Getting to Mt Buller – Driving Pt 2

If you decide to drive your car to Mt Buller, would you drive all the way to the Mt Buller village car park, or would you consider leaving the car at the bottom of the mountain? Getting up the mountain in the car may not necessarily be the best or cheapest option when you reach Mansfield or Mirimbah. You can also catch a bus up to the village. So what options are there? In the previous post I discussed the different ways to get to Mt Buller in the car. In this post I’ll look at a couple of options that will get you to Mt Buller Village.

Option One: Taking your car to the Village Car Park.

You would think that if you take your car, as opposed to the bus, it would be cheaper and easier than having to wait for the bus? Well, not exactly.

Unless you have a permit, you cannot take your vehicle to the lodge door. You will need to leave your car at one of the designated car parks surrounding the resort village. From there you can either walk up yourself or you can catch a taxi.

The other thing to think about with driving is that it is a requirement, by law, that you carry snow chains for your car with you during the ski season. If you don’t have chains you will need to hire them. When it is snowing on the summit road, you will be prompted to get out of your car and put them on. Have you driven with chains before? Do you know how to put them on? Personally, I’d rather not have to deal with it.

When you reach the base of Mt Buller, Mirimbah, you will be required to pay a gate entry fee. After going through the gate entry you will arrive at the village car park which is 1.2kms from the village. From there you can either walk up to the village or you can catch the taxi. The taxi service at Mt Buller will meet you at the car park and transport you and your luggage to your lodge. But the Taxi is not complimentary. A taxi fare will include your transport to your lodge, two items of luggage plus skis, poles and boots or board and boots. Any additional luggage is charged $5.50 per item. Two items of luggage might sound like a lot for one person, but if you are staying at a self accommodating lodge, such as Nutcracker, for a week, you need to consider bed linen, food, drinks as well as your clothing.

What is the approximate cost for taking your car up the Mountain?

So, if you are staying for the weekend, arriving Friday night and leaving Sunday afternoon, you will need to consider the following based on two adults.

• $34 Day Entry Fee
• $24 extra to leave car overnight for Friday and Saturday
• $33 chain hire for 3 days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• $68 Taxi fare ($17 per person each way)

Total $189

Adding two children will add $20 for the taxi ($10 per child)

Option Two: Taking the bus.

This is my preferred option. What I like about taking the bus is that it takes you straight to the village. There is no need for chains, no waiting for taxis in the cold and the bus price is all inclusive. Plus you can take what you need, within reason (don’t go packing 5 suitcases!), and you only have to walk 500 meters or so from the village to your lodge.

There are two ways that you can use the bus as a means of getting to Mt Buller.

The first is to leave your car at Mansfield and catch the bus at the bus depot. The service will take you from Mansfield straight to Mt Buller village. The second is to drive to the base of the mountain, Mirimbah, leave your car there and take the bus service to the village.

What will the price be compared to the car?

I’ll base the prices as I did above, so arriving Friday night and leaving Sunday afternoon, and based on two adults:

• $100 return from Mansfield
• $88 return from Mirimbah
• $0 Parking at Mansfield or Mirimbah

Total $100 from Mansfield and $88 from Mirimbah

Adding two children is an extra $68 from Mansfield or $58 from Mirimbah

Conclusion

Although taking the car all the way to the Mt Buller village car park is probably the most comfortable, it’s not necessarily the cheapest. If you add into the equation the petrol cost and if you are hiring a car, it’s almost a no-brainer. For me there is far less hassle when you catch the bus up to the village. In the next post I will look at the other method of getting to Mt Buller from Melbourne, and my recommendation if you are planning a longer stay at Mt Buller: The Bus.