Every season is Tom Sanchez’s favourite at Mt Buffalo, where he works as Parks Victoria Ranger Team Leader. 

Tom began his career as a geologist working in the mineral industry. Australian born but keen to work overseas, Tom was employed by the National Park Service in California, based in Yosemite National Park as a restoration ecologist doing a post-fire count of Sequoias and carrying out habitat assessments. Loving land management, he returned to Australia and studied a Masters of Environment and Sustainability at Monash, then started applying for jobs in Victoria.

Tom working hard to support revegetation projects. Credit: Parks Victoria

How did you get started as Ranger team leader at Mt Buffalo?

I started at Parks Victoria in 2018 as a seasonal ranger at Wilson's Promontory. I've worked at Mt Buffalo since 2021. My workday is very different to what it was 2 years ago when I was a ranger on the ground. I’m managing a lot of stakeholder engagement as well as managing a team of 3 rangers. But I still love getting out into the field with the team and working with them and sharing some of the knowledge that I've acquired over my time being up here.

We've got two really busy seasons at Buffalo, winter and summer. Right now we’ve got snow on the ground outside, with 2 toboggan slopes running. Entry is free at Buffalo. Each weekend we're getting around 600 plus cars per day through the gates. School holidays will probably pump those numbers up - it’s a great winter season so far! We’re a small team and we operate as a pseudo-resort over winter, grooming trails and toboggan slopes for snow play. In summer we manage Lake Catani Campground which is a 47-site campground. That runs from Melbourne Cup day until the end of April. Overall, there's a lot of stakeholders and licensed tour operators and camp hosts that I work with and manage to make sure the visitor experience is really good. 

What is your favourite memory of working at Mt Buffalo?

It has probably been working on a revegetation project at Buffalo, the Bushbank project. I secured funding for that back in 2022 and it's now running in its final year. Last year we put plants in the ground for the first time. It was really great to see all of our work in procurement and weed control and working with traditional owners and working with experienced Alpine ecologists to get to that stage. The areas that we were re-vegetating were quite a far away from road access and a lot of our hauling of materials was done by hand and with a Polaris side-by-side to get straw bales and planting equipment out there. We engaged lots of volunteers and local staff working and those days are great, seeing the fruits of your labour.

Tom (right) working with a Parks Victoria colleague on revegetation projects. Credit: Parks Victoria

What else do you like about your job?

Getting out with crew and walking on country and having a chat with people who really know the land that we're working in at Buffalo or Alpine National Park. It's really great to listen to them talk about their experiences. There are people who have managed this land before and there'll be people who do it after us. So, it's really great to keep learning.
I’ve lived at Buffalo for 5 years and I spend a lot of my personal time out into the park. As soon as it comes around to flower season, I get pretty excited. We get wattles shooting up on the north face of the hill from late August or early September and from there it's basically week on, week off with a new flower. It's another chapter of the year; you've got the snow, you've got the heat, you've got the beautiful autumn and then you've got spring coming back to life. Every three months, I reckon this is my favourite time of year.

Any advice for people wanting to become rangers?

Volunteer with friends groups, directly with us or apply for Parks Victoria jobs or FFMV positions as a project firefighter. Study NRM/ land management courses and come and talk to me. I'd be super excited to get people volunteering and doing work with us. I think on ground experience, whether it's volunteering or going out and getting your chainsaw ticket is invaluable. Those practical skills, especially at a place like Buffalo are super important. We've got a lot of assets up here and there's often issues that we need to problem solve on the spot.

World Ranger Day

Founded by the International Ranger Federation in 2007, World Ranger Day is internationally celebrated on 31 July. It's a day to celebrate the great work rangers do and commemorate those who are injured or killed in the line of duty.

Our rangers come from all walks of life, and their work is as diverse as the environments they manage. 

We’re proud of the work they do every day – partnering with Traditional Owners and local communities to care for iconic landscapes and make sure all Victorians can enjoy the outdoors. 

For more information on World Ranger Day, visit the International Ranger Federation’s website.