Mt Hotham: Alpine airport placed on the market 22 years after opening

Previously held by one of Australia’s richest men, Mt Hotham airport is being put up for sale by the US tourism powerhouse that currently owns it.

Mt Hotham airport, the highest altitude facility of its kind in Australia and owned briefly by James Packer, is on the market.

Located north of Cobungra cattle station and within a 30-minute drive of the Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain resorts on the Great Alpine Road, the airport is being sold under an expressions of interest campaign by agents Castran Real Estate.

It was the first airport built at an Australian ski resort and cost $17.5 million to construct on grazing property previously owned by Cobungra Station. It was officially opened in June 2000

by former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks.

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks at the Mt Hotham airport opening in 2000.

Agent John Castran said the airport had a storied history with Mr Packer owning it when he also owned Mt Hotham and Falls Creek resorts in the late 2000s.

Vail Resorts, which operates 41 ski resorts in the US, Canada, Australia and Switzerland, is the airport’s present owner.

“It cost a lot of money to build at the time and would cost nearly $50 million to replace it now if you could get the necessary permits,” Mr Castran said.

“It is an all-weather airport and on any Friday night or Saturday morning in winter there could be up to six or seven jets sitting there.

“The airport takes up only about a third of the site leaving it as a very significant, potential development site.”

Part of the charter plane that crashed near Mt Hotham airport in 2005. Passengers Brian and Kathy Ray and pilot Russell Lee died in the accident.

In its formative years, skiers could fly from Melbourne to Mt Hotham in less than 30 minutes for $198 return and from Sydney in just over one hour for $299 return.

The late Ken Connley from Benambra took part in the search for the charter plane that crashed near Mt Hotham airport in 2005.

Charter flight companies and privately owned aircraft use the airport presently.

In 2005, a charter plane on a flight from Essendon Airport, crashed into nearby terrain while attempting to make a landing at the airport in poor weather, killing the pilot and two passengers.

The search for the plane was mainly conducted on foot and horseback.

Expressions of interest close on November 30.