After a big day on the slopes, why not relax at Hotham Hotel with a drink in your hand?
Located in Hotham Central, Hotham Hotel meets all your needs. We are a seasonal venue, operating for the 17 weeks during the snow season.
We are proud to be part of the Hotham community with its remarkable history and growth as a ski resort.
As Hotham Resort Management note, the Hotham area has been a skiing destination for tourists for over 125 years, ever since the first travellers over the ranges strapped timber planks onto their boots at the Mount St Bernard Hospice in the 1880s.
Hotham Resort Management notes the sport of ski-ng began on the mountain as far back as the 1880s. “With increased publicity in the 1880s, skiing as a tourism activity began to emerge,” it notes. “However, it was during the 1920s with the establishment of the Hotham Heights Chalet, that Hotham as a skiing destination really began.
“In 1933, the Railways Department took over the management of the Hotham Heights Chalet and the 1940s saw the establishment of the first ski clubs and lodges such as the Alpine Ski Club of Victoria (1944), the Wangaratta Ski Club (1946), Edelweiss Ski Club (1947) and the University Ski Club (1948).”
The European history of Mt Hotham began in 1854 when Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller became the first European to explore its slopes. He named it after Governor Hotham.
Mountain Journal Magazine notes that Von Mueller was Victoria’s first government botanist. He travelled extensively through the Australian Alps during the 1850s and collected more than 200 species of plants from the mountains, at least a. third of which had not been recorded before by Europeans.
“He undertook seven field trips to the mountains, collecting botanical specimens as he went,” notes Mountain Journal. “He visited regions like the Buffalo Plateau (when The Horn was known as Mt Aberdeen), Mt Hotham, Mt Buller, Baw Baw, the Cobberas, and the Munyang (Snowy) mountains. These were epic journeys: his first one went for five months and covered 1,500 miles.
The popularity of ski-ing surged in the 1940s with the establishment of the first ski clubs and lodges, such as the Alpine Ski Club of Victoria (1944), the Wangaratta Ski Club (1946), Edelweiss Ski Club (1947), and the University Ski Club (1948), marked the beginning of organized skiing activities in the area.
Mount Hotham, around 370 kilometres north-east of Melbourne in the heart of the Bogong National Park, has for many years been highly regarded by the skiing fraternity with its excellent powder snow and high-quality downhill skiing slopes. At 1840 metres, the resort is the most elevated in Australia.
The village is located at the top of the 40 or so ski runs, which are serviced by nine ski lifts.
Hotham Hotel sits at the heart of the action. Previously known as Swindlers (or its full name Swindlers Bar and Balcony Restaurant), the venue is the heartbeat of the Hotham ski fields and a staple for food and beverage on the slopes.
Doors open every day from 8am. Join us for brekkie available until 11am or lunch, drinks or dinner!
We offer breakfast, lunch, dinner and then run as a Bar or a Nightclub – but offerings depending heavily on snow conditions. From your heart starter coffee to family friendly lunches and dinners, and then late into the night with drinks and live music.
We offer pizza from 4pm and Happy Hour from 4-6pm daily.
While our food and beverage options suit all times of the day, we don’t offer accommodation.
Our opening hours vary markedly depending on which part of the season and the overall state of the snow conditions.
Next time you’re up at magnificent Mt Hotham drop in and say hello.