Mt Hotham: High altitude airport sold for more than $6 million

After attracting close to 120 inquiries, the Mt Hotham airport has been sold. See the full details here.

Mt Hotham airport has sold for more than $6 million to a Melbourne-based tourism and property investor.

The highest altitude facility of its kind in Australia attracted nearly 120 inquiries during an expressions of interest campaign conducted by Castran Real Estate since mid-October.

Agent John Castran said the identity of the successful purchaser couldn’t be revealed due to confidentiality clauses associated with the sale, but he was “blown away by the response”.

“It’s astounded us to be honest, we’re very confident it is in safe hands,” he said.

Mt Hotham airport. Picture: Supplied

The new owners plan to upgrade the airport and are considering options for the surplus land which previously belonged to nearby Cobungra Station.

It was the first airport built at an Australian ski resort and cost $17.5 million to construct.

Vail Resorts, which operates 41 ski resorts in the US, Canada, Australia and Switzerland, engaged Castran Real Estate to sell the property.

From the initial 118 inquiries, which all came from Australia, five bids were short-listed before the sale was clinched in recent days.

Mt Hotham airport terminal building. Picture: Supplied.

The airport runway is 1460 metres long with an award-winning terminal building.

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.

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

The airport is set on 105.36ha with access from the Great Alpine Road.

Meanwhile, one of Omeo’s most historic properties has been sold to an undisclosed buyer for $850,000.

The Manse, Omeo. Picture: Supplied

The Manse was built in the late 1870s by the former Omeo Shire’s first secretary, Thomas Easton as his personal residence before being sold to the Catholic Church at the turn of the century.

The property was then sold to the Presbyterian Church in 1925 and christened The Manse.

It escaped unscathed when the 1939 Black Friday bushfires hit the town, unlike some other well known Omeo landmarks including the Golden Age Hotel.

The Manse has been owned by local couple Terry and Anne Petersen since 2004.

Harcourts Bairnsdale was the selling agent.