Mount Buller (Victoria)

This article is about the mountain. For the town, see Mount Buller, Victoria. For the ski resort, see Mount Buller Alpine Resort. For the mountain nearby, see Mount Bulla Bulla.

Mount Buller
Warrinebut
Mount Buller from the Howqua Valley
Highest point
Elevation1,805 metres (5,922 ft) AHD[1][2]
ListingMountains of Victoria
Coordinates37°8′43″S 146°25′34″E / 37.14528°S 146.42611°E / -37.14528; 146.42611[3]
Geography
Mount Buller is located in Victoria
Mount Buller
Mount Buller
Location in Victoria
CountryAustralia
StateVictoria
Parent rangeVictorian Alps, Great Dividing Range
Climbing
Easiest routeHike; ski

Mount Buller is a mountain in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, located in the Australian state of Victoria. It has an elevation of 1,805 metres (5,922 ft) AHD.[1]

Toponym

The British explorer and surveyor Major Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell named the mountain after an acquaintance in the Colonial Office, Charles Buller.[4] The local Indigenous Taungurong name for the mountain is Warrinebut.[5]

Geography

The summit of Buller can be approached by vehicle via the village coupled with a short 500 metres (1,600 ft) walk. It is also possible to climb the peak from Delatite River level along the Klingsporn walking track. The Klingsporn track was originally a bridle trail used by stockmen taking their cattle up to high ground during the summer months.

The walk begins at Merimbah and is a 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) walk on a well defined track. Mclaughlin Spur offers good views to the summit fire tower and the rocky outcrops that must be traversed. At the summit there is a stone distance dial and a fire tower that is staffed during the summer months.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification scheme, Mount Buller has a very cold oceanic climate (Cfb) / subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) under the −3 °C isotherm, or a humid continental climate (Dfb) / subarctic climate (Dfc) under the 0 °C isotherm, with cool summers and cold, very snowy winters. On average, Mount Buller receives 67.6 snowy days annually, the greatest figure for any mainland Australian site.[6]

Due to its far south-western location in the alpine region, Mount Buller is more susceptible to cold airmasses which allow it to record some of the lowest maximum temperatures and daytime readings in the country, despite being considerably lower in elevation than other mountain sites to the north-east. On 5 September 1995, a maximum temperature of just −6.2 °C (20.8 °F) was registered at Mount Buller; the same day at Thredbo Top Station saw a maximum of −6.0 °C (21.2 °F), some 250 metres (820 ft) higher than Buller. On 3 February 2023, at the height of summer, Mount Buller reached a top of just 0.9 °C (33.6 °F).[7]

Climate data for Mount Buller (1985–2022, rainfall to 1948); 1,707 m AMSL; 37.15° S, 146.44° E
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 30.3
(86.5) 		30.7
(87.3) 		26.0
(78.8) 		21.6
(70.9) 		16.5
(61.7) 		12.7
(54.9) 		15.3
(59.5) 		10.8
(51.4) 		16.7
(62.1) 		21.6
(70.9) 		26.1
(79.0) 		27.7
(81.9) 		30.7
(87.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 17.6
(63.7) 		17.1
(62.8) 		14.2
(57.6) 		9.9
(49.8) 		6.1
(43.0) 		3.2
(37.8) 		1.4
(34.5) 		2.0
(35.6) 		4.9
(40.8) 		8.7
(47.7) 		12.3
(54.1) 		14.7
(58.5) 		9.3
(48.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 9.1
(48.4) 		8.8
(47.8) 		6.7
(44.1) 		3.7
(38.7) 		1.0
(33.8) 		−1.3
(29.7) 		−2.6
(27.3) 		−2.5
(27.5) 		−0.7
(30.7) 		1.5
(34.7) 		4.6
(40.3) 		6.4
(43.5) 		2.9
(37.2)
Record low °C (°F) −3.5
(25.7) 		−2.6
(27.3) 		−4.5
(23.9) 		−6.9
(19.6) 		−6.9
(19.6) 		−9.1
(15.6) 		−10.2
(13.6) 		−8.7
(16.3) 		−8.4
(16.9) 		−7.6
(18.3) 		−5.8
(21.6) 		−5.1
(22.8) 		−10.2
(13.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 79.7
(3.14) 		73.2
(2.88) 		81.6
(3.21) 		111.2
(4.38) 		141.4
(5.57) 		155.6
(6.13) 		165.8
(6.53) 		161.7
(6.37) 		144.0
(5.67) 		145.0
(5.71) 		126.8
(4.99) 		100.1
(3.94) 		1,486.1
(58.52)
Average precipitation days 7.7 6.9 8.4 10.5 13.7 14.9 17.0 17.2 14.4 14.2 11.5 9.4 145.8
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) 66 66 69 79 85 89 90 91 87 78 71 68 78
Source: [8]

Resort

The Mount Buller Alpine Resort is a popular destination in winter for skiers and snowboarders of all abilities who wish to attend for the day. With it only being a 3 hour drive, it is the nearest major downhill ski resort to Melbourne. In the warmer months, it provides a base for day visitors and hikers in the Victorian Alps.

  • Aerial photo of Mount Buller.
    Aerial photo of Mount Buller.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Place Names Search:Mount Buller". Geoscience Australia. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  2. ^ "Topographic map of Mount Buller". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Mount Buller". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  4. ^ "Mount Buller". Victorian Places. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  5. ^ Robinson, George Augustus; Clark, Ian (2014). The Travels of George Augustus Robinson, Chief Protector, Port Phillip Aboriginal Protectorate. CreateSpace. ISBN 9781499662078.
  6. ^ Annual snow days sorted in descending order of average occurrence by australianweathernews.com
  7. ^ "Mt Buller Daily Summaries". www.weatherzone.com.au. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Climate statistics for Mount Buller". Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 24 June 2014.