Free camp at JB Plain Hut in the Victorian High Country
- 29 Aralık 2023
JB Plain Hut is the first hut you will come across from Dinner Plain, only 1.8 km towards Hotham Alpine Village in Victoria High Country.
Surprisingly, there were several RVs at the carpark entrance on the Great Alpine Road – and at least 4 tents around the hut and my favourite snow gums. One skier set up right on the edge of the plain. A beautiful spot!
It is a walk-in site for tent camping – with a drop toilet. The two room hut is pretty rustic inside and out – there is a fireplace, the hut is only for emergency use.
Dogs aren’t allowed (it is in the Alpine National Park) but fires are. There’s shade and mobile coverage. A dump point is located in Scrubbers End (that really is a name!), Dinner Plain.
Right on the 12 km long Brabralung Trail, you can also take the Tabletop Track from here. If you are walking around the high country, you must be prepared.
I did see a cyclist loving the trail as well, with his fat snow tyres. This trek is very popular with mountain bikers in the warmer months.
November through to May are the best months for hiking, however blizzards can occur anytime of the year.
Our nephew can testify to that, with every ounce of clothing on for his last night camping in December – he was grateful to escape the snow, and arrive fireside to the Dinner Plains Hotel. We laughed when he said he ate not one, but two main meals to warm himself up!
This cattlemen’s post was named after Jim Brown who brought cattle up here in the 1850s. The old forest hut was moved here in the 1970s and was in use up until the 80’s by Cobungra Station. Read more about the Cobungra Station – and you can even check it out at their annual Easter event – Dinner Plain Polo.
I hope to get back there in summer and find the resident emus and try the 2 km return walk to Paw Paw Plain for views of Tabletop Mountain and the Dargo River Valley. Also on my list, is a picnic beside Billy Howards Hut at Wire Plain.
Find this site and dump point on the Camps Australia Wide App. Scrubbers End is also site 178 in CAMPS 11. Best in summer, you need a permit at this overnight parking area for winter camp or if you have a dog. It is suitable for RVs (including Big Rigs) and camper trailers. Accessible toilets are here – and, like JB Plain Hut, it is free.