Mount Baw Baw is a mountain summit on the Baw-Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range, located in

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. The name is from the

Woiwurrung language The Woiwurrung, also spelt Woi Wurrung, Woiwurrong, Woiworung, Wuywurung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance. The Woiwurrung people's territory in Central Victoria extended from north ...

spoken by Eastern Kulin people. It is of uncertain meaning, but possibly signifies, ''echo'', or ''ghost''. The Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort is an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

, that includes the Mt Baw Baw summit, which is under the direct administration of the government of Victoria, and is surrounded by the

Baw Baw National Park The Baw Baw National Park is a national park located on the boundary between the Victorian Alps and Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia. The national park is situated approximately east of Melbourne and north of the Latrobe Valley. ...

, in the

Shire of Baw Baw The Shire of Baw Baw is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, in the eastern part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 52,015. It includes the towns of Drouin, Longwarry, Neerim South, Trafalga ...

Location

Mount Baw Baw is about east of Melbourne and north of the

Latrobe Valley The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical district and urban area of the Gippsland region in the state of Victoria, Australia. The traditional owners are the Brayakaulung of the Gunai nation. The district lies east of Melbourne and nes ...

. Mount Baw Baw itself is one of a number of peaks on the Baw Baw Plateau, a long plateau tending about 20 km north-east and is about 10 km wide. Other peaks on the plateau include Mount Mueller, Mount Whitelaw, Talbot Peak, Mount St Phillack, Mount Tyers, Mount Kernot and Mount St Gwinear. The plateau itself is isolated from most of Victoria's high country by the deep valleys of the Thomson and Aberfeldy rivers and tributaries of the La Trobe River, including the Tanjil and Tyers rivers to the south.

Geology and biology

The Baw Baw

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

consists of a late Devonian

granodiorite Granodiorite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar. The term banatite is sometimes used informally for various rocks ranging from gr ...

pluton. There is relatively little relief on the plateau itself, the highest point reaching . The lower slopes of the plateau are covered in

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...

eucalypt forest and tall forest, and creek valleys have cool temperate rainforest of myrtle beech, ''

Nothofagus cunninghamii ''Nothofagus cunninghamii,'' commonly known as myrtle beech or Tasmanian myrtle, is the dominant species of cool temperate rainforests in Tasmania and Southern Victoria. It has low fire resistance and grows best in partial shade conditions. It ...

''. Above snow gum ('' Eucalyptus pauciflora'') woodland occurs. There is no altitudinal treeline limit; subalpine grasslands and shrublands occur in flat valley bottoms on the plateau as a result of cold-air drainage. Much of this subalpine zone is included in the

. The Baw Baw Village

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

is technically outside the national park. The climate of the plateau itself is subalpine, with an average annual precipitation of . Snow covers the plateau from June to September. It is thought that Baron Ferdinand von Mueller made the first recorded European ascent of Baw Baw in 1860, naming Christmas Creek on one of his major collecting expeditions. It was on this trip that he collected the Baw Baw Berry, '' Wittsteinia vacciniacea''. There are two routes up the mountain; one via Noojee and Icy Creek which is very winding, and the unsealed South Face Road via

Erica Erica or ERICA may refer to: * Erica (given name) * ''Erica'' (plant), a flowering plant genus * Erica (chatbot), a service of Bank of America * ''Erica'' (video game), a 2019 FMV video game * ''Erica'' (spider), a jumping spider genus * E ...

. Mount Baw Baw is home to the critically endangered Baw Baw Frog.

Climate

Mount Baw Baw has a

subpolar oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(''Cfc''). The mountain summit receives more annual precipitation than most places in mainland Australia, with frequent and heavy snow in winter (as well as a persistent

snowpack Snowpack forms from layers of snow that accumulate in geographic regions and high elevations where the climate includes cold weather for extended periods during the year. Snowpacks are an important water resource that feed streams and rivers as th ...

). Frequent, heavy cloud-cover and turbulent winds mean that minimum temperatures rarely drop below , whereas maximum temperatures are frequently at or below ; the mountain is often shrouded in low cloud or mist in winter, thereby reducing diurnal range. Summers are cool with temperatures rarely rising above ; summers can also be very cold, with a maximum temperature of just recorded on 25 December 2006, and on both 11 Jan 2012 and 16 Feb 1998. During the 2009 Victorian heatwave most of the state saw highs of above , whilst the temperature on Mount Baw Baw's summit reached a comparatively cool maximum of just .

Ski resort

The summit is located within the boundaries of the Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort, an

of Victoria. There are about of mainly beginner-intermediate ski runs. Seven lifts service a variety of runs, with the highest going almost to the top of Mount Baw Baw with a rise. The resort village is at the bottom of the lifts, offering ski in-ski out access. In addition to the downhill runs there are a number of cross country trails offering access to other parts of the Baw Baw plateau. Like most lower-lying Australian ski resorts, snow cover varies greatly from year to year, but is regularly available for the local ski season from about July to the end of September. The alpine resort village has modern facilities and caters for both day-trippers and long-term visitors, with accommodation, ski hire, food outlets, medical and information centres all within walking distance of the car parks.

Walking

During the summer months, Mt Baw Baw is popular for hiking and bushwalking given its location in the

. The alpine grasses are blanketed with wildflowers and walks at a higher elevation pass through snow gum forest. Popular walks include the Great Walhalla Alpine Trail, which starts at the gold mining town of Walhalla and finishes at the Mt Baw Baw Alpine Resort. The hike is the first of the Australian Alps Walking Track. The Mt Baw Baw Summit Walk arrives at the highest peak of the Baw Baw plateau, elevation 1564m. Situated at the summit is the historic cairn used as a survey reference in 1903.

Cycling

The access road to the resort, the Mount Baw Baw Tourist Road, features one of the toughest climbs accessible by road bicycles in Australia. The final climb of rises at an average grade of 11.5%, maxing out at 20.3%. The climb is not as long as, but considerably steeper than, any of the ''

hors catégorie ''Hors catégorie'' (HC) is a French term used in stage bicycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization". The term was originally used for those mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass. The HC climb is the ...

'' climbs featured in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

. The Mount Baw Baw Classic,Baw Baw Classic
. The Warragul Cycling Club. Retrieved on 15 December 2011. which began in 2001, is an annual cycling race held by the Warragul Cycling Club, and ends at the Mount Baw Baw village.

Downhill mountain biking

There is a purpose-built downhill track located on the south western side of the mountain, facing towards the sea. The course has hosted the Victorian Downhill Championships as well as a number of state rounds. The track is around min in duration, comprising a good mix of cambered dirt, rocks, fire road and technical sections. A shuttle service is provided from the base of the track along the Mount Baw Baw Tourist Road back to the Baw Baw Village, so that the venue is very mountain bike friendly.

References

External links

* Information on all ski lifts to have run at Baw Baw i
Australian Ski Lift Directory

Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort

Gippsland’s official tourism website – Great Walhalla Alpine Trail

Gippsland’s official tourism website – Mt Baw Baw Summit Walk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baw Baw, Mount Ski areas and resorts in Victoria (Australia) Mountains of Victoria (Australia) Victorian Alps Towns in Victoria (Australia) Gippsland Unincorporated areas of Victoria (Australia)