A snow experience in Melbourne, Australia – A visit to Lake Mountain!
This was the first time that my little boy was treated to an experience in the snow. It was also my first time! The beach has always been more appealing to me, for obvious reasons – the warmth and not having to wear so many clothes! After a day spent trudging around in the cold, I decided that it wasn’t all too bad. What I loved most about it, apart from seeing the little one having so much fun, was seeing that beautiful white sheet of snow covering the ground.
We had our doubts as to whether there was in fact any snow up there when we approached the entrance to Lake Mountain, but the lady who was collecting the park fees re-assured us that there definitely was. (And you could check the snow webcams). As we approached the snow area, there were quite a few people already there, enjoying the toboggan run. This was a Tuesday, and seeing so many other little kiddies running around, our guilt of taken the little one out of school for the day quickly dissipated.
Snow … so close to Melbourne
Lake Mountain is about a two hour drive from Melbourne’s CBD. It’s only an hour and a half away from us so it was a nice and easy drive. Hubby keeps telling me how cool it is that you can hit the ski slopes and then the beach in one day if you wanted. Yes, he did just that a while ago. Where else in the world could you do that?
The little one was super cute in his snow gear but I drew the line at having to wear a similar outfit. We weren’t going skiing so there was no need for the full kit and caboodle. My feather and down jacket from Esprit and quilted, fur lined boots were a better fashion option and would be sufficient for a few hours of traipsing around in the snow. It turns out that this was enough for the coldness up on Lake Mountain. Most of the visitors up there wore ski apparel, but I did giggle when I saw some visitors arriving dressed very inappropriately in just a sari! Thank goodness there was plenty of snow gear for them to hire a restaurant there for them to retreat to!
Snow balls & tobogganing & snow walks
The day was spent tobogganing, building snowmen and throwing snow balls at each other. The walk to the summit was open and what a great idea it was to do that! The path was all ours and we came across a total of four people on our trip up there. It’s only an 800 meter walk, which will take you anything between fifteen minutes to an hour or more depending on how much time you allow for snow play along the way!
A short detour on the way to Lake Mountain summit will reward you with a lookout to Marysville and beyond (On a clear day like the one we had you might even see all the way to Melbourne).
The wind gets a little chilly up there so rug up well! Unfortunately some walks and trails can be closed on windy or rainy days so try to get up there on a fine day. (Check the Lake Mountain website). There was plenty of snow along the way, just begging to be rolled into balls and thrown at each other. The kiddies won’t be the only ones who will want to wander off-track to sink their boots into the fluffy snow.
Build a snowman (or snow girl)
The summit is a great place to build snowmen. We managed to build two while up there. That makes three for the day! As you can see, we got a little creative with ours, using foliage to adorn the head instead of a beanie and one looked more like a snow girl. Hubby had had enough by the time he completed the tallest one, that’s why he’s got the grumpy looking face! There weren’t a lot of people with the patience or willingness to get cold hands to build the snowmen. They were really appreciative of ours, which they could get a photo with.
Go on, grab your warm coats and get up there before the snow melts away. There’s no need to go out and buy equipment, it’s all up there for you to hire if you need it. Definitely a fun day for the whole family.
What you’ll need for the snow:
- Warm jacket – waterproof and windproof are advisable. On a sunny day, any warm coat will do!
- Waterproof snow shoes – your shoes will get wet when trudging through the snow. Some high quality high hiking shoes also do the trick! You could also just take up a couple of pairs of shoes and socks to change when the feet get wet and cold.
- Kids love playing in the snow and a snowsuit is the best for them.
- Scarf – helps keep the neck and mouth warm and makes an accessory for your snowman!
- Gloves – waterproof ones are advisable. Mittens are best for the little ones as they’re easy to put on and makes it easy to play with snow. I wore leather gloves which eventually got wet and cold.
- A picnic – will save you some cost and picnic benches are available. There is a restaurant there if you would rather dine inside.
- A camera – to snap up all the fun you’ll be having!
- A carrot – for your snowman’s nose. You can also do what we did and make use of whats lying around.
Nordic Skiing in Lake Mountain?
The trip to Lake Mountain is a wonderful experience which doesn’t cost the world and is easily doable as a day trip from Melbourne. Once day we will have to take it to the next step and try some nordic skiing in Lake Mountain …