Fly over Mount Buffalo National Park

Mount Buffalo

Established in 1898, Mount Buffalo is one of Victoria’s oldest and best-loved national parks. It is a geological treasure, rich in plant and animal life, attracting many different types of visitors.

You can almost smell the crisp, fresh air as you watch this 360-degree video showcasing some of the most impressive parts of Mount Buffalo National Park - giant tors, deep gorges, tranquil alpine meadows, tumbling waterfalls, Snow Gum woodlands and spectacular panoramic views of the nearby Alps.

A unique landscape

Hundreds of millions of years ago in the area where Mount Buffalo now stands, molten rock from the earth’s core bubbled up through the inner layers and failed to burst through the soft sedimentary crust. It cooled very slowly and turned into huge masses of granite below the surface. Over time, wind and rain has eroded away the top layers of sediment covering this granite mass and revealed the incredible rocky terrain that we call Mount Buffalo.

The crystal structure of granite makes it peel away in layers, which is what causes the rounded shapes and deep grooves in the cliff faces and boulder crops across the national park landscape.

This area is home to more than 550 species of native plants, including some found nowhere else on Earth, such as the Buffalo Sallee tree. It is also home to many native animals, including the migratory Bogong Moth, which is a particularly significant species to the Taungurung people.

What are we looking at?

Lake Catani at dawn truly is a magical site. Surrounded by Snow Gum woodlands, this lake is a popular spot for visitors and looks vastly different in each of the seasons. Misty during autumn, full of swimmers in summer, frozen over and snow-covered during winter and sparkling in spring.

Did you know? Lake Catani is man-made. Completed in 1910 and named after Carlo Catani, Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department, who designed and constructed the lake. It was part of a larger project to establish Mount Buffalo as a tourist destination.

Flying over The Gorge you can see why this place attracts thousands of visitors each year. The dramatic rock formations, sheer cliff faces some 300-metres high and imposing granite tors are spectacular all year round. Across the floodplains of the Ovens Valley you can just see the Victorian Alps, the southernmost point of Australia’s Great Dividing Range.

Ladies Bath Falls is one of Mount Buffalos special gems. In the early 20th century, travelers would stop here to cool off on their way to the Mount Buffalo chalet. The men and women would separate and this is where the women would come to dip their toes in the refreshing waters of Crystal Brook. This waterfall is fed by the creek which flows over the rim of The Gorge. The creek’s constant flow of water over millions of years is what has formed the huge chasm in the rock.

Scattered among the great granite boulders throughout the park are the twisted, sun-bleached trunks of Snow Gums that have been severely impacted by bushfires over the years but have managed to survive.

Did you know? It can snow here at any time of the year. Being an alpine environment conditions can change quickly and dramatically. The weather can turn from bright sunshine to blizzard conditions in only a few hours. Visitors should come well prepared at all times of the year!