Mt Buffalo

Mt Buffalo's granite face looms over the Great Alpine Road overlooking Porepunkah and Bright. The Great Alpine road attracts huge numbers of cyclists enjoying the coffee shops, wineries and breweries which dot the relatively flat road. The road up to Mt Buffalo and the plateau is not flat! Imagine my surprise when I turned onto the road to be confronted by a sea of lycra. Bike racing is alive and well not only up Mt Buffalo but when I arrive at Mansfield - up Mt Buller. I contemplated giving it a miss but I may not pass this way again so off I went crawling up the mountain overtaking when possible. Fortunately most only completed the 2nd stage ending half way up! Apparently the hard core racers compete tomorrow when the entire road will be closed.

The scenery is beyond spectacular once you reach the top.  The road reaches the plateau and runs pass Lake Catani, ski fields, walking tracks and mind boggling climbs up granite domes.

         Climber on top of Cathedral Rock

Over recent years fire has devastated the plateau and it's evident that recovery will take significant time. Snowgum skeletons are everywhere! 

I drove as far as the road goes - the last corrugated gravel - to reach "The Horn".  The track is steep but well defined and takes around 1.45 hours return. The views are worth the effort.

My photo was taken by a biker in exchange for me taking him and his friends. 

On top of the world and I am only half way up!

Mt Buffalo was the second national park in Australia gazetted in 1898. Tourists began arriving in the 1850s - what a journey up that would have been! 

A small hut was built in 1903 by the Mansfield family on the site where  Mt Buffalo Chalet now stands.

Alice Mansfield known as "Guide Alice" took visitors on guided walks around the Gorge area. Alice was highly sort after as a guide: she loved the bush and had a formidable understanding of the flora and fauna. 

              Alice in her "guide" uniform. 

The whole area attracted botanists, both professional and amateur, drew photographers who immortalised its beauty, bushwalkers and explorers and entrepreneurs seeking to share in and capitalise on the growing public interest in wilderness. The clean, brisk air of the Alpine areas was lauded as beneficial to the health and several hospices and medical sanctuaries also drew people. It was here at Mt Buffalo that Gustav Weindorfer and Kate Crowle met and first shared the dream of a place in the Tasmania wilderness - Cradle Mountain.

The chalet sometimes known as the Grand Old Lady of the Mountains was built in 1910 and quickly became a huge tourist attraction - people travelled from Melbourne by train to stay.

We stayed here in 90s - sadly it is now closed, probably permanently - but as it is on the Heritage Listing it is cared for with the gardens and building well maintained. Even the croquet lawn, where we played many enthusiastic games, looks as though it is just waiting for another match!

Today the view from the Gorge Lookouts was compromised by hazard reduction burns taking place across the Alpine region.

View to Cathedral Rock and Mt Buffalo from the Horn - smoke haze.

The trip down the mountain was not impeded by cyclists - all done for today but back in force tomorrow. The trees which draw hundreds of Autumn visitors to Bright are turning, the poplars more gold than green. Victorians are certainly out and about and most accommodation sites were sporting "No vacancy" signs.

I took the road through Milawa, and the King Valley to Whitfield and then through dense bushland over the hills to Mansfield.  Frequent road signs cautioned me to be aware of wombats, kangaroos and deer.

Mansfield was full of lycra also! From the balcony of my room I may be able to see the cyclists slogging up Mt Buller tomorrow!

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