Mount Hotham
Mount Hotham, view from the summit in 2007.
Highest point
Elevation	1,862 metres (6,109 ft) AHD ^[1]
Prominence	242 metres (794 ft) AHD ^[1]
Coordinates	36°58′31″S 147°7′58″E / 36.97528°S 147.13278°E / -36.97528; 147.13278^[2]
Geography
Mount Hotham Location near Alpine Shire
Location	Victoria, Australia
Parent range	Victorian Alps, Great Dividing Range

Mount Hotham is a mountain located in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, in the Australian state of Victoria. The mountain is located approximately 357 kilometres (222 mi) north east of Melbourne, 746 kilometres (464 mi) from Sydney, and 997 kilometres (620 mi) from Adelaide by road. The nearest major road to the mountain is the Great Alpine Road. The mountain is named after Charles Hotham, Governor of Victoria from 1854 to 1855.

Mount Hotham's summit rises to an altitude of 1,862 metres (6,109 ft) AHD.^[1]

Mount Hotham Alpine Resort, a commercial alpine resort, is located on the slopes of Mount Hotham summit and nearby mountains.

Administratively, the mountain is within Mount Hotham Alpine Resort unincorporated area, land which is managed by Alpine Resorts Victoria. This unincorporated area is surrounded by Alpine Shire

Climate

As with most of the Australian Alps, Mount Hotham's climate is, compared to the bulk of Australia, cold throughout the year; with particularly cold maximum temperatures, and Mount Hotham is one of very few areas in Australia that frequently records maximum temperatures below freezing. Mount Hotham is also one of the only places in Australia to have never recorded a temperature above 30 °C (86 °F); during the early 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave, whilst most of the state sweltered above 45 °C (113 °F), the mountain's peak temperature was a mild 28.1 °C (82.6 °F).^[3]

Snowfall occurs frequently and heavily, and sub-freezing maximum temperatures can be recorded throughout the year—even in high summer. However, due to frequent winter cloud and the mountain's exposed position, a temperature below −10 °C (14 °F) has only once-occurred since records began in 1990.^[4] Mount Hotham receives an average of 66.1 snowy days annually.^[5] It is the coldest weather station on mainland Australia by maximum temperatures.

Owing to its short, cool summers and long, cold winters, Mount Hotham yields a Subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) bordering on Tundra (ET).

Climate data for Mount Hotham (1990–2022); 1,849 m AMSL; 36.98° S, 147.13° E
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	28.2 (82.8)	28.1 (82.6)	24.4 (75.9)	17.3 (63.1)	19.8 (67.6)	11.6 (52.9)	8.7 (47.7)	10.7 (51.3)	13.7 (56.7)	19.0 (66.2)	23.6 (74.5)	26.3 (79.3)	28.2 (82.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	16.6 (61.9)	15.8 (60.4)	13.0 (55.4)	8.5 (47.3)	4.6 (40.3)	1.4 (34.5)	−0.1 (31.8)	0.5 (32.9)	3.6 (38.5)	7.6 (45.7)	11.3 (52.3)	14.0 (57.2)	8.1 (46.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	8.2 (46.8)	7.9 (46.2)	5.8 (42.4)	2.7 (36.9)	−0.1 (31.8)	−2.4 (27.7)	−3.7 (25.3)	−3.5 (25.7)	−1.6 (29.1)	0.8 (33.4)	3.7 (38.7)	5.8 (42.4)	2.0 (35.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−3.7 (25.3)	−3.8 (25.2)	−3.6 (25.5)	−8.2 (17.2)	−7.4 (18.7)	−9.1 (15.6)	−8.8 (16.2)	−10.4 (13.3)	−9.2 (15.4)	−8.4 (16.9)	−7.0 (19.4)	−5.4 (22.3)	−10.4 (13.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	105.7 (4.16)	99.7 (3.93)	117.2 (4.61)	103.4 (4.07)	138.4 (5.45)	124.0 (4.88)	128.7 (5.07)	120.5 (4.74)	129.2 (5.09)	139.7 (5.50)	150.0 (5.91)	123.2 (4.85)	1,489.4 (58.64)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	11.0	10.9	12.6	12.9	14.7	14.6	18.6	16.4	15.2	13.5	13.0	11.5	164.9
Average afternoon relative humidity (%)	63	65	67	76	82	89	89	88	84	76	69	64	76
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Mount Hotham

Visiting in winter

During the declared snow season (usually from the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June till the first weekend in October), it is a legal requirement to carry diamond pattern wheel chains and fit them if directed. There are penalties for not doing so. The steep and exposed portions of the Great Alpine Road between Harrietville and Hotham Heights means that in some conditions, vehicles (particularly two wheel drive vehicles) are not able to travel safely without these wheel chains.

Visitors also need to purchase a Resort Entry permit to enter the resort during winter. The resort entry fee contributes to essential services for guests around the mountain, including ski patrol, the free village buses, snow clearing of car parks in the village, waste management and environmental initiatives.

Gallery

Mount Hotham summit panorama to the north

References

External links

Mountains in Victoria, Australia

Grampians

William (1,167 m or 3,829 ft)
Difficult
Wilson
Zero (364 m or 1,194 ft)

Victorian Alps

Bogong High Plains	Nelse West (1,893 m or 6,211 ft) Nelse North (1,885 m or 6,184 ft) Fainter South (1,883 m or 6,178 ft) Hotham (1,862 m or 6,109 ft) McKay (1,849 m or 6,066 ft) Cope (1,837 m or 6,027 ft) Spion Kopje (1,837 m or 6,027 ft) Jim (1,818 m or 5,965 ft)
Cathedral Range	Lake (1,482 m or 4,862 ft) The Green Hill (1,241 m or 4,072 ft) Sugarloaf (904 m or 2,966 ft) The Cathedral (801 m or 2,628 ft) South Jawbone Peak (761 m or 2,497 ft)
Cobberas Range	Cobberas No. 1 (1,810 m or 5,938 ft) Cobberas No. 2 Moscow Peak Middle Peak Cleft Peak
Cobbler Plateau	Speculation (1,648 m or 5,407 ft) Cobbler (1,628 m or 5,341 ft) Koonika (1,545 m or 5,069 ft) Despair (1,460 m or 4,790 ft)
Other	Bogong (1,986 m or 6,516 ft) Feathertop (1,922 m or 6,306 ft) Loch (1,865 m or 6,119 ft) Buller (1,805 m or 5,922 ft) Wills (1,755 m or 5,758 ft) Gibbo (1,750 m or 5,741 ft) Stirling (1,749 m or 5,738 ft) Howitt (1,742 m or 5,715 ft) The Horn (1,723 m or 5,653 ft) Buffalo (1,723 m or 5,653 ft) Wellington (1,634 m or 5,361 ft) Buggery (Alpine) (1,598 m or 5,243 ft) Baw Baw (1,567 m or 5,141 ft) Saint Phillack (1,567 m or 5,141 ft) Torbreck (1,516 m or 4,974 ft) St Gwinear (1,509 m or 4,951 ft) Mueller (1,460 m or 4,790 ft) Selma (1,456 m or 4,777 ft) Useful (1,435 m or 4,708 ft) Tambo (1,430 m or 4,692 ft) Selwyn (1,411 m or 4,629 ft) Terrible (1,325 m or 4,347 ft) Donna Buang (1,250 m or 4,101 ft) Buggery (Wangaratta) (1,153 m or 3,783 ft) Bulla Bulla (906 m or 2,972 ft) Dom Dom (740 m or 2,428 ft) Brumby Point Pine

Other
mountain ranges

Central Highlands	Macedon (1,001 m or 3,284 ft)
Dandenong Ranges	Dandenong (633 m or 2,077 ft)
Pyrenees Ranges	Avoca (747 m or 2,451 ft) Warrenmang (537 m or 1,762 ft)
Strzelecki Ranges	Tassie (740 m or 2,428 ft)
Other	Matlock (1,377 m or 4,518 ft) Ritchie (1,259 m or 4,131 ft) Toorongo (1,247 m or 4,091 ft) Horsfall (1,130 m or 3,707 ft) Kaye (998 m or 3,274 ft) Elizabeth (941 m or 3,087 ft) Ghiran (924 m or 3,031 ft) Disappointment (794 m or 2,605 ft) Riddell (781 m or 2,562 ft) Beenak (745 m or 2,444 ft) Alexander (744 m or 2,441 ft) Buninyong (719 m or 2,359 ft) Hanging Rock / Diogenes (718 m or 2,356 ft) Warrenheip (714 m or 2,343 ft) Franklin (648 m or 2,126 ft) Beckworth (634 m or 2,080 ft) Corhanwarrabul (628 m or 2,060 ft) Tarrengower (556 m or 1,824 ft) Warrenmang (526 m or 1,726 ft) Teneriffe (444 m or 1,457 ft) Napier (440 m or 1,444 ft) Briggs Bluff (420 m or 1,378 ft) Arapiles (369 m or 1,211 ft) You Yangs (352 m or 1,155 ft) Leura (313 m or 1,027 ft) Noorat (310 m or 1,017 ft) Elephant (240 m or 787 ft) Warrnambool (216 m or 709 ft) Budj Bim (178 m or 584 ft) Wycheproof (148 m or 486 ft) Cooper (137 m or 449 ft) Fraser Hopeless Typo Jack Hills

Local government areas of Victoria

Greater Melbourne region

Inner Melbourne	Melbourne Port Phillip Stonnington Yarra
Metropolitan	Banyule Bayside Boroondara Brimbank Darebin Glen Eira Hobsons Bay Kingston Manningham Maribyrnong Maroondah Merri-bek Monash Moonee Valley Whitehorse
Outer Metropolitan	Cardinia Casey Frankston Greater Dandenong Hume Knox Melton Mornington Peninsula Nillumbik Whittlesea Wyndham Yarra Ranges