Fire trail walking is not my favourite type of bushwalking. The hardened gravel surface is tough on feet. The trails are designed for practicality rather than the bushwalker’s viewing pleasure. Fire trails also have a tendency to take the most direct (i.e. steepest) way up or down hills. The track to Mt McLeod in Mt Buffalo National Park lived up to those expectations.
It was summer of 2024 and we’d managed to jag one night at short notice at the popular Lake Catani campground on Mt Buffalo. However, a single night at one of my favourite national parks isn’t enough, so I thought we’d bring our hiking gear and take the kids for a night at the remote walk-in campground near Mt McLeod. It’s a 16.5km return slog along fire trail. We soon discovered that this walk is all about the destination rather than the journey. It probably didn’t help that we had to add an extra 3km each way because the access road had been damaged by storms earlier in the year. Still, we set off, all decked out like a mini scout troupe on our summer adventure.
We set off late morning and knocked off the extra 3km reasonably quickly (at least by our standards). Glad to have a grassy spot in the shade by the small stream, we had a bite to eat, rested and consulted the map before starting on the walk proper. The trail started with a moderate uphill slog to get the blood pumping. After a while we came to a junction where we had the option of remaining on the fire trail or taking the shortcut track, which is a proper bushwalking track through the eucalypt forest. I consulted the young scouts, and the unanimous vote was to get off the fire trail. It was a good decision. It was nice to be more among the trees and see greater variety of vegetation at our feet. The trail dropped down into a gully and got a bit overgrown in places, but once it climbed back up the other side it was quite pleasant walking. Eventually we met back up with the fire trail, and the foot slog continued.
The day was pretty warm and we were constantly mopping away the sweat. Feet and shoulders were getting sore and the scouts were no longer in such good spirits. We wanted to find a spot to stop for a break, but everywhere was just so boring. We kept saying maybe just up here or around the next bend. Anything a bit more scenic than sitting on the dusty road with no view. Eventually we crossed a small watercourse where the vegetation changed slightly, and we found some lush green grass by the edge of the track that we decided would do nicely. Resting our tired legs, we listened to the sound of some parrots in the trees above. A small reprieve from the trudge of the trail.
After our lunch the trail climbed quite steeply. We hoped that as we reached higher altitudes we might get a view of our destination or see something other than the trunks of trees. Alas, no views were to be found. We trudged along, and the questions started to ring in the air as to whether we were nearly there. At each bend in the trail, greeted by more monotonous fire trail snaking out ahead, the answer was no, we still had a way to go. Only once did we get a bit of a view, as the trail passed over some rocky granite and a break in the trees revealed a view south towards the Hump and the Cathedral. After that it was nothing but trail and trees. We gave the trail a new moniker – the MMMFF (the Mt McLeod Monotonous Effing Firetrail).
It was a seeming eternity, but eventually we saw a gap in the trees and a clearing appearing ahead. We barely dared to hope that this could be our destination, but thankfully it was. A meadow of alpine grass spread out before us, and we all gladly dropped our packs and started the obligatory exploration for the best spot to pitch the tents. There were a lot of suitably flat and grassy spots. The only problem was that those annoying little black ants seemed to have already claimed many of these spots as their own. There were soon armies of them racing all over our packs. We managed to find a spot that was less ant-ridden and set up camp for the night. We’d seen no other soul all day, but were pleased to see a few other walkers arriving later in the afternoon.
As the sun drew lower in the sky, we laced up boots again and headed up to the Mt McLeod summit. A good track, climbing up through granite boulders to reveal a view over the expanse of Mt Buffalo and surrounding region. The scouts played games among the rocks as the light grew golden and we watched the sun dip and finally disappear in the west. We carefully made our way back down with the track lit by twilight, and settled in for the night.
In the morning dew glistened on the snowgrass and on the webs of spiders who had strung their fine silk between the branches of the young eucalyptus trees. Birds twittered as sunlight gradually appeared on the trees at the top of the surrounding peaks. A glorious morning in the Australian alpine country. At that moment it was worth every damn step on that MMMFF.
We had a relatively leisurely morning, breakfasting and packing up without any great urgency. The scouts were ready to head back and didn’t want to explore further afield. On the way back two of the scouts and I took a brief detour up to one of the peaks for a bit of a look, enjoying a brief vantage above the trees. For most of the walk back spirits were reasonably high considering we were retracing the same tedious ground. Maybe it helped that we knew what to expect, or perhaps it was because there was promise of a burger and a motel bed for the night awaiting us in the nearby town of Bright.
We opted to stick on the fire trail all the way back, which meant a steep uphill slog on the section we would have missed had we taken the shortcut track. We passed a ranger who stopped for a chat. It’s always a pleasure to speak to the people that work and love these places, and it also helps the kids to get a bit of praise for their efforts on a walk like this. A few more kilometres of trail and we were back at the trailhead. Now we just had the final bonus 3km to go and a drive down the mountain standing between us and a good feed. Two of the scouts even managed to break into a run when the car came into view. We did it! It was a tedious walk but a lovely destination. More importantly it was precious time for me with my three little scouts.
A swim in the chill mountain waters of Lake Catani washed away the dust and sweat before we returned to civilization.
For more info on this walk, to book the remote campsites, or for other information on Mt Buffalo National Park go to the Parks Victoria website.
For other ideas and accommodation options in the area, see Visit Bright and Surrounds.
I also highly recommend a visit to Alpine Light Gallery while in the area.
