Mount Buffalo and the Victorian High Country

Victoria'S Alpine High Country Around The Town Of Bright, Famous For The Most Reliable Autumn Leaf Colour In The State And A Network Of Granite Topped Peaks Including Mount Buffalo, With Downhill Mountain Biking In Summer And Cross Country Skiing On The Plateau In Winter · Bright, Victoria

Mount Buffalo and the high country around it rise above the town of Bright in north-east Victoria, about three and a half hours from Melbourne, and the area swings between two distinct identities depending on the season. In autumn, imported European trees planted along Bright's streets a century ago turn gold and red earlier and more reliably than almost anywhere else in the state, drawing crowds for the annual Autumn Festival, while in summer the same hills carry some of Australia's best-known gravity-fed mountain bike trails and a hub for paragliding and hang gliding off the surrounding ridges. Mount Buffalo National Park itself is a granite plateau reached by a sealed but winding road, holding Lake Catani, the historic 1910 Mount Buffalo Chalet, and The Horn, the plateau's highest point at 1,723 metres, a short walk from the nearest car park to a 360-degree view over the Ovens Valley. In winter the plateau becomes a small, low-key cross-country ski and tobogganing area, a quieter alternative to the bigger alpine resorts at Hotham and Falls Creek further along the range.

Victoria's alpine high country, around the town of Bright about 3.5 hours from Melbourne, Bright, Victoria, Australia

Mount Buffalo National Park has no overall gate and is open year-round, but access and activities differ sharply by season. In summer, roughly November to April, the plateau road, walking tracks, Lake Catani and the mountain bike trails around Bright are all open during daylight hours with no snow to worry about, and this is when most hiking and the downhill mountain bike shuttle services run. In winter, June to September, snow can close sections of the plateau road without warning and fitting snow chains is sometimes required by law on the mountain; the small cross-country ski and toboggan area on the plateau operates only when there is enough snow cover, which varies year to year, and some facilities simply do not open at all in a light snow year. The historic Mount Buffalo Chalet has had periods of closure to the public over the years - confirm its current status before planning a visit around it specifically.

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