Introduction
Described by geologist EJ Dunn as the ‘Garden of the Gods’, Buffalo Plateau offers numerous photo opportunities for the avid photographer/bushwalker. Imposing granite tors and vistas encompassing the entire Australian Alpine region make this a worthwhile place to spend a few days.
The best time to visit this area would be around Autumn (April-May), to coincide with the Autumn Festival and autumn colours in Bright. However if you are just interested in visiting Mount Buffalo National Park, spring is also a good time as the temperatures are mild and there are plenty of wildflowers in bloom.
Above and below are shots taken in late autumn outside the Boynton’s Winery a few km from Bright. There are plenty of scenes such as this by the Great Alpine Road if you go during autumn. It is also worth hiring a bike and exploring the trails around the area, which are relatively gentle if you have the time.
Getting There
The Victorian High Country is about 4 hours North East of Melbourne. Getting there is simple, jump on the Hume Highway until it intersects the Great Alpine Road, then follow the signs to Bright. If you are coming from the Melbourne direction, it is worth cutting through Milawa, which will involve turning off the Hume Highway slightly before it crosses the Great Alpine Road. Milawa is famous for the Brown Brothers winery, Milawa Mustards (selling homemade mustards and condiments) and the award-winning Milawa Cheese Company. In short, it’s a great place to stretch your legs and get some lunch and snacks for your trip to the high country.
Porepunkah is the nearest town to MBNP, however Bright is only 5 minutes down the road and has more accommodation and eating options – I would recommend staying there. There are plenty of motels available for a very reasonable price.
It will take you approximately 10 minutes to get to the entry gate to MBNP from Porepunkah. From there it will take about 45-60 minutes to get to the better viewpoints (like the Hump and the Cathedral) which are located deep within the park.
Activities in Bright
During the Autumn Festival there is a street parade, markets selling local produce and arts and crafts, open gardens to visit and also an autumn art show. Outside of the festival Bright is still a very pleasant place to visit, being situated on the banks of the Ovens River and with lots of scenic drives, bike and walking trails available.
The shot taken below is of Coronation Avenue, just off one of the main streets of Bright. The trees along Delany Avenue are also famous for their autumn colours. At the time I visited Bright, the colours of the trees along Coronation Avenue were far more prominent.
Canyon Walk (3 km, 1.5 hours return)
Start at the Star Bridge, which is the bridge that you will cross if approaching Bright by way of Back Porepunkah Road. It is an easy trail that is relatively flat and well-marked. Along the way you can expect to see water races carved by early miners, some interesting rock formations and small rapids. If you are lucky enough to walk this trail in autumn, it is also great for viewing the autumn foliage of the many trees which line the banks of the Ovens River.
Huggins Lookout Walk (1.5 km, 1 hour return)
Park along Deacon Avenue, then walk up past Zivan Court. At the top of the court there will be an obvious gravel walking track that cuts to the left. This does not lead to Huggins Lookout. Instead of cutting left walk past the 3 or 4 wooden poles driven into the ground (i.e. uphill and not left). This sounds pretty basic, but it is pretty easy to take the left (most obvious) route when you are scurrying about in the dark trying to make it to the lookout for sunrise! This track is relatively short but does involve a relatively steep incline in parts. Although I did get up there in time for the sunrise, unfortunately the town was covered with mist at the time and so there was no view to speak of from the lookout. However I was assured by a local I met on the way down that the views are good if you are willing to wait for the mist to burn off.
Activities at MBNP
The Mount Buffalo chalet is closed until further notice and so accomodation within the park is limited to the campgrounds at Lake Catani and a few hike-in camp spots. Also note there is limited potable water within the park, so bring plenty of water. There aren’t really any places to buy food within the park except Dingo Dell, which is only open during the school holidays so you will need to bring your own food and snacks as well.
Rock climbing, abseiling, caving, hang-gliding (for the suitably qualified) are all possible at MBNP. For those interested in something less strenuous, there are also plenty of hiking trails of verying difficulty and length to be tackled.
MBNP is a very accessible park with a lot of great trails of short duration close to various car parks. However when in the bush always take appropriate precautions such as bringing a map, compass, water, cold and wet weather gear as the weather can change very rapidly in the mountains and it it easy to get lost as some trails are not clearly marked.
Detailed below in no particular order are some of the walks I’ve been lucky enough to do. Note that they barely scratch the surface of the available walks at MBNP.
Cathedral-Hump Track (2 km, 45 min return)
This is a short track and is easily accessible from the car park at its base. It involves a fair bit of vertical rise. After climbing up some stone stairs, the path will fork. Going right will take you closer to the Cathedral rock formation, going left will take you to the Hump. This shot of the Cathedral and was taken just after the point where the Cathedral track and the Hump track diverge.
At the end of the Hump trail you will come to a narrow stairway of sorts between 2 large rocky outcrops. Those who can be bothered scrambling up will be rewarded with views similar to the one below. As you can see this is an excellent spot for viewing sunsets as there are 360 degree unobstructed views of the Australian Alps.
The sky had been a featureless grey colour all day, but seeing as how we were already in the area we decided to do this hike anyway. As expected, there was not much good light due to the sun being obscured by the clouds. I had already packed up and was ready to head back to Bright for an early dinner when the sun slipped below the clouds for a moment as it set. It only lasted for about 5 minutes, but for those 5 minutes it seemed like the whole of the Australian Alps was bathed in golden light – truly a magical moment. I like this photo because despite its imperfections, it best evokes what I felt at the time.
Below is a shot taken at a different focal length from the same position, just a minute or so after the once above.
Note that the altitude of MBNP also tends to lead to interesting cloud formations as you can see below.
Corral-Castle Track (3.5 km, 1.5 hours return)
This track involves climbing a flight to steep stone stairs, then descending through close country into an Alpine meadow pictured below. Be careful when descending as it is hard to spot your footing given the foliage and it would be quite easy to roll an ankle. The track petered seemed to end at a very small, narrow gap through a rock formation. I managed to squeeze through the other side, but there did not seem to be anything of note there.
The Horn Track (1.5 km, 45 min return)
You can get parking at the Horn parking lot however note that to get here will involve driving along 3 km of unsealed roads. It is possible to do this in a 2WD car, but make sure to go slow as there are several hairpin turns and numerous potholes. The track itself is well-signed and involves a bit of vertical rise. It is definitely worth the slog on a clear day, but be warned the summit can often be socked in with clouds.
Below is a photo shot just off the Horn walking trail at sunset.
Another photo from the Horn walking trail at sunset. This shot does not require you to deviate from the trail. Note that the elevation from the Horn viewpoint (which is above where this shot was taken) allows for 360 degree views of the Australian Alps. You may wish to bring a telephoto lens to compress the layers of mountains.
Monolith Track (1.8 km, 1 hour circuit)
Another short walk with an incline towards the end. This will lead you to a rocky outcrop upon which the Monolith sits. Walking behind the Monolith you will have views over Lake Catani and the mountains in the distance. This is a great place for lunch but be sure to bring a wind-breaker as it is quite exposed.
Eurobin Falls Track (1.5 km, 45 min return)
Nice, easy trail near the entrance to the park. Parking is limited as you just park by the side of the road. This track will take you to Ladies’ Bath Falls and also Eurobin Falls. The former is a small waterfall which empties out into a clear rock pool – definitely worth a trip on a hot summer’s day. No photos as we went in the middle of the day meaning the light was very uneven and the camera could not handle the dynamic range in the scene.
Old Galleries Track (1 km, 30 min circuit)
A fun short walk that involves scrambling between various rock formations.
Long Plain Track (8 km, 3 hours return)
This track is not always obvious and is not that well-signed. Whilst I didn’t do all of it, from what I can see it is not anything spectacular compared to some of the other walks. I would also recommend previous bushwalking experience if you want to attempt this.
We ended up taking a shortcut which ended up intersecting with the ‘Mac’s Point’ walking track. This is only about 400m from the road so once again this is a very accessible location. The Cathedral can be seen in the background.
Gorge Day Visitor Area
Located just opposite the chalet, there are numerous parking spots, toilets, picnic tables and shelters here. This is also the point at which several tracks start. Perhaps most importantly, it is also a great place to catch the sunrise from the viewing area which is almost right next to the car park.
Below is a long exposure shot (65 seconds) taken from the same viewing area.
Special Equipment
MBNP is an all seasons park and so is open throughout the year. Keep in mind you may need chains and a snowshovel if you intend on going in winter. Also note there is limited potable water within the park, so bring plenty of water. There aren’t really any places to buy food within the park except Dingo Dell, which is only open during the school holidays so you will need to bring your own food and snacks as well.
Also note that the everything in Bright shuts down ~9PM so if you’re taking sunset shots make sure you bring dinner with you or make appropriate plans.
Camera Equipment
- Bring a tripod in order to shoot at low ISO’s for cleaner images
- Shoot f8-11 if possible to increase sharpness and depth of field
- Bring graduated neutral density filters if you intend on taking landscape photos
- Torch if you intend on taking sunset/dusk shots as it will probably be quite dark by the time you get back to your car
Hiking Equipment
- Bring cold/wet weather gear as the weather can change very quickly in the mountains
- Camping gear such as tents, sleeping bag, sleeping mat etc. if you intend on camping
- Bring a compass and a topographics map if you intend on hiking the more obscure trails as not all the trails are clearly marked and are some can be quite overgrown
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