Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mt Buffalo
National Park
Beautiful
Mt Buffalo
is an easily accessible year-round destination - in winter it's a tiny
family-friendly ski resort with gentle runs, and in summer it's a great spot for bushwalk-
ing, mountain biking and rock climbing.
It was named in 1824 by the explorers Hume and Hovell on their trek from Sydney to
Port Phillip - they thought its bulky shape resembled a buffalo - and declared a national
park in 1898. The main access road is out of Porepunkah, between Myrtleford and Bright.
You'll find granite outcrops, alpine lookouts, streams and waterfalls, wildflowers and
wildlife here. The
Big Walk
, an 11km, five-hour ascent of the mountain starts from Eurobin
Creek Picnic Area, north of Porepunkah, and finishes at the Gorge Day Visitor Area. A
road leads to just below the summit of the Horn (1723m), the highest point on the massif.
Nearby
Lake Catani
is good for swimming, canoeing and camping. There are 14km of
groomed
cross-country ski trails
starting out from the Cresta Valley car park, as well as a
tobog-
ganing area
. In summer Mt Buffalo is a
hang-gliding
paradise, and the near-vertical walls of
the Gorge provide some of Australia's most challenging
rock climbing
.
Activities
Adventure Guides Australia
( 0419 280 614;
www.visitmountbuffalo.com.au
)
This established operator offers abseiling (from
$88), rock climbing (from $88) and caving with glow worms through an underground
river system (from $120). It also runs a cross-country ski school in winter.
OUTDOORS
FARM
Mt Buffalo Olives
( 03-5756 2143;
www.mtbuffaloolives.com.au
; 307 Mount Buffalo Rd, Porepunkah)
On the road up to Mt
Buffalo from Porepunkah, this working olive grove has tastings and sales of olives, olive
oils and other locally farmed products. It also has a lovely place to stay.
Sleeping
Remote camping is possible at Rocky Creek, which has pit toilets only.
Lake Catani Campground
CAMPGROUND
$
