The Great Alpine Road has been closed in both directions after being damaged by a sinkhole, believed to be a disused mineshaft.
The sinkhole emerged at Jackass Gully between Harrietville and Hotham Heights about 7am on Saturday, causing the closure of the road, which is expected to stay in place for some time.
The Department of Transport and Planning is surveying the area and will in the coming days commence fixing the damage, after liaising with geo-technical experts.
Hotham Heights can now only be accessed via the towns of Dargo or Omeo, with no access from the Harrietville side.
Ordinarily, it would take about 50 minutes to make the 32 kilometres journey from Harrietville to Hotham.
However, because of the diversions, it would take approximately three and a half hours to drive around the Alpine National Park.
The Great Alpine School campus at Dinner Plain has been forced to close its doors indefinitely, as staff members, who live near Bright, cannot reach the school.
