After World War II the Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme was started in the Kiewa River valley by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria. On land previously used only for summer cattle grazing in the natural alpine grasslands, the first ski lodge was built in 1948 by workers from the scheme. The first lift, a rope tow, was built in 1951 and the first chairlift in Australia was constructed there in 1957.
Falls Creek Post Office opened on 9 June 1958 (with telegraph and telephone facilities only until 1964).
Until 2005, when the Government of Victoria did not renew grazing licenses, the high plains in the area were used for cattle grazing in the summer since 1851. Mount Bogong, Victoria's highest mountain, is nearby. Some of the cattlemen's huts still survive and are a tourist attraction in summer
