Approach south eastern Victoria’s magical Bright region Victoria from any direction, spot Mt Buffalo’s impossibly scenic bulk dominating the skyline and you’ll swear you’re not in Australia!

It’s difficult to believe the soaring granite cliffs and outcrops leading to the extensive plateau more than 1200 metres above sea level were once much higher. Right at the end of the Aussie Alps that cross three state borders, Mt Buffalo is both a microcosm of Alpine natural attractions; and a unique collection of scenery, flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth.

Its relative isolation and height means Mt Buffalo’s ecosystem has developed independently – and operates just like an island!!

And an island that seems to have become Melbourne’s personal pleasure dome. A short-ish 325 km drive mostly up the freeway from Melbourne, it’s easy to get to Mt Buffalo – and a taste of the marvellous Victorian Alpine high country.

But however you get there, its amazingly varied range of activities means your first visit to this marvellous mountain National Park will almost certainly not be your last!

So what makes the ‘island’ of Mt Buffalo so unique?

The History

Although proclaimed in 1898 as one of Victoria’s first National Parks after pressure from the Bright Alpine Club, Mt Buffalo has been on the tourist trail since the 1850’s, when Baron Ferdinand von Mueller promoted its unique environment and botany; and the Manfield family started conducting hiking tours from the Buffalo Falls Temperance Hotel at Mt Buffalo’s base.

Guide Alice, tourism pioneer, naturalist and poster girl for the delights of the region in her distinctive uniform lived and breathed Mt Buffalo.

One of the pioneering Manfields, she managed the family’s basic chalet on the plateau. Her daughter recalls spending the night in a hollow log so Alice could observe the lyrebirds at dawn while researching her book, The Lyre-birds of Mt Buffalo.

With the Chalet (see below) the first resort of its kind in the Alpine region, Mt Buffalo’s all year round appeal ensured it became a premier tourist destination for sightseeing, cross-country skiing (and the first ski-tow in Australia), hiking, rock-climbing – and, I dare say, languishing in the Chalet …

The Chalet

Although the Chalet, a temporary structure built in 1910, is of significant historic, architectural and cultural value, successive state governments have failed to ensure its preservation.

And while debate rages about why there aren’t enough funds for BOTH historic preservation and health care; despite the Mt Buffalo Community Enterprise proposal to restore and reopen it; and despite visitor and community support, the chalet remains closed to the public.

Unless there’s say, a mining magnate with a spare $50-odd million around somewhere??

Clive Palmer*, this is your big chance to buy my vote!!

Fortuitous timing during our April visit meant we got to tour the marvellous chalet, view the memorabilia and historic displays – and put me several steps further down the RSI-of-the-shutter-finger path … What a shame it would be to close it up forever. Clive? CLIVE?? Are you there????

The Scenery

From Bents Lookout at around 1300 metres above sea level and just below the Chalet, you can almost see Mt Kosciuszko – Australia’s highest mountain.

But only if other visitors GET OUT OF YOUR WAY!!!!

The staggering 360ºviews from several viewpoints show the Alps at their finest.

There’s also rocks like The Monolith, sadly no longer able to be climbed; waterfalls like Rollason’s and Eurobin falls; and many other scenic spots on the 90 km of walking trails in the park.

Zoom in on the plants to be one of the few people in the world to see the Mt Buffalo endemics.

And you might even spot an Alpine Silver Xenica – a butterfly only found on this plateau and rating a special mention here for no other reason than its ultra-cool name …

The Lakes

A symphony of muted colours, Lake Catani’s rocky surrounds, reeds and clear waters make it the perfect spot to eat the lunch you had the foresight to purchase from the magnificent Edelweiss Bakery in Bright. And those with even more foresight, and a carload of bakery sustenance, could stay in the campground! Those not obsessed with bakery food (if there are any such fools) could go canoeing – but it’d have to be quite a few degrees warmer with a bit less of the cold wind for swimming to be a viable option.

But take a day off from driving up Mt Buffalo’s winding access road and head past the fine Myrtleford bakery (if, like us, you can handle more than one bakery experience in a day) along the Buffalo River road to Lake Buffalo for stunning Alpine scenery from the excellent picnic grounds.

With their own scenic public amenities block.

Learn from the graffiti – I was surprised to learn that we are all apparently reptilians and aliens are stealing our souls …

The Adventure

Finding out you’re a reptilian isn’t the only adventure to be had at Mt Buffalo!

If you thought the scare factor of my previous post about Alpine sky diving was high, then look away now …

Still here?? At around 1300 metres above sea level, the Gorge lookout and picnic area shows the depths of insanity to which some thrillseekers will leap.

Yes, that flattish incline on the very edge of the right hand side rock stack above really IS another sky-diving ramp.

If leaping off the mountain isn’t your thing, walk to the bottom, rock-climb or abseil, hike or go caving.

There’s also 4WD touring, tobogganing, cross-country skiing, boating and just plain old sightseeing!

For me? I was all adventured out after climbing the Horn!!

Anyway, those cyclists pedalling up the 4.8% gradient on a 20+ km climb to the Chalet aren’t REALLY having fun, are they??

The Horn

At 1723 metres above sea level, Mt Buffalo’s Horn is its highest point.

If you can stand upright in the wind, you’ll be rewarded with staggering views in every direction – and photos to die for if your hands don’t seize up from the cold! Railings, steps and safety fences mean the 1.5 km track is suitable even for those like me who suffer from vertigo.

But you can probably make your photos look like it’s a LOT more dangerous …

Whatever the weather down below in Bright, nearest town to Mt Buffalo, it’s most likely different up here!!

The Surrounds

Down below and only 319 metres above sea level, the small town of Bright and its surrounds form an excellent backdrop from which to explore the Mt Buffalo ‘Island’. Of course the fact of its two bakeries is completely irrelevant …

A visit timed to coincide with the ‘Autumn Leaves’ festival as we had in April 2012 (read about it HERE!) will challenge organisational, time management, visual and gastronomic skills to the point of collapse. There’s so much to see and do, you could easily spend a week in Bright without even venturing up to the Mt Buffalo summit!

But don’t let Bright’s delights stop you from visiting the Landlocked Island of Mt Buffalo! All those Melbournians can’t be wrong, right?!?!?!

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• Mt Buffalo National Park
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1. Happy Campers – Bright Big 4 Caravan Park

From the expletives, it appeared the rain-lashed grey nomads repeatedly jack-knifing their massive van into the bushes around their campsite as thunder rumbled thorough the night were NOT “Livin’ the Dream” their van proclaimed. Although their inadvertent behavioural benchmark reinforced the pact between Pilchard and I.

‘If I ever …’ Pilchard began, but I knew how this story ended. Unlike the hapless travellers cursing their way through the wanton destruction of several fine shrubs before they gave up and departed, we’d so far avoided setting up on an unfamiliar site in the rain and dark. BUT … I knew what to do if it ever happened. I tuned back in as Pilchard concluded with his usual instruction – ‘… just shoot me’!

The caravan park was an unlikely spot for our adventures in and around North-eastern Victoria’s Bright to begin. But strangely appropriate! Our wicked and unkind laugh over the night’s misadventures was accompanied by the spectacular colours of the ever present falling leaves – magically whisked away each day by the caravan park cleaning fairy!

But Bright and surrounds aren’t just about the annual Autumn Leaves festival. In between adventures, the two local bakeries are worth many several a visit – but be warned! If there are any country Victorian towns without at least one fine bakery, I’m yet to find them …

2. Altitude, Alps and an Aussie record – Falls Creek

If heights scare you rigid, try to avoid sitting on the drop-off side of the car on the steep and winding roads up into Victoria’s High Country – at the very least, don’t look down! That way you might even enjoy climbing the range – first through the ironbark forests where Superb Lyrebird could make an appearance; then into stands of endemic species Alpine Ash; followed by the stark and ghostly remains of the 2003 bushfire that burned out millions of high country hectares; and finally into the sparse Alpine vegetation above the tree line.

And there, above the tiny village of Falls Creek precariously perched on the side of the mountain range is Australia’s highest body of water – Rocky Valley Lake. As the snow began to fall – Yes, SNOW! – the signs about snow-chains and the orange road markers suddenly made sense … and the Outback seemed far, far away to this Aussie traveller who’d only ever seen snow twice before!

While I’ve experienced sub-zero temperatures before, 0º C is the coldest maximum temperature I’ve EVER lived through!

3. Going Nuts – Wandiligong

As we lurched from Bakery to Berry farm; Indian/Italian to Sri-Lankan/Aussie pub cuisine; hot chocolate to champagne, the whole trip seemed to be turning into a deliciously tragic over-eating marathon.

I couldn’t have squeezed in the local pub’s ‘Alpine Breakfast’ (whatever in hell that was) eaten under a ‘heated umbrella’ (whatever in hell that meant) for quids (whatever in hell they are).

So indulging in hot roasted chestnuts, hot chocolate and dutch pancakes smothered in maple syrup, lemon and icing sugar at the annual Wandiligong Nut Festival was true to type. The local April sun was so pleasantly warm I can’t imagine why the Dragon classic wasn’t titled ‘April Sun in Wandiligong’ – but it didn’t stop us singing along with the excellent cover band. Aussie classic anthem Downunder, sounding absolutely NOTHING like the Kookaburra song, had Melbourne Yuppies – all haircut and GQ country weekend – kicking back with grey nomads, locals and travellers.

And while I’m no singer, listening to that mixed crowd singing along to ‘Eagle Rock’ was one of the most tragic music experiences of my life …

4. Save Our Souls – Beechworth

Once we’d finished up at the Beechworth bakery, we were ready to give our full attention to yet another town with links to bushranger Ned Kelly. While I loathe the word ‘precinct’, it really is the easiest way to describe the section of the town set aside for such things as the gaol with its fabulous Crime Scene gift shop (Hey, D! I haven’t forgotten your birthday prez!), the courthouse and holding cells, early fire-fighting equipment displays, the inevitable statues of NK – and the self-proclaimed busiest Morse Code Telegraph station in the world!!

I’m not sure how many other contenders there are, if any, but surely the Morsecodians wouldn’t make this kind of claim lightly. Would they??

Starting at a mere AUD $5 (although it’s probably worth more than that in many other currencies at present) sending a message in Morse code to anyone in the world has never been so easy. You KNOW you want to!!

5. Undercover – Bogong Village

While I’m not afraid of lizards, I have no desire to prove it by picking them up and playing with them.

Just as well.

I thought the scaly reptilian head I spotted peering up at me through the grass at the side of the walking track round Lake Guy at Bogong Village was a lizard.

I called Pilchard over as it looked a little different to the usual skinks scuttling about in the sun. Then it moved backwards. Uh-oh. Lizards aren’t able to move backwards which meant it was – AAAARRRGGGHHHH! A snake!! Red-bellied black, according to Pilchard. I was miles away by then, so I can’t confirm his identification.

Don’t even think about looking for a photo …

Along with random and unexpected wildlife, the lake circumnavigation involves beautiful scenery, a magnificent lunch setting, Steve Parrish-like photographic opportunities – and a somewhat disconcerting walk through a tunnel under the dam wall. Just as well the snake didn’t appear in the tunnel – nowhere to run or hide down there!!

6. On top of the world – the Buffalo’s Horn

It’s a little known fact that altitude sickness can kick in from as low as 1700 metres above sea level.

That’s the only explanation I can find for the dizziness, shortness of breath and constant need to stop and rest as I climbed the track to the summit of the Horn – at 1723 metres, the highest point of the Mt Buffalo National Park, a monolith that looms behind Bright. Or in front of it, if you prefer.

Then again, the vertiginous sheer drops and cold buffeting winds could have caused it too. But I’m sticking with altitude sickness – because the Horn is the highest lookout to which I’ve actually climbed (from the carpark below, not from sea level).

And just as well we climbed it when we did – rolling mist was already obscuring the view when we reached the hiker’s hut of yesteryear. Tragically no St Bernards carrying restorative brandy casks appeared through the fog to offer assistance. But the bakery lunch we’d had the forethought to bring didn’t last long …

7. Lookout!!

After a couple of days in the Victorian high country, staggering views from unbelievably scenic lookouts became commonplace.

But no matter how commonplace, they never become ho-hum.

A few of my favourites:

And Australia’s highest mountain, Mt Kosciuszko obscured by cloud and this tenacious traveller who just WOULD NOT MOVE!!!!

The life-changing message – ‘We are all reptilians and the aliens are stealing our souls’ – was an incongruous addition to the spectacularly scenic landscape of Lake Buffalo. But perhaps it’s a cryptic message of courage – if we are indeed all reptilians, then there’s no reason to fear snakes, right? And if the aliens are stealing our souls, then it probably doesn’t really matter if I fall from a great height, does it?!

I had no idea our Victorian Alpine country adventure would be so much fun it’d make battling my twin fears of snakes and heights such a pleasure!  But now I DO know, I’ll be back for more!

Not quite enough photos here for you?

RELAX!  There are WAAAAAY more HERE on Flickr!!

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• Bright, Victoria
• Alpine National Park, Victoria
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