Mt Baw Baw Becomes First Australian Resort to Close for 2026

Mt Baw Baw Alpine Resort is closing its lifts for the 2026 season this Sunday at 5pm, becoming the first Australian resort to end its season - a 57-day run cut short by warm weather and rain.

The resort opened for 2026 on June 27 and will stop lift operations on August 23, with the mountain itself remaining accessible from the following Monday even though the lifts won't be running. Village Central restaurant stays open through August 30, and the resort is waiving entry fees from August 24 onward for anyone who wants to visit without paying to ski.

A snowpack that couldn't hold on

Repeated stretches of above-freezing temperatures combined with rainfall to erode most of what snow Mt Baw Baw had left. As of August 20, only the Hut Run and Old Hut still held meaningful cover, at 28 centimetres, while every other run on the mountain had already closed. Of the resort's seven lifts, just two were still turning by that point: the Hut Run Platter and the Beginner Magic Carpet.

A tough season for a family resort

Mt Baw Baw is the closest ski area to Melbourne, which makes it a common first stop for families and first-time skiers and snowboarders rather than a destination for more experienced riders chasing terrain. Beyond the lifts, it also runs tobogganing and general snow play, both of which lean more heavily on natural cover than lift-served skiing does - so the same warm, wet weather that shut down the ski runs has squeezed the resort's other winter offerings too.

Part of a broader pattern across Australia

Mt Baw Baw's early finish reflects what's been a difficult season across Australian resorts generally, with warm temperatures and below-average snowfall affecting the industry broadly through 2026. New South Wales resorts were hit particularly hard by heavy rain in the days around Mt Baw Baw's announcement - Selwyn Snow Resort closed temporarily over the same weekend hoping colder nights would let it rebuild enough snow through snowmaking to reopen. That reopening didn't hold: Selwyn ultimately closed for the rest of its own season shortly afterward, becoming the second Australian resort to finish early and the first in New South Wales specifically.

Sending off the season

Rather than a quiet finish, Mt Baw Baw is closing out 2026 with its annual Bollywood Weekend, giving visitors a last chance to get out on the snow and mark the end of the season before the lifts stop turning for the year.