a cheese platter.

Heathcote is not all wine, of course. Nathan Wheat and partner Vanessa Curtis run Envy Distilling with a committed sustainable ethic – and a serious love of gin. Their small-batch distillery produces grape-based gin, and soon brandy. Distilled water is reused in an ingenious cooling system. All waste is treated on site. They buy excess wine from winemakers to distil and buy recycled barrels. “Distilling with the sun,” as Nathan says. Each Envy gin has its own story. Spicy, award-winning The Dry, is designed to capture the region’s dry, rugged nature. Pull up a stool at the bar (reclaimed timbers and tiles, of course), order a Gin Flight, or kick back with a cocktail and let Nathan share his eco journey.

Envy gins — Sample gins at small-batch distillery Envy.

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

It’s less than two hours’ drive from Melbourne. The scenic route we take goes past Sunbury, then along a splendid country road through Romsey and the magic, boulder-strewn landscape of Lancefield. Watch for kangaroos on the road!

Staying there

Go off-grid in style at Yellow Box Wood for glamping or try Mt Ida Eco Cabin for a couple’s weekend hideaway.

Eating there

French dishes at Chauncy — Award-winning French restaurant Chauncy.

At award-winning Chauncy , French chef Louis Naepels and sommelier wife Tess Murray have created a tiny, elegant pocket of rural France. Meticulously restored 1850s sandstone building, sun-drenched dining room, impeccable service, a menu suffused with local flavours and thoughtful wine pairings.

Fodder is both cafe and social hub. Chef Mo Pun and sister Lalita serve classic Aussie breakfast-to-lunch fare, though their Nepalese heritage sneaks through.

Playing there

Sanguine Estate ’s cellar door and terrace overlook bucolic vineyards. Its award-winning, dry-grown wines include the distinctive D’Orsa Blanc dessert wine, reflecting the family’s Swiss-Italian heritage. Order a charcuterie board and stay a while. Keep it carbon neutral by cycling some (or all) of the 50-kilometre O’Keefe Rail Trail to Bendigo.

At Bridgeward Grove , learn about the property’s Old Mission Grove heritage olive trees, do a sommelier olive oil tasting, and stock up on sustainably grown olives and oil. Explore the unique landscape, wildflowers and wildlife of pink cliffs geological reserve.

How to have a ski holiday in Australia on a budget