Heritage

European pastoralists from NSW started moving south into the Alps in the 1830s. Grazing began around Omeo in 1836, and runs were taken up in the foothills. Summer grazing soon extended to the higher country, and huts were built there for shelter and storage during stock mustering. You can experience this history by visiting one of the cattleman’s huts dotted along the high plains or the ruins of Wonnangatta Station (home of the pioneer Bryce family for many years) and Cemetery. Wallace’s Hut near Falls Creek, built in 1889, is one of the oldest surviving huts in the area. From the 1850s to around 1900, gold lured many people to and around the Alps. Relics can still be seen in Historic Areas adjacent to the park, and towns like Dargo, Harrietville, Mitta Mitta, Omeo and Bright have strong links to the gold era. The 1939 bushfires in the forests around Melbourne and the boom in house-building after World War II led to a greatly increased demand for timber from the Alps. This resulted in the building of a network of roads which helped open the Alps to visitors.