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Elevation: 5,653 ft
GPS: -36.73889, 146.77459
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Page Views: 1,851 total · 19/month
Shared By: Stu-Oz on Mar 25, 2016
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Description Suggest change

An alpine plateau with amazing granite with some of the tallest routes in oz.

Trad climbing is the go, ranging from single pitch crags to long multipitch routes plus some bouldering for good measure. The area key gems are however its long routes, smearing super crystalline granite slabs and jamming endless cracks.

Buffalo Gorge is also home to some of the key aid climbing routes in Australia such as Ozymandias (280m, M4 aid or Gr28 free) with some super sketchier outings which theoretically fall off the Australian aid climbing grade system (M9,A6? anyone).

Accessing routes can be an adventure in themselves with rappels, dank vegetated gorges and bush-bashing common. Best try and find someone who knows the area a bit or your dawn start will turn into sometime around lunch, even with the guide book. Keep a close eye out for the ducks/cairns/small rock piles.

As an alpine area the weather can be changeable attracting bad weather even in summer. Watch for the aspect of the route as an all day mission on a sun baked granite face in Australia will quickly turn epic.

Despite all this the area is amazing with a presence of its own - and generally quiet apart from a few of the most accessible shorter trade routes. Possibly under appreciated in Oz, even by Ozzies its well worth a visit if committing trad lines or clean aid are your thing.

Even in its not your thing there are other great activities to do up there, hiking, swimming in mountain lakes, caving with glow worms, picnicking on portaledges...

Getting There Suggest change

An easy 3 1/2 hour drive from Melbourne gets you to the great tourist town of Bright with its microbreweries, tasty food and family friendly atmosphere. The mountain is 45 minutes up hill from there. Bright is a good base for Buffalo, but there's also nearer campsites before your head up hill (full service type) near Porepunka to cut down the commute.

The closest option of course is camping in the National park at Lake Catani up on the mountain itself but it books out quick in the summer months.

Once your there some routes are 5 minutes from the car park, some are a multi hour, rap bush bash ordeal/adventure in themselves, especially if your hauling a troublesome pig...

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