Mt Buller Ski Resort

MT Buller Travel Notes

• Location: 3 hours from Melbourne
• Lifts: 24
• Cost of Chair Lifts: adult $94, child $50
• Accommodation: Budget: $500 per person, mid range: $600 pp, Luxury: $1000
• Ski Hire/Rental:
  At MT Buller - Buller Sports Central, Buller Sports Horse Hill, Buller Sports Chalet, Buller Sports Freeride, Buller Sports Mansfield, Buller Sports Spurs, Buller Sports Ski School
  Off Moutain: George's Ski Hire
• Website: http://www.mtbuller.com.au

With suitable trails and slopes for beginners and experts, Mt. Buller has an alpine enchantment that attracts ski and boarding enthusiasts alongside tourists who simply love to indulge in a winter wonderland. Come May to September, Mt. Buller's Bourke Street becomes the most occupied ski trail in Australia.

Even during off season Mt. Buller is still visited by tourists as the place also has a lot of non-ski activities. These include fishing, indoor games, 4WD adventures, base alpine walks, horse riding, summer chair lift and mountain climbing. With these non-ski activities being made easily accessible to its guests, Mt. Buller is touted as an ideal all-year round resort.

Location

Situated only 248 kilometres in the northeastern part of Melbourne, Mt. Buller Alpine Resort is just a three-hour drive from the city. The ski resort lies over a stretch of 2,300 hectares, with 300 hectares for skiing.

Getting There

Because of its ideal location and the relatively short distance between the resort and the city, Mt. Buller allows its visitors to choose from different transportation modes including:

Private vehicles – The drive to Mt. Buller is a few hours of scenic nature. When visiting the resort during winter season, visitors have to pay an entrance fee at Mirimbah. Attendants will be waiting at the car parks for parking assistance and four-wheel drives will pick the visitors up and take them to accommodation on the mountain. Otherwise, the cars may be left at the valley and the visitors may transfer rides to the Mansfield Buller Bus Lines, which offers services from Mirimbah, Mansfield and Merrijig, all the way to the visitors' lodging site.

Airplanes – From Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport, transfers such as coaches, buses and limousines, will bring visitors directly to the resort.

Helicopter - in just 45 minutes, helicopters can carry four to six persons per flight, from Melbourne city to the snowy fields of the mountain. From the skies, guests may experience the rare panoramic scene of the mountain as they fly out from Melbourne to Mt Buller. Aside from an extraordinary ride, first-class services can also be expected from this mode of transportation.

Day Tours - for those who would like to experience what the resort has to offer for a limited time, day tours by coach tour companies are the perfect choice. Several tour companies, like Extragreen Holidays, offer different tour packges that may already include a luxury coach, free entrance fee and other freebies like drink vouchers and beanies.

Altitude

Aside from its accessibility from the city, Mt. Buller has stunning natural features. It boasts of an altitude of 1,805 m. above sea level. Meanwhile, the mountain's village stands at a height of 1,600 m, just 200 s shy of the summit itself.

Skiing Area

Together with its altitude, Mt. Buller prides itself on its vast and well-groomed skiing area. The resort has designated areas for gentle runs plus the more steep and competitive slopes, perfect for the skiing pleasures of both amateur and expert enthusiasts. Aside from the slopes, Mt. Buller also has its own Terrain Park and rail park.

To show that safety is their priority, the resort provides around four to 12 ski patrol men to monitor ski slopes and snow conditions, providing first aid and attending to emergencies. The on-duty safety and security staff is also available for asking directions and obtaining resort information.

Terrain Mix - Beginners/Advanced

With more than fifty percent of the visitor population made up of novices and average skiers, Mt. Buller provides several trails finer than those designated for the advanced enthusiasts. Guests can take advantage of brushing up on their slope familiarity through snow tubing, telemarking, snowshoeing, snow boarding, snow camping, chairlift ride and tobogganing activities. For those who are not too keen on the idea of frolicking further in the snow, Mt. Buller has lifts that can move approximately 40,000 people hourly, the second largest lift capacity in the whole country.

Accommodation

Whether visitors would like to stay on or off the mountain, Mt. Buller has a wide range of accommodation. There are hotels, clubs, lodges, cottages, inns, resorts and apartments, all of which can house around 7,000 persons and can satisfy their standards in convenience, taste and budget. For those who want to maximize both their comfort and budget, there are also package deals that typically already cover the accommodation itself, food and activities.

Facilities

Mt. Buller features various facilities to cater to winter and non-winter seasons. Among Mt. Buller's offerings are:

Dining - from fine dining to fast food and from sandwiches to multiple courses, numerous hotels, restaurants and bars in the alpine area cater to visitors' diverse tastes.

Museum - showcasing photographs, maps, relics and equipment, the National Alpine Museum of Australia is the most comprehensive place where the history of Mt. Buller and other alpine areas can be told. This museum changes its displays for exhibitions regularly, especially during the winter season.

Ski Rentals and Boutiques - more than 15 shops and boutiques at Mt. Buller address every guest's skiing needs.

Banking - visitors may re-load their wallets with cash while staying at Mt. Buller through the ATM of the National Australia Bank, which is located on Cow Camp Plaza and Breathtaker All Suite Hotel.

Supermarket and Mini Mart - shopping for travel essentials or other goods can be purchased at the alpine all-year round through Foodworks Mt. Buller and Arlberg Hotel's mini mart.

Spa - along with the sports activities and the spectacular scenery, the spas at Mt. Buller are also recommended for their array of luxurious and pampering treatments.

Chapel - regular mass is held every Saturday in the chapel. Apart from the mass, ceremonies such as weddings and baptisms may also be held in the chapel's magnificent mountain setting.

Cinema - movies are not missed by visitors during their mountain vacation with the Mt. Buller's Village Cinema. The cinema is uniquely set in Mt. Buller's resort, latest shows and films are featured at the same price as that of regular cinemas.