When we headed to Australia, we had anticipated a lifestyle of sunshine and barbecues, surfing on beaches of white sand, and swimming in sun-soaked rivers and lakes. Little did we know, before we had a chance to surf, we would be spending 3 days snowboarding (and skiing) down the slopes of Mount Buller.

Day trips from Melbourne to Mount Buller are available from June to October, with the best piste conditions falling between July and September. Mount Buller offers a relatively small piste area of 47.5km and 13 chair lifts, with snow being thrown from the cannons onto the main runs most days. We were lucky to have real snow fall everyday whilst we were there, though all runs without snow cannons remained closed for the duration of our trip. Seeing snow fall is what draws big crowds to the Victorian mountains- many Australian and Asian tourists have never seen it before! On the bus up the mountain, we heard gasps of awe as people began to see browning piles of melting snow beside the road. This was followed by giddy excitement for many as we pulled up into the village which was picturesque with its clock tower and square lightly dusted with falling snow. However, this led to the most frustrating part of the trip for us- people on the piste.

When you go skiing in Europe, it is normal to be held up by pedestrians and amateur skiers on green slopes and around town. This is of course not usually a problem. However, at Mount Buller the sheer amount of beginner skiers, snowboards and pedestrians blocking up the only piste back to the village was incredible, and down right dangerous. On more than one occasion, we both had to wipe out in order to not hit someone on foot who had stepped out on to the piste, not looking where they were going and instead just staring up at the sky and the falling snow.

We used the tour company Altitude Tours, which provided a bus service from central Melbourne to Mansfield and then from Mansfield up the mountain. We also opted to hire gear with this company, which we collected in Mansfield at the Alzburg Resort. The coat, salopettes, helmet, boots and ski/board were included in the package and whilst basic, did the job for 3 days. There was a issue with Daisie’s boots being fitted incorrectly and we had to pay for a new pair to hire on the mountain and get reimbursed for this later. For this reason, and if you have more advanced skills, we would recommend hiring gear once you get on the mountain. There is much more choice, though slightly pricier, and if something goes wrong you can get it sorted straight away. If you do the one day package and choose the earliest arrival and latest departure you should get around 6 hours on the mountain. If you have never skied/ boarded before, we would recommend going for at least two days so you have time for lessons.

As Daisie had never boarded before, she opted for a snowboard school for beginners. This was very poor value for money as the piste was so busy and the class had 8 people in, so the teacher did not focus on individuals skills. As most people only have one lesson and then leave the mountain, there is no real focus on skill development, which was disappointing. Daisie then opted for private lessons, which worked out much better value for money and she was riding and connecting turns by the end of the trip. James also had a private lesson, to build on his existing skiing skills, and this was very beneficial and greatly helped with improving form.

While there are a few half-decent places to eat on the mountain, it appears that because many of the guests arrive by shuttle bus and have no way down the mountain at lunch time, there is very little reason for restaurants to try and we were very underwhelmed. For our first two nights, we stayed at the Alpine Retreat in the village, which is located just a few steps from the nearest piste. The room was reasonably priced, and was clean and comfortable. However, despite the Alpine Retreat having a bar, the apres-ski scene on Mount Buller is pretty much non-existent. We didn’t see any evidence of the famed Aussie drinking culture and the whole town is more geared up to family holidays, meaning there are children running around all the bars.

On our last night, we stayed at the Delatite Hotel in Mansfield where we had an exceptional meal with fantastic service. The accommodation was again affordable and comfortable, and we felt the town of Mansfield had a great vibe.

Overall, we would definitely recommend a trip to Mount Buller. Skiing in the Eucalyptus forest is something we will never forget. If we were to do this again or go to a similar resort we would stay for two nights instead of the three, and would stay in the village at the foot of mountain (such as Mansfield) on both nights and get the bus up everyday. This way, if you are a competent skier and conditions allow, you would be able to cover the majority of pistes, but still enjoy the better amenities in town.