MT BULLER / MT STIRLING ALPINE RESORT
Scroll beyond the links below for resort information
MT BULLER:
- Approx 3 hour drive from Melbourne and around 45 minutes from Mansfield
- Large resort with huge choice of accommodation (club lodges, apartments, chalets)
- A wide range of cafes, restaurants and bars
- Village Height: 1600m, Base Height: 1375m, Highest Lifted Point: 1780m
- 22 lifts servicing 41 runs
- 300 hectares of terrain (beginners: 20%, intermediate: 45%, advanced: 35%)
- Longest Downhill Run: 2.5km
- Terrain parks
- 244 snow making guns across the resort guaranteeing snow cover for opening weekend
- Downhill skiing and boarding
- Private and group lessons available for all skill levels
- Bourke Street lift operates until 8.30pm Sat/Sun for night skiing/boarding (mid-winter)
- The Village Snowplay Park is under lights at the same times as above (mid-winter)
- Tobogganing & snowshoeing
- Sled Dog Tours
- Ski/board/equipment hire, retail outlets and supermarket
- Child Care service for ages 3 months to 3 years (snow season)
- Medical Centre (snow season)
- 180 seat cinema
- Snow Guarantee (contact your accommodation provider or Buller Ski Lifts for details)
- Non-winter attractions: Mountain biking, road cycling, trail running, bushwalking,
- Vehicles staying overnight must (by law) carry correctly fitting wheel chains during the snow season and fit them where directed. Depending on snow/road conditions, day visitors may be required to carry chains. Contact Resort Management for details 03 5777 6077
MT STIRLING:
- Unique semi-wilderness experience, no chairlifts, no hotels, just nature
- 3000 hectares of alpine ash, snowgum woodland and alpine meadows
- 1749m summit offering 360 degree panoramic views
- 68kms of trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing
- Year round camping is permitted (including snow season)
- Snowplay/tobogganing area
- Café – Winter: 8.30am–5pm daily, Dec – April: 10am-4pm weekends & public holidays
- Visitors Centre, Ski Patrol/First Aid, Equipment Rental Outlet (all snow season only)
- Ski School
- Public shelter with fireplace
- Winter entry included in same fee as Mt Buller entry (non-winter is free entry at both resorts)
- Non-winter attractions: Mountain biking, trail running, bushwalking, camping, 4 wheel driving/4WD tours, visit the iconic Craig’s Hut, horse trail rides and trail bike riding.
Mt Buller and Mt Stirling Alpine Resorts are both about a 3 hour drive from Melbourne and about 45 minutes east of the popular High Country town of Mansfield. During the snow season, a Resort Entry Fee is required to be paid upon arrival and is valid for both resorts. For Mt Buller, visitors will continue straight ahead from the entrance station at Mirimbah and for Mt Stirling visitors turn left upon exiting the entrance station. The main carpark, visitor’s centre and café of Mt Stirling, at a place called Telephone Box Junction (TBJ), are a further 10kms on a gravel road. Mt Buller Village is around 15kms up the sealed road that doesn’t go beyond the village.
As with most High Country towns and resorts, Mt Buller has an interesting history. In 1925 a 6 person hut was built on Burnt Hut Spur as Mt Buller became popular with skiers and by 1930 a large chalet was built. Also in 1930, Cow Camp Hut was built and according to a 1950 article in Ski-Horizon Magazine, it was located behind the current Melbourne University Alpine Lodge on Cow Camp Lane. This lane is not signposted (although it is on google maps) but is a small lane that runs south off The Avenue and not far from Village Square Plaza (previously Cow Camp Plaza). The large chalet burnt down about 1940 and Cow Camp Hut was lost to fire in 1951. It is said that Cow Camp got its name after some of the cows that used to be grazed in the area found their way into the hut!
After the large chalet burnt down, the demand for accommodation increased each year with the popularity of skiing on Buller. It’s reported that during the 1940’s, shacks and caravans were hidden throughout the bush, where the resort is today and even hidden under camouflage netting as they weren’t really allowed to be there! The Forests Commission had to act and in order to develop a village that could be governed, set aside an area to be subdivided at Cow Camp Saddle in 1948 and by Winter 1950, the first club lodges had already been built.
The ‘Cow Camp Hut’ and ‘Lodges at Cow Camp Saddle’ images displayed here were taken by the Grandfather of the author of this website, who was a Member of the Melbourne Walking Club and we are pleased to be able to show these never before seen images.
Today, Mt Buller is a world class, year round alpine resort with the village sitting at 1600m altitude and affording spectacular views of the surrounding alps. Offering a huge range of accommodation options from budget lodges to luxury apartments and chalets through Winter with several options available year round.
There’s also a wide range of cafes, restaurants and bars open in the snow season, cafes and restaurants open in the non-winter seasons and a supermarket all year. Buller is a true ski-in, ski-out alpine resort with all village facilities and services within walking distance of accommodation. Child care for ages 3 months to 3 years is available daily during the snow season, on level 2 behind the ski & snowboard building.
During the snow season, the one resort entry fee is required to be paid to access Buller and Stirling. Parking is included in resort entry and during the snow season is available 1.5kms before the village. There’s a toboggan and snowplay park in this area and to get directly into the village there’s a free bus and to go direct to the slopes there’s the free Northside Express Chairlift available if you don’t have luggage. If you are staying overnight with luggage, you will need to use an oversnow taxi to your accommodation. Outside of the snow season vehicles can be driven into the village.
Mt Buller offers something for all levels of skiing and snowboarding with 300 hectares of terrain and everything from gentle beginner slopes and 4 carpet lifts, (like a conveyer belt or travelator and often referred to as ‘magic carpets’) right through to extreme runs for the thrill seekers and experts. Victoria’s largest lift network (22 lifts) has the capacity to move 40,000 skiers per hour. Night skiing/boarding is available on Sat/Sun nights with the Bourke Street lift continuing to operate until 8.30pm.
A team of 250 certified instructors means you will almost always be able to book private and group lessons during your stay. All levels are catered for and all age groups from 3 years and up. ‘Bunyips’ aged 3-6 years have their own area for lessons, called The Magic Forest which has 2 magic carpets and half and full day programs are available. Tell your kids to say hello to Blake the Flake, one of Mt Buller’s mascots, if they see him!
‘Buller Kids’ can join lessons for children aged 7 – 14 years with half and full day programs available and ‘Buller Teens’ aged 15 – 18 have 2 hour lessons available to them. Private lessons are available for all age groups from 3 years and up and can be purchased for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 7 hours. They’re the perfect way to quickly improve your skills and will often take in various areas of the resort, depending on your ability.
A popular activity for kids at Mt Buller is to go for a Gnome Roam! As you drive up the road to the resort, after the entrance station, keep your eyes peeled for a sign for gnomes crossing and soon after this you can stop at a large mountain ash where the gnome home is. In the resort village the Gnome Roam is a trail you can follow and see if you can spot gnomes and learn all about them along the way. An audio tour of the roam can be found on the Mt Buller Walks app or follow this link to the Gnome Roam Booklet.
Mt Buller attracts people in every season to experience their range of exciting annual events, including Targa High Country, Cattleman’s Rail Jam (Village Square, mid-winter), Easter Celebrations with a range of activities taking place, mountain bike and cycling events and Picnic in the Park (March long weekend gourmet food and wine festival at the foot of the mountain). Targa High Country sees over 150 rally cars tackle challenging tarmac stages on classic mountain roads around Lake Eildon, Jamieson, Mansfield and Mt Buller.
Mountain biking at Mt Buller and Mt Stirling has become extremely popular and these neighbouring resorts have fast become a world class mountain bike destination. There’s over 120kms of cross country mountain bike trails and 11kms of chairlift assisted gravity trails.
The Australian Alpine Epic Trail is a 40km endurance ride that descends over 1600 metres and can be ridden in sections via multiple entry points. It will take anywhere from 4 – 7 hours to complete and is the first International Mountain Bike Association accredited trail in the Southern Hemisphere. The trails are usually open from the first weekend in December until the end of April and at times shuttles and a chairlift are available to return you to the top of the trails. Road cycling the 16km climb of the Mt Buller Rd is also a favourite for amateur and elite professional cyclists. Follow this link to the Mt Buller Mountain Bike Guide & Trail Map.
Trail running and hiking on Mt Buller and Mt Stirling offer the opportunity to get out into this pristine part of the High Country and explore on foot. These tracks are generally also shared with mountain bikes and horse riders and offer a real variety of choice for everyone, no matter your level of skill or fitness. There’s also two interpretive walks at Mt Stirling providing interesting information via signage along the way.
Follow this link to the Mt Buller Walking Trail Map and this link for the Trail Running Guide & Map.
Mt Stirling Alpine Resort is a year-round adventure playground, allowing visitors to get out amongst nature in an unspoilt environment with no village, no hotels or chairlifts, where the attraction is enjoying outdoor activities in the semi-wilderness. At Telephone Box Junction (TBJ) there’s a visitor’s centre and café that is powered by its own hydroelectricity system, another way Mt Stirling aims to be as natural and environmentally friendly as possible. The Café is open 8.30am–5pm daily in Winter and 10am-4pm weekends & public holidays during Dec – April. Bushwalking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, year-round camping, horse trail rides and 4 wheel drive tracks await visitors to Mt Stirling.
The Man From Snowy River movies were filmed in this district and the stunning scenery across the alps near Mt Stirling & Mt Buller, is a must see during any season. Up around Mt Stirling and the surrounding High Country are familiar scenes from the movies, including the most recognisable of them all, Craig’s Hut. This famous hut is accessible by gravel roads (these roads are closed beyond Telephone Box Junction from June to October, sometimes later, depending on snow – contact 03 5777 6077 for details). Detailed information about access to the hut and the Mt Stirling cross-country skiing areas can be found here
Follow this link to view the Mt Buller Ski Trails Map
Follow this link to view the Mt Buller Village Map
To contact Mt Buller and Mt Stirling Resort Management phone: 03 5777 6077
