As part of Falls Creek Resort Management aim to create additional non-winter visitor opportunities, Track & Trail were asked to design and then construct a 4.3 kilometre walking track from the Howmans Gap resort entrance station to the Falls Creek Village.
The trail is named in recognition of earlier days when, prior to the road from Mt Beauty being constructed, packhorses were used to gain access to the Bogong High Plains. The gradient of the new track was deliberately keep at a sustainable 6⁰ (10%) grade both to make the steady climb from Howmans Gap manageable by the majority of visitors and to ensure the track did not become eroded during the end of winter snow melt. Just over four kilometres of new trail were hand benched, in preference to using an excavator, which ensured that the track surface was less than 0.8 metres wide and curved constantly using the topography to create grade reversals to divert water regularly off the track. In addition, 220 metres of low timber boardwalk were constructed across sensitive alpine sedge grass communities. Construction commenced in 2009 and was completed in 2010.
