There might be patches of ice on the road. Chains can be hired in Melbourne, Mt Beauty or Marysville.

The usual route is via Whitehorse Road and Maroondah Highway to Box Hill, Ringwood, Lilydale and Healesville. Usually, plan to be at Gerraty's before 9:30 am to be sure of  good parking! Allow 2.5 hours to travel to Lake Mountain from the inner-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

To Lake Mountain - How to get from Melbourne to Lake Mountain:

Maps: Melway Map 420.

Step A: In Ovens, turn left onto C534 for Tawonga/Mt. Beauty.
[Be on the lookout for kangaroos on this road around/after sunset.] At the Kiewa Valley Highway (C531), turn right for Tawonga/Mt. Beauty. For Tawonga South, proceed through Tawonga for several km.

A slightly longer, but easier-to-drive way (eg. on a Friday evening):
Join the Hume Freeway (M31) wherever convenient, heading NNE. Remain on M31 to bypass Glenrowan, about 225 km from Melbourne. Remain on M31 past the Snow Road (C522) and two turn-offs to Wangaratta. Exit at the Great Alpine Road (B500) for Bright and Beechworth. At Tarrawingee,take the right fork .... Now go to step A

A slightly shorter, more interesting way.
Join the Hume Freeway (M31) wherever convenient, heading toward Albury/Sydney. Remain on M31 to bypass Glenrowan, about 225 km from Melbourne. Take the Milawa exit (C522) immediately after MacDonalds restaurants. On the C522, pass through Oxley, Milawa, and Markwood to Gapstead. At the T-junction with Great Alpine Rd (B500), turn right to Myrtleford.
Pass through Myrtleford to Ovens township ... Now go to step A.

To Mt Beauty /Falls Creek - How to get from Melbourne to Tawonga South (Mt Beauty)

Be wary about ice when walking at resort car-parks e.g. Gerraty's at Lake Mountain or Windy Corner at Falls Creek.

It is expected that passengers and drivers will contribute to marginal vehicle-running costs when travelling to ski resorts and related accommodation. Marginal costs include fuel, oil, servicing, etc, but exclude capital costs, depreciation, registration and insurance. The following annually revised rates for car sharing take into account changing petrol costs. Costs depend on ski area, number of persons on board and car engine size. See Which column applies? for explanation.

In addition, all occupants should pay a share of the resort entry fees - whether or not a season ticket is used - and a share of chain hire (if the driver needs to hire them). The table shows the share in $ for each person in the car (including driver).