The first timer’s guide to skiing at Mt Buller

Steve Madgwick Steve Madgwick
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Mt Buller is a winter satellite of Melbourne’s social scene, making this perhaps Australia’s most vivacious après village.

Thanks to the largest lift network in Victoria, the AM action is solid too, especially for free-riders and snowboarders.

What it’s good for?

Buller embraces the freestyle philosophy, with plenty of opportunities to show off among its 300 hectares (and 22 lifts), including Skyline Park for those wanting to play Winter X Games-style.

Mt Buller Ski and Snowboard School
Mt Buller ski and snowboard school in session.

Intermediates should sample the distinctly un-standard Standard run for its length, breadth and off-shoots. Head to the Summit chair for that bluebird-day Instagram moment.

Where to stay in Buller

In the heart of the village the Mt Buller Chalet Hotel & Suites’ two-king Delatite Suite yields supreme top-floor High Country vistas, plus an antique grizzly bear.

 

The Duck Inn’s recent makeover makes it a contemporary choice in a ‘quiet’ neck of town.

 

Ski-in options abound from the sauna-equipped AMO Lodge to the Austrian-style Buller ‘institution’ Hotel Pension Grimus.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Après time

Sample a Pony Iced Tea at intimate fireside cocktails favourite Snow Pony.

 

Powder Bar in Village Square purveys fine Euro-style snacks and craft beer, plus a cultured range of local vino.

Skiing off snow's edge Mt Buller
Dropping off the edge, Mt Buller

Breathtaker Hotel will keep the family distracted; a massage at the loftiest spa in Australia for mum, while the rest of the fam head to The Loft Bar for pizza and films on beanbags.

How to get and ski there

Mt Buller is three hours’ drive from Melbourne and the Mt Buller Ski Express connects from downtown Melbourne and the airport.

 

Mansfield is the place to hire gear and chains.

 

You can find your friends on the slopes using the Glympse feature in the Mt Buller Live app.

 

Hot tip: Schuss up to the ski-thru espresso window (at the front of Pension Grimus, off Bourke Street run) for your morning caffeine face-slap.

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Steve Madgwick

Steve Madgwick

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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

    Michael Turtle Michael Turtle
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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves. Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

    Caves House
    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

    A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves 

    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.