Trip Overview

Towering above the Ovens Valley in NE Victoria, Mt Buffalo has numerous walking trails over its large plateau, one of which is to the 1525m peak of Mt McLeod at its northern end.

 

This walk involves a short 8km/3hour pack-carry to a pleasant grassy campsite, where an overnight stay provides the opportunity (weather permitting) for spectacular sunset and sunrise views from the nearby Mt McLeod summit.

Departure from Melbourne will be Saturday morning, meeting at Porepunkah ~10:30am before driving up Mt Buffalo.   Some shorter walks on the Mt Buffalo plateau (not requiring a full pack) will be done prior to the main pack-carry to Mt McLeod. 

 

Camping

Parks Victoria restrict the number of campers at Mt McLeod to 10, so there is a strict limit for this walk.   There is a camping fee of $5/person, payable at the time of booking, in addition to any booking fee.

Although weather in November is generally mild and pleasant with snow long-gone, as the camping is at ~1500m  altitude you will still need to have a suitable tent, warm sleeping bag and waterproof jacket to cope with potentially cold (~zero-degree) overnight temperatures (if the sky is clear) and rain (if it isn’t).

Water is generally available from a creek near the campsite, however if El Nino kicks in and October and November prove to be relatively dry months, participants may be advised to carry sufficient water to last from mid-afternoon Saturday until midday Sunday.

 

Itinerary and Walk Descriptions

Distance: 16km (8km Sat, 8km Sun) with full-pack, plus a few extra kilometers of short walks with light-pack.

All walking is on tracks, there are a few hills but no prolonged climbing.  This trip is suitable for those who haven’t pack-carried for a while or even as an introduction to pack-carrying provided you are comfortable with medium grade day walks in hilly terrain and have adequate camping gear for an alpine area.

 

Transport

Transport to and from the walk location is by car. Please indicate your transport requirements and preferences on the booking request form.

Drivers can choose whether they wish to take passengers or not.

Passengers must pay the driver their share of car-pooling costs as described on the Car-pooling page. Please discuss the preferred method of payment with your driver.

 

Booking

Booking is required for this walk. Please indicate what similar walks you have done recently (i.e. in the past few months) to give the leader confidence that you are capable of doing this one. Refer to Walking Grades which, in conjunction with the walk description, will help you assess whether you have the required walking fitness and experience to do this walk.

The Leader will confirm your acceptance on the walk (or not) and provide details of where and when to meet .

By booking into this event you acknowledge that you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct.

Booking Fee:
Members:  5$ + Booking fee (nil) = 5$.
Non-members: 5$ + Booking fee ($10) = 15$.

Payment:
Members and non-members are required to pre-pay their fee for this event.
You can pay by Paypal. If you are not a Paypal member, you can use Paypal to pay by credit or debit card.

Cancellation:
If you need to cancel, please advise the leader as soon as possible, so that someone else has the opportunity.
There will be no refunds, so please do not book unless you are fully committed to walking on this weekend.

 

What to Bring

• All the equipment, clothing, food and water you will need for the walks and overnight stays (refer Trip details above).

Refer to our Gear Checklist page for more details, or discuss with the leader.  If you are not properly equipped, the walk leader can decide not to let you participate on this walk.

 

Emergency Club Contact

The emergency club contact for this walk is Ken.  The leader can provide you with the contact’s phone number, if you wish to pass this on to any friend/family member who may be concerned if you return late.

 

Safety and Ambulance Insurance

We strongly recommend that you have Ambulance cover. If conditions are hazardous, the walk may be cancelled. If any doubts at all, check your emails the night before and the morning of the event. For more details refer to: Joining a walk and your safety

 

Still have questions?

Check out What happens on a walk.

Check out Weekend and extended walks.

Contact the leader using the “Enquiry” button.

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