Snow days, bikes, EV charging and getting here
Where the house is
Stoke and Steam is at 112 Delany Ave, Bright VIC 3741, in Victoria's High Country, north-east of Melbourne.
It's 12 minutes' walk to the edge of town and the nearest cafés (about 19 to the town centre), 5 to the river. There is off-street parking for three cars.
Snow days
The Victorian snow season usually runs from the King's Birthday long weekend in June to early October. From Bright:
- Mount Hotham is up the Great Alpine Road through Harrietville
- Falls Creek is over Tawonga Gap and through Mount Beauty
- Dinner Plain, past Mount Hotham, has a toboggan slope and welcomes dogs all year, on a lead
- Mount Buffalo has a toboggan and snow play area at Dingo Dell, open when there is enough snow. No dogs: it is a national park
Allow longer in snow or traffic. In the declared snow season you must carry snow chains on the roads to Falls Creek and Mount Hotham, and vehicles need a resort entry permit. Check the resort's website for the season dates before you drive up.
Back at the house there is the drying room set-up in the laundry, two enclosed wood fires and the sauna.
Bikes
The house is set up for riding as well as for the snow. The garage locks separately from the house, on its own lock or code, and there are six wall racks inside it that take mountain bikes and e-bikes. Outside there is a dedicated bike wash area, so the mud stays out of the house.
- A garage that locks separately from the house, with six wall racks for mountain bikes and e-bikes
- A dedicated bike wash area with a hose, tap, work stand and floor pump, on hardstand with drainage
- Bike locks, tools and local trail maps in the garage
- The drying room set-up in the laundry, below, which dries riding kit or anything else wet overnight
- A few bikes for general use
The garage is also the garage lounge, a second living room with a wood fire, so cars stay in the driveway.
The drying room
A drying room set-up in the laundry: a 10 L/day desiccant dehumidifier, two drying racks and a boot and glove dryer, so wet gear is dry by morning — snow gear, riding kit, walking boots or a rainy week's washing. The laundry has a door, so it shuts while the dehumidifier runs, and a desiccant unit keeps drying on cold mountain nights, when a compressor one struggles.
EV charging
The house has a myenergi EV charger (22 kW three-phase, tethered Type 2 cable) in the front driveway, free for staying guests. The cable is attached to the charger.
How fast your car charges depends on the car as well as the charger.
It's for staying guests only, not a public charge point.
