Mount Baw Baw
Mount Baw Baw | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,567 metres (5,141 ft) AHD |
Coordinates | 37°50′22″S 146°16′33″E / 37.83944°S 146.27583°E |
Geography | |
Location near Shire of Baw Baw | |
Location | Victoria, Australia |
Parent range | Baw Baw Plateau, Great Dividing Range |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | Hike/ski |
Mount Baw Baw (
The
Location
Mount Baw Baw is about 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of Melbourne and 50 km (31 mi) north of the
rivers to the south.Geology and biology
The Baw Baw
The climate of the plateau itself is subalpine, with an average annual precipitation of 1,900 mm (75 in). Snow covers the plateau from June to September.
It is thought that Baron Ferdinand von Mueller made the first recorded European ascent of Baw Baw in 1860,[4] naming Christmas Creek on one of his major collecting expeditions. It was on this trip that he collected the Baw Baw Berry, Wittsteinia vacciniacea. There are two routes up the mountain; one via Noojee and Icy Creek which is very winding, and the unsealed South Face Road via Erica.[5]
Mount Baw Baw is home to the critically endangered Baw Baw Frog.[4]
Climate
Mount Baw Baw has a
Summers are cool with temperatures rarely rising above 25 °C (77 °F); summers can also be very cold, with a maximum temperature of just −0.4 °C (31.3 °F) recorded on 25 December 2006, and 1.0 °C (33.8 °F) on both 11 Jan 2012 and 16 Feb 1998. During the
Climate data for Mount Baw Baw (1997–2022); 1,561 m AMSL; 37.84° S, 146.27° E | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 30.9 (87.6) |
31.3 (88.3) |
26.2 (79.2) |
20.6 (69.1) |
16.2 (61.2) |
12.6 (54.7) |
10.0 (50.0) |
13.1 (55.6) |
16.6 (61.9) |
21.2 (70.2) |
26.0 (78.8) |
27.7 (81.9) |
31.3 (88.3) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) |
16.4 (61.5) |
13.9 (57.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
6.4 (43.5) |
3.5 (38.3) |
2.2 (36.0) |
2.9 (37.2) |
5.7 (42.3) |
8.9 (48.0) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.7 (58.5) |
9.5 (49.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.8 (47.8) |
8.1 (46.6) |
6.3 (43.3) |
3.9 (39.0) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
1.7 (35.1) |
4.2 (39.6) |
5.9 (42.6) |
3.0 (37.5) |
Record low °C (°F) | −2.0 (28.4) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 93.9 (3.70) |
94.8 (3.73) |
107.5 (4.23) |
137.8 (5.43) |
122.6 (4.83) |
151.2 (5.95) |
162.7 (6.41) |
181.2 (7.13) |
161.9 (6.37) |
152.4 (6.00) |
164.6 (6.48) |
136.5 (5.37) |
1,797.2 (70.76) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 12.3 | 11.9 | 13.8 | 14.9 | 15.3 | 15.7 | 19.5 | 19.9 | 16.0 | 17.0 | 15.8 | 14.6 | 186.7 |
Average afternoon relative humidity (%)
|
71 | 73 | 75 | 81 | 83 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 82 | 77 | 73 | 80 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Mount Baw Baw |
Ski resort
The summit is located within the boundaries of the Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort, an unincorporated area of Victoria.[5] There are about 30 hectares (74 acres) of mainly beginner-intermediate ski runs. Seven lifts service a variety of runs, with the highest going almost to the top of Mount Baw Baw with a 91 m (299 ft) rise. The resort village is at the bottom of the lifts, offering ski in-ski out access. In addition to the downhill runs there are a number of cross country trails offering access to other parts of the Baw Baw plateau. Like most lower-lying Australian ski resorts, snow cover varies greatly from year to year, but is regularly available for the local ski season from about July to the end of September.
The alpine resort village has modern facilities and caters for both day-trippers and long-term visitors, with accommodation, ski hire, food outlets, medical and information centres all within walking distance of the car parks.[6]
Walking
During the summer months, Mt Baw Baw is popular for hiking and bushwalking given its location in the Baw Baw National Park. The alpine grasses are blanketed with wildflowers and walks at a higher elevation pass through snow gum forest.[7]
Popular walks include the Great Walhalla Alpine Trail, which starts at the gold mining town of Walhalla and finishes at the Mt Baw Baw Alpine Resort. The hike is the first 40 km (25 mi) of the Australian Alps Walking Track.[8] The Mt Baw Baw Summit Walk arrives at the highest peak of the Baw Baw plateau, elevation 1564m. Situated at the summit is the historic cairn used as a survey reference in 1903.[9]
Cycling
The access road to the resort, the Mount Baw Baw Tourist Road, features one of the toughest climbs accessible by road bicycles in Australia. The final climb of 6.2 km (3.9 mi) rises 718 m (2,356 ft) at an average grade of 11.5%, maxing out at 20.3%.[10] The climb is not as long as, but considerably steeper than, any of the hors catégorie climbs featured in the Tour de France. The Mount Baw Baw Classic,[11] which began in 2001, is an annual cycling race held by the Warragul Cycling Club, and ends at the Mount Baw Baw village.
Downhill mountain biking
There is a purpose-built downhill track located on the south western side of the mountain, facing towards the sea. The course has hosted the Victorian Downhill Championships as well as a number of state rounds. The track is around 3+1⁄2 min in duration, comprising a good mix of cambered dirt, rocks, fire road and technical sections. A shuttle service is provided from the base of the track along the Mount Baw Baw Tourist Road back to the Baw Baw Village, so that the venue is very mountain bike friendly.
See also
- Alpine National Park
- List of mountains in Victoria
- List of reduplicated Australian place names
- Skiing in Australia
References
- OCLC 54913331.
- ^ Mt Baw Baw Resort. "Mt Baw Baw History". mountbawbaw.com.au. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ Government of Victoria (12 August 2011), "Mount Baw Baw: Historical information: 2218", Vicnames, archived from the original on 9 August 2014
- ^ a b "Baw Baw National Park". Australian Alps National Parks. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Small slope, big heart". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ "Mt Baw Baw, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia". Tourism Victoria home. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "Parks Victoria - Baw Baw National Park". parkweb.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "Great Walhalla Alpine Trail, Attraction, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia". Tourism Victoria home. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "Mt Baw Baw Summit Walk, Attraction, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia". Tourism Victoria home. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "Mt. Baw Baw | the Climbing Cyclist".
- ^ Baw Baw Classic Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine. The Warragul Cycling Club. Retrieved on 15 December 2011.
External links
- Information on all ski lifts to have run at Baw Baw in Australian Ski Lift Directory.
- Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort
- Gippsland’s official tourism website – Great Walhalla Alpine Trail
- Gippsland’s official tourism website – Mt Baw Baw Summit Walk