By 5 pm on Monday 17^th 17 walkers had settled into Schuss Alpine Club at Mt. Buller after having collected the last of their supplies in Mansfield. The group consisted of several members who had only recently joined the club but of course we were quickly initiated into camp routine by Andrew and Elaine. The accommodation met all our needs, twin rooms with ensuites, a drying room for smelly walking boots, a laundry to deal with smelly walking clothes, a well-equipped kitchen where we learnt to dance around each other as we collected items from our own pantry shelf and assigned fridge and freezer space along with dining and lounge facilities that could accommodate us all.

Every evening, we met for drinks and nibbles while Andrew outlined the walks on offer for the following day. Andrew and Elaine did a wonderful job offering two and sometimes three choices for each day to cater for everyone’s need for speed and elevation. They then managed to work out the transport arrangements for the following day and provided the leaders with gps files.

The theme for the week was set on first morning by beautiful scenery and a walk that involved many ups and downs! Both groups leaving the lodge to walk down a combination of ski runs and trails and then up to Little Buller before descending again and then climbing to the summit of Mt. Buller for superb 360-degree views. The A’s added in a couple of side walks involving more ups and downs. The sign found on the way up to the summit – “Bloody Hell” was an expression that resonated with many of us and may have been called upon at other times during the week as most of us were challenged at some stage.

Other walks for the week included:

Mt. Winstanley where the A’s spent a couple of hours bush bashing on a trail that had become quite overgrown. The plan for the B’s was to avoid this experience but they found their own patch of blackberries to negotiate.

Mt Stirling which offered fantastic views along with the opportunity to see the 300-year-old snow gum which is the only tree growing on the 23 hectare summit at 1725m. It is included in the Register of Significant trees with the National Trust of Australia and in 2016 the tree came 2^nd in the Victorian Tree of the Year competition.

Up or down the west ridge which offered both groups fantastic views while travelling along the spine. Going down required walkers to either have fantastic balance (Mark), good pole skills(Elaine and Chris) or a technique best described by Agnes “I’ve got a bottom I have used it all my life” while those going up had to make use of rock climbing skills as Peter instructed his group maintain three points of contact at all times.

A visit to Plain Creek falls for the B walkers finishing with coffee and ice creams at the Mirimbah General store

A walk along the Howqua River which saw both groups crossing the river 14 times. One member managed to turn this event into a biathlon by including a couple of swimming legs. Two others opted to keep their boots dry by returning by the upper route. The A’s covered 22 km that day and did not arrive back until after 6 pm due to 90 minute drive each way. This was the only day that we experience any rain and by the time we got jackets/ umbrellas out it stopped!

The final day included three options. Ute led a group up the Klingsporn Track from Mirimbah back to the village where they finished with coffee. Catherine led a group down the Klingsporn Track and then back up the Delatite river crossing several times on log bridges to Snow Plough corner. A group of 6 brave A walkers set off from Mirimbah to walk up the Klingsporn Track and McLaughlan’s Ridge to the summit returning by the same route to their cars covering a total distance of 22 km with 1100 m of elevation. Three walkers very wisely decided at the summit that enough was enough and returned to the lodge while the brave three(Chris, Geoff and Mark) continued on!

During all this walking we were lucky or not so lucky to encounter lots of wildlife. Many snakes were present and at times we had to negotiate with them for access to the rest of the path. Lyrebirds, gang gangs, kookaburras, parrots, birds of prey and other birds were both seen and heard. The B’s encountered a lady out walking with her 30-year-old cockatoo for company. Butterflies and lizards of various sizes shared the slopes. Horse riding is a popular past time in the area, and we were lucky enough to see a group at the top of Mt. Stirling. Where necessary we used bike paths but luckily did not encounter a lot of traffic. Lunch and morning tea spots were easy to find. Views were often fantastic or facilities such as high country huts were used.

Day 4 as is traditional was a rest day and most people opted to take a stroll around the village trails filling in the rest of the day at the lodge reading, watching movies, doing some work but of course Mark and Chris couldn’t resist fitting in a little 18 km stroll up and down a few more hills!

We cannot thank Andrew and Elaine enough for all they did to make the week run smoothly. They quietly organised the walks, negotiated with drivers, emptied the dishwasher, took the rubbish out, collected the pizzas for our final dinner and made sure everyone felt included and valued for their contribution.

Click the images below for a larger view.