Lake Catani Campground is open seasonally.
Currently the campground is closed and there are no facilities open. The closest options for vehicle based camping are:
- Buckland River valley (DEECA managed camping areas in the state forest) link
- Smoko Streamside Reserve on the Ovens River (DEECA managed camping area)
- Nug Nug Reserve in the Buffalo River valley link
- or local caravan parks in Bright and Porepunkah
Hike-in camping is available at the more remote camping sites of Rocky Creek and Mount McLeod. There is no vehicle access to these sites. There is a pit toilet and the areas are fuel stove only. There are four campsites at each location. Bookings online at www.parks.vic.gov.au/stay or by contacting the Parks Victoria Information Centre on 13 1963.
Lake Catani Campground reopens on Friday, 1st November 2024 prior to the Melbourne Cup day weekend.
The following parks will be closed while aerial shooting operations targeting deer
are undertaken:
11-15 Nov 2024
18-22 Nov 2024
3-7 Feb 2025
·
Alpine
National Park (Bogong High Plains, Mt Bogong, Feathertop)
·
Mt
Buffalo National Park
·
Mt
Mittamatite (Mitta Mitta) Regional Park
·
Wabba
Wilderness Park
·
Burrowa-Pine
Mountain National Park
3-7 Mar 2025
·
Alpine
National Park (Bogong High Plains, Mt Bogong, Feathertop, Dinner Plain/Dargo
High Plains, Howitt, Wellington & Snowy Plains)
More
information will be posted here prior to operations commencing. Visitors are
advised to check the
Change
of conditions listing prior to arrival for up to date information and
maps.
For more information about the program please visit this link.
Reservoir Road has been damaged extensively by a storm on June 8th 2023. Mt Buffalo National Park had 176mm of rain fall in 24 hours. Reservoir Road will be closed indefinitely to vehicle traffic until considerable repairs can be made.
Update: 15 Feb 2024. We are aiming for Reservoir Rd to reopen to vehicle traffic at the beginning of November 2024.
The closure of Reservoir Road adds an additional 3kms each way for walks to Mt McLeod, Rocky Creek, Eagle Point and Og Gog & McGog.
Parking is available at the junction of Reservoir Road and Mt Buffalo Road near the Vic Roads depot.
The road remains accessible for walkers and mountain bike riders.
Control operations (ground shooting) targeting
deer are undertaken in this area. The
Park will remain open to visitors during operations.
For more information about deer control to
protect biodiversity, please visit this link.
There is no vehicle based camping available at Mount Buffalo.
The Lake Catani Campground and the Rocky Creek and Mt McLeod remote hike-in campsites are not accessible by vehicle.
Winter camping is available at Lake Catani Campground. However, this requires a 2km walk from The Chalet carpark or the closed gate on the junction of Lake Catani Track and Mt Buffalo Road. Refer to the 'Change of Conditions' notice for information on when Lake Catani Campground is open to vehicle based camping.
The nearest free camping is available at Smoko, on the Ovens River, or numerous sites in the Buckland Valley. There are also fee-paying caravan and camping parks in Porepunkah and Bright.
Car or tent based camping is not allowed at any other locations in Mt Buffalo National Park. Penalties apply.
Lake Catani campground has two distinct seasons in which camping is permitted:
Summer camping period - bookings required
Summer camping is available from the Friday before Melbourne Cup Day in November until May 1st.
Winter camping - no bookings required
Winter camping is available from the Friday before Kings Birthday long weekend in June until the end of August. During winter Lake Catani Campground is only accessible by skiing, snowshoeing or walking the 2 kms from the gate on Mt Buffalo Road. During winter facilities are limited to a pit toilet, the Stone Hut and firepits. For more information on winter camping refer to the Mt Buffalo winter visitor guide.
Campground CLOSED
Lake Catani Campground is closed for camping from May 1st until the Friday before Kings Birthday and from August 31st until the Friday before Melbourne Cup Day. Penalties apply for camping during these periods at Lake Catani Campground.
Remote hike-in camping sites
Remote hike-in campsites at Mt McLeod and Rocky Creek remain open year round. There are limited sites at each location and bookings are made online.