One of the lesser known but quite possibly one of the best hikes in the Victorian high country is the spectacular rocky plateau known simply as The Bluff. The Bluff is located across the Howqua Valley from Mt. Buller. To undertake this hike you have to leave early in the morning and head towards Mansfield. From Mansfield it is about two hours of dirt road driving to reach the Bluff trailhead.

The dirt road is called the Howqua Track and is the same road I traveled on earlier this year to check out the damage from the 2006 bushfires. It was interesting to see the further regeneration of the forest from the fires:

Many of the tree tops are still scorched, but the ground is quickly recovering and filled with new ferns and other plant life:

A thick green moss could be seen climbing up many of the trees as well:

About an hour into the ride up the Howqua Track I reached the Sheepyard Flat Campground, which the Howqua River runs through:

As I travelled further up the road the fire damage was less evident:

Not to far passed Sheepyard Flat I officially entered into Alpine National Park:

The road was becoming rougher and I was definitely gaining altitude as I proceeded further into the park:

The gain in altitude was beginning to give me some outstanding views of the surrounding Victorian high country:

Before long the Bluff came into view and was quite an impressive sight:

Above is the mountain I was planning on climbing up and is one of the most impressive mountains I have seen in all of Australia. Not to far from where I first spotted the mountain I came upon the trailhead:

The Parks Victoria website recommends using two days for this hike, but I was starting early enough to where I planned to do it in one day. Here is the route I planned on taking up the mountain:

The summit of the Bluff reaches to a maximum altitude of 1,725 meters and was going to be one of the highest mountains I’ve hiked up since I’ve been here in Australia. I was definitely looking forward to it.

Next Posting: Hiking Up the Bluff - Part 2