Mount Buffalo is a mountain

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

of the

Australian Alps The Australian Alps is a mountain range in southeast Australia. It comprises an interim Australian bioregion,

and is within the

Mount Buffalo National Park The Mount Buffalo National Park is a national park in the alpine region of Victoria, Australia. The national park is located approximately northeast of Melbourne in the Australian Alps. Within the national park is Mount Buffalo, a moderate ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is located approximately northeast of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. It is noted for its dramatic scenery. The summit of the highest peak of the plateau, known as The Horn, has an elevation of AHD. Mount Buffalo is managed by

Parks Victoria Parks Victoria is a government agency of the state of Victoria, Australia. Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The ''Parks Victoria Ac ...

History

Before European settlement, Mount Buffalo was visited by the Mitambuta and

Taungurung people The Taungurung people, also spelt ''Daung Wurrung'', are an Aboriginal people who are one of the Kulin nations in present-day Victoria, Australia. They consist of nine clans whose traditional language is the Taungurung language. Their Country ...

who visited to feast on

Bogong moth The bogong moth (''Agrotis infusa'') is a temperate species of night-flying moth, notable for its biannual long-distance seasonal migrations towards and from the Australian Alps, similar to the diurnal monarch butterfly. During the autumn a ...

s (''Agrotis infusa'').

Hamilton Hume Hamilton Hume (19 June 1797 – 19 April 1873) was an early explorer of the present-day Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria. In 1824, along with William Hovell, Hume participated in an expedition that first took an overland rout ...

and

William Hovell William Hilton Hovell (26 April 1786 – 9 November 1875) was an English explorer of Australia. With Hamilton Hume, he made an 1824 overland expedition from Sydney to Port Phillip (near the site of present-day Melbourne), and later explored the ...

were the first Europeans to visit the area and they named the mountain during their 1824 expedition, noting the mountain's resemblance to a giant, sleeping buffalo. In 1836, the explorer and

Surveyor General of New South Wales The Surveyor-General of New South Wales is the primary government authority responsible for land and mining surveying in New South Wales. The original duties for the Surveyor General was to measure and determine land grants for settlers in New So ...

, Thomas Mitchell visited the area and named the mountain Mount Aberdeen, unaware it had already been named Mount Buffalo.

Recreation

There are extensive walking tracks across the Plateau that is studded with large

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

tors. The Mount Buffalo Gorge has sheer granite cliffs that provide good views down to the

Ovens Valley The Ovens River, a perennial river of the north-east Murray catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine and Hume regions of the Australian state of Victoria. Location and features Formed by the confluence of the E ...

. The cliffs are popular for rock climbing. There is a launch ramp for hang gliders at the cliffs. There are waterfalls on the edge of escarpment. The

Mount Buffalo Chalet The Mount Buffalo Chalet is a ski resort in the Mount Buffalo National Park. It is the largest timber building in Australia. History The Mount Buffalo Chalet was built in 1910 by the Public Works Department as the first ski resort in the Victo ...

provided accommodation on the mountain but is not currently operating. During winter Mount Buffalo offers snow play and cross-country skiing.

Lake Catani Lake Catani is an artificial lake in the Mount Buffalo National Park in Victoria, Australia. It was constructed in 1910 under the supervision and probably design of the Victorian Public Works engineer, Carlo Catani, to provide recreational facilit ...

on the plateau is used for canoeing, fishing and swimming.Mount Buffalo National Park
, Great Alpine Valleys

Climate

Climate data are sourced from

, situated at an altitude of . An extreme winter rainfall peak is noted, with a massive quantity falling as heavy

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

References

Mountains of Victoria (Australia) Ski areas and resorts in Victoria (Australia) Climbing areas of Australia Forests of Victoria (Australia) Victorian Alps Mountains of Hume (region) {{VictoriaAU-geo-stub

History

Recreation

Climate

See also

References