ALPINE NATIONAL PARK
So much to see, so much to do – it’s no wonder our national parks are high on the list of favourite destinations. The Alpine National Park covers 646,000 hectares, with Mount Bogong, Mount Feathertop and the rolling high plains its best known features.
Dinner Plain and Falls Creek both have year-round accommodation, so it’s easy to immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, flora, fauna and alpine activities.
The park is home to more than 1100 native plant species, 12 of which (including the Bogong daisy bush and silky daisy) are only found here. Among its fauna is the rare mountain pygmy-possum, the world’s only exclusively alpine marsupial, which stores food to last through the winter.
And as you drive or walk higher and higher in the park, you’ll find the alpine climate creates marked changes in the vegetation. Alpine ash occupy the mountain forests, while snow gums dominate once you reach the snowline. Way up in exposed areas, where winter conditions are too harsh for trees, are heathlands, alpine herb fields, grasslands and moss beds, which all display exquisite alpine flowers in the warmer months.
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MOUNT BUFFALO NATIONAL PARK
For a park of only 31,000 hectares, Mount Buffalo manages to cram in an extraordinary range of attractions and activities. Declared a national park in 1898, Mount Buffalo is loved by bushwalkers, adventurers and birdwatchers alike – and by those who just want to take it easy in the clear mountain air.
A stroll in the warmer months will reveal many birds, so keep an eye out for lyrebirds scratching along track edges for insects and grubs. At dusk and dawn you might see wallabies, wombats and possums, while around the Horn, raven often dart in and out of crevices to feed on the Bogong moths while peregrine falcons nest in the granite rock faces. The one bird you won’t miss is the brilliant crimson rosella which is abundant throughout the park.
Highlights of Mount Buffalo are the network of walking tracks – Lake Catani for canoeing, camping, fishing and swimming, and the Gorge for adventure activities.
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