Mount Donna Buang
Encyclopedia
Located approximately 80 km from Melbourne
, Mount Donna Buang in Victoria, Australia, at 1250 metres (4,101 ft) is the closest snowfield to Melbourne
.
In winter, it usually receives snow suitable for snowplay and tobogganing, and during the non winter months the area is well visited by bushwalkers. The summit of Mount Donna Buang is surrounded by Alpine ash trees and Sub alpine snow gums, and at nearby Cement Creek there is a raised walkway through Myrtle Beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii) and Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans
) trees known as the Mount Donna Buang Skywalk.
Mount Donna Buang is part of the Yarra Ranges National Park
(formed in 1995) in which there are a number of species that have become rare or threatened, including the Slender Tree Fern, and the Geebung Tree. It contains a number of native mammals including the endangered Leadbeater's Possum
, and is home to 120 different species of native birds. Some examples include the Pink Robin
, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
and the Crimson Rosella
.
The nearest serviced town to the mountain is Warburton
.
) is endemic
to the area.
Aborigines.
A walking track to the summit of Mount Donna Buang was cut during the 1890s and the much wider Donna Buang Bridle Track, which the current road from Warburton to the top of Mount Donna Buang follows, was opened in 1912.
In 1924, the Ski Club of Victoria built an 8 feet (2.4 m) track for skiers on the top of Mount Donna Buang. Being the nearest location to Melbourne where you could ski, the mountain was well patronised and both the Ski Club of Victoria and the Melbourne University Ski Club built huts on the mountain to cater for their members. During the 1930s the Warburton Ski Club was officially formed as well. The first observation tower was erected shortly after the bridle track was opened.
Mount Donna Buang is a challenging cycling route, averaging 6.2% over 16.6km and has also become a popular destination for recreational driving, motorcycling, and in the summer a challenging training route for endurance cyclists and triathletes.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Mount Donna Buang in Victoria, Australia, at 1250 metres (4,101 ft) is the closest snowfield to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
In winter, it usually receives snow suitable for snowplay and tobogganing, and during the non winter months the area is well visited by bushwalkers. The summit of Mount Donna Buang is surrounded by Alpine ash trees and Sub alpine snow gums, and at nearby Cement Creek there is a raised walkway through Myrtle Beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii) and Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria...
) trees known as the Mount Donna Buang Skywalk.
Mount Donna Buang is part of the Yarra Ranges National Park
Yarra Ranges National Park
Yarra Ranges is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 92 km east of Melbourne. It covers the headwaters of the Yarra River in the ranges themselves and several water catchments for Melbourne's domestic water supply....
(formed in 1995) in which there are a number of species that have become rare or threatened, including the Slender Tree Fern, and the Geebung Tree. It contains a number of native mammals including the endangered Leadbeater's Possum
Leadbeater's Possum
Leadbeater's Possum is an endangered possum restricted to small pockets of remaining old growth mountain ash forests in the central highlands of Victoria north-east of Melbourne...
, and is home to 120 different species of native birds. Some examples include the Pink Robin
Pink Robin
The Pink Robin is a small passerine bird native to southeastern Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae family, it is sexually dimorphic...
, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
The Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo is a large cockatoo native to the south-east of Australia measuring 55–65 cm in length. It has a short crest on the top of its head. Its plumage is mostly brownish black and it has prominent yellow cheek patches and a yellow tail band...
and the Crimson Rosella
Crimson Rosella
The Crimson Rosella is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The species as it now stands has subsumed two former separate species, the Yellow...
.
The nearest serviced town to the mountain is Warburton
Warburton, Victoria
Warburton is a town in Victoria, Australia, 72 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Warburton had a population of 2288....
.
Flora and fauna
The rare and possibly endangered Mount Donna Buang Wingless Stonefly (Riekoperla darlingtoniRiekoperla darlingtoni
Riekoperla darlingtoni, the Mount Donna Buang wingless stonefly, is a species of stonefly in the family Gripopterygidae, which is endemic to Australia.-Distribution:...
) is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the area.
History
In the 1860s, “Mount Acland” was the name given to the 1,250m high mountain by a Police Magistrate called Joseph Panton. The name it has today, “Mount Donna Buang”, came from the WurundjeriWurundjeri
The Wurundjeri are a people of the Indigenous Australian nation of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance, who occupy the Birrarung Valley, its tributaries and the present location of Melbourne, Australia...
Aborigines.
A walking track to the summit of Mount Donna Buang was cut during the 1890s and the much wider Donna Buang Bridle Track, which the current road from Warburton to the top of Mount Donna Buang follows, was opened in 1912.
In 1924, the Ski Club of Victoria built an 8 feet (2.4 m) track for skiers on the top of Mount Donna Buang. Being the nearest location to Melbourne where you could ski, the mountain was well patronised and both the Ski Club of Victoria and the Melbourne University Ski Club built huts on the mountain to cater for their members. During the 1930s the Warburton Ski Club was officially formed as well. The first observation tower was erected shortly after the bridle track was opened.
Mount Donna Buang is a challenging cycling route, averaging 6.2% over 16.6km and has also become a popular destination for recreational driving, motorcycling, and in the summer a challenging training route for endurance cyclists and triathletes.