Mount Mawson is a small, volunteer-run club ski field high in Tasmania's Mount Field National Park — one of only a handful of downhill areas in Australia's southernmost state.
- 1,220 m Base
- 1,245 m Top lift
- 25 m Vertical
- 3 Lifts
Best known for
Après & vibe
Facilities are deliberately basic — a day lodge and volunteer camaraderie rather than bars, with Hobart's cafes and restaurants the place to unwind afterwards.
The snow centre
Mount Mawson is a genuine but tiny alpine ski area set among the snow gums and dolerite peaks of Mount Field National Park, roughly an hour and a half's drive from Hobart. It is a club field run by volunteers of the Southern Tasmanian Ski Association rather than a commercial resort, with simple nutcracker-style rope tows and an atmosphere to match. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, the season falls in the middle of the year and snow is famously variable — good dumps can give fine cover, while lean winters leave the field closed for stretches. It suits adventurous skiers and families happy to trade lift-served polish for solitude, raw scenery and a slice of old-school ski culture. Cross-country and backcountry touring around the plateau are as much a draw as the downhill runs.
The slope
Gentle practice slopes make it a low-key place to try snow, conditions permitting.
A handful of short groomed trails cover most of the modest vertical.
Limited pitch, though fresh snow and off-piste lines add interest.
Backcountry touring across the surrounding plateau is the real reward for strong skiers.
Club-field skiing in a national park
Skiing here means rope tows, volunteer lift crews and snow-gum wilderness inside Mount Field National Park — a rare, unpolished experience found almost nowhere else in Australia.
Plateau ski touring
The high country around Mount Mawson offers excellent cross-country and backcountry touring when snow lies deep.
On the map
Stay near Mount Mawson
There is no on-mountain accommodation; most visitors come for the day from Hobart or stay in the Mount Field / National Park village nearby.
A base in town — the snow centre is a day trip, not a resort stay.
Self-catering flexibility for a family visit or a longer city break.
Handy if the centre is a stopover between flights.
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How to get there
Hobart Airport is the gateway; the field is around a 90-minute drive on into Mount Field National Park.
A scenic sealed-then-gravel park road climbs to the car park, from where a walk reaches the tows; chains may be needed in snow.
Best time: Best in the depths of the Southern-Hemisphere winter, roughly July to early September, when snowfalls are most likely.
Nearby resorts
Other resorts within reach.
Faces south-west Mount Baw Baw
- Vertical
- 112 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 15
- Lifts
- 8
Faces south-east Mount Buller
- Vertical
- 389 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 83
- Lifts
- 21
Faces south Cobungra Slope
- Vertical
- 21 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 1
- Lifts
- 1
Faces south-east Mount Hotham
- Vertical
- 407 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 87
- Lifts
- 14
Faces east Falls Creek
- Vertical
- 267 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 69
- Lifts
- 14
Faces south-east Thredbo Resort
- Vertical
- 671 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 81
- Lifts
- 15
Getting to Mount Mawson
Book an airport transfer up to the resort, or pick up a car at Melbourne (MEL) — search and compare without leaving the page.
Ski data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap & Skimap.org. Basemap © OpenFreeMap / OpenMapTiles. Editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.