Ben Lomond Alpine Hotel destroyed by fire ahead of Tasmanian ski season

A fire has destroyed the popular Ben Lomond Alpine Hotel in the northern Tasmanian wilderness.

Emergency crews were called to the blaze at the Hotel in the Ben Lomond ski area about 10:30pm on Tuesday.

The Hotel and attached building were extensively damaged, but no-one was injured.

In a post on the Hotel's social media page, staff said they were "devastated" by the events.

Ben Lomond Snow Sports owner Geoff Foot said he saw the hotel engulfed by flames at midnight, telling the ABC “everything was alight, I'm afraid. It was a real sorry sight to see.”

He said the loss of the facilities would be a concern during upcoming ski season, adding “there is a day shelter which houses the toilets for the village so it's going to be a bit of a problem for Parks and Wildlife to get toilets re-instated.

"The pub was burnt to the ground as well, so that's a problem for people with food and drink.

Northern Tasmanian Alpine Club President Greg Rowlings said the fire was a loss for the community.

Rowlings advised “the hotel has been around for the past 30-plus years and is probably the heartbeat of the region"It's a great place. It's a meeting place. It's a venue for people to go and unwind after a long day.

"Just to see the amount of devastation that's gone through, not only the Alpine Hotel but also the day shelter up there, it's going to have a huge impact on day visitors and tourists alike."

Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service Northern Regional Manager Chris Colley said the national park remained open, but advised “for safety reasons some infrastructure is currently closed after being impacted by the fire.

"We have had preliminary discussions with the operators and will be liaising with them further to see how we can support them being operational again as soon as possible."

Image: The Ben Lomond Alpine Hotel and the building next door were destroyed in Tuesday night’s fire. Courtesy of Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service.

27th March 2017 - TASMANIA PARKS AND WILDLIFE SERVICE CALLS FOR TENDERS FOR MT MAWSON SHELTER

27th January 2015 - FUNDING CUTS TO IMPACT TASMANIA’S PARKS AND WILDLIFE SERVICE WORLD HERITAGE AREA MANAGEMENT 

12th October 2014 - NEW TOURISM ACTIVITIES IN NATIONAL PARKS THREATENS NATURAL HERITAGE

23rd August 2014 - TASMANIA LOOKS TO BOOST TOURISM IN ITS NATURAL AREAS 

7th June 2014 - CLIMATE CHANGE THREAT TO AUSTRALIA’S SNOW INDUSTRY   

Asking a small favour

We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

The news we publish at www.ausleisure.com.au is independent, credible (we hope) and free for you to access, with no pay walls and no annoying pop-up ads.

However, as an independent publisher, can we ask for you to support us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine - if you don't already do so.

Published bi-monthly since 1997, the printed Australasian Leisure Management differs from this website in that it publishes longer, in-depth and analytical features covering aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues management.

Subscriptions cost just $90 a year.

Click here to subscribe.