Mount Baw Baw
Encyclopedia
Mount Baw Baw is a mountain in Victoria
, Australia
. Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort is an Unincorporated area
of Victoria surrounded by the Shire of Baw Baw.
. The mountain itself is one of several peaks on the Baw Baw Plateau, a long plateau tending north-east. Other peaks on the plateau include Mount Whitelaw, Mount St. Phillack (the highest), Mount Mueller, Mount Tyers, Mount Kernot and Mount Saint Gwinear
. The plateau itself is isolated from most of Victoria's high country by the Thomson and Aberfeldy River
s and tributaries of the La Trobe River, including the Tanjil and Tyers Rivers to the south.
The Baw Baw massif
consists of a late Devonian
granodiorite
pluton
. There is relatively little relief on the plateau itself, the highest point (Mount St. Phillack) reaching 1,567 metres. The lower slopes of the plateau are covered in montane
eucalypt forest and tall forest, and creek valleys have cool temperate rainforest of myrtle beech, Nothofagus cunninghamii. Above 1,200 metres snow gum woodland occur, grading into subalpine grasslands and shrublands above 1,300 metres. Much of this subalpine zone is included in the 133 km² Baw Baw National Park
. The Baw Baw Village ski resort
is technically outside the National Park.
The climate of the plateau itself is subalpine, with an average annual precipitation of 1,900 mm. 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, naming Christmas Creek on one of his major collecting expeditions. It was on this trip that he collected the Baw Baw Berry, Wittsteinia vacciniacea
.
Mount Baw Baw is home to the critically endangered Baw Baw frog
.
. There are six ski runs and two chair lifts that service the mountain, with the highest going almost to the top of Mount Baw Baw. The resort village is at the bottom of the lifts, offering ski in - ski out access. The downhill runs are accompanied by a greater distance of cross country
trails offering access to other parts of the Baw Baw plateau. Like most lower lying Australian ski resorts, the snow cover can often be variable from year to year. A reliable snow cover is regularly available for the ski season locally from about July to the end of September. A list of every ski tow to operate at Baw Baw can be found at wikiski.
climbs featured in the Tour de France
. The Mount Baw Baw Classic http://www.warragulcyclingclub.org.au/baw%20baw%20classic/index.html, which began in 2001, is an annual cycling race held by the Warragul Cycling Club http://www.warragulcyclingclub.org.au/, which ends at the Mount Baw Baw village.
The track is around 3 and a half minutes duration, comprising a good mix of cambered dirt, rocks, fire road and technical sections.
The Mount Baw Baw tourist road provides excellent shuttle service capability, and the venue is very mountain bike friendly.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort is an Unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
of Victoria surrounded by the Shire of Baw Baw.
Location
Mount Baw Baw is about 120 km east of Melbourne and 50 km north of the Latrobe ValleyLatrobe Valley
The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical region and urban area of Gippsland in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is east of the City Of Melbourne and nestled between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Great Dividing Range to the north – with the highest peak to the north of the...
. The mountain itself is one of several peaks on the Baw Baw Plateau, a long plateau tending north-east. Other peaks on the plateau include Mount Whitelaw, Mount St. Phillack (the highest), Mount Mueller, Mount Tyers, Mount Kernot and Mount Saint Gwinear
Mount Saint Gwinear
Mount Saint Gwinear is a mountain in Victoria, Australia, located at the north-east end of the Baw Baw National Park in the Gippsland high country. It is popular with families looking for a cheap and accessible snow-play/tobogganing destination and cross-country skiers. The flat Baw Baw Plateau...
. The plateau itself is isolated from most of Victoria's high country by the Thomson and Aberfeldy River
Aberfeldy, Victoria
Aberfeldy is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on Mount Lookout, north east of Lake Thomson, 125 kilometres east of Melbourne....
s and tributaries of the La Trobe River, including the Tanjil and Tyers Rivers to the south.
The Baw Baw massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
consists of a late Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
granodiorite
Granodiorite
Granodiorite is an intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase than orthoclase-type feldspar. Officially, it is defined as a phaneritic igneous rock with greater than 20% quartz by volume where at least 65% of the feldspar is plagioclase. It usually contains abundant...
pluton
Pluton
A pluton in geology is a body of intrusive igneous rock that crystallized from magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Plutons include batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, lopoliths, and other igneous bodies...
. There is relatively little relief on the plateau itself, the highest point (Mount St. Phillack) reaching 1,567 metres. The lower slopes of the plateau are covered in montane
Montane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
eucalypt forest and tall forest, and creek valleys have cool temperate rainforest of myrtle beech, Nothofagus cunninghamii. Above 1,200 metres snow gum woodland occur, grading into subalpine grasslands and shrublands above 1,300 metres. Much of this subalpine zone is included in the 133 km² Baw Baw National Park
Baw Baw National Park
Baw Baw is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 111 km east of Melbourne. It contains the Baw-Baw Plateau and Mount Baw Baw, a small ski resort, including nearby town, technically outside the national park....
. The Baw Baw Village ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
is technically outside the National Park.
The climate of the plateau itself is subalpine, with an average annual precipitation of 1,900 mm. Snow covers the plateau from June to September.
It is thought that Baron Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
made the first recorded European ascent of Baw Baw in 1860, naming Christmas Creek on one of his major collecting expeditions. It was on this trip that he collected the Baw Baw Berry, Wittsteinia vacciniacea
Wittsteinia vacciniacea
Wittsteinia vacciniacea is a shrub species in the family Alseuosmiaceae. It is endemic to Victoria, Australia. It grows to about 40 cm high and has leaves which are between 1 and 5 cm long...
.
Mount Baw Baw is home to the critically endangered Baw Baw frog
Baw Baw Frog
The Baw Baw frog is a critically endangered species of Australian frog as categorised on the IUCN redlist and listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act .- Description :...
.
Ski resort
There is a small ski resort of the same name on this mountain. There are about 30 hectares of mainly beginner - intermediate ski runsPiste
A piste is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. The term is European, from the French for trail or track, synonymous with trail, slope, or groomed run in North America....
. There are six ski runs and two chair lifts that service the mountain, with the highest going almost to the top of Mount Baw Baw. The resort village is at the bottom of the lifts, offering ski in - ski out access. The downhill runs are accompanied by a greater distance of cross country
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
trails offering access to other parts of the Baw Baw plateau. Like most lower lying Australian ski resorts, the snow cover can often be variable from year to year. A reliable snow cover is regularly available for the ski season locally from about July to the end of September. A list of every ski tow to operate at Baw Baw can be found at wikiski.
Cycling
The access road to the resort, the Mount Baw Baw tourist road, features what is usually regarded as the toughest climb accessible by road bicycles in Australia. The final climb of 6.2 kilometres rises 718 metres at an average grade of 11.5%, maxing out at 20.3%. The climb is not as long as, but considerably steeper than any of the Hors CategorieHors Categorie
Hors catégorie is a French term used in cycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 to Category 4 , based on both steepness and length...
climbs featured in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. The Mount Baw Baw Classic http://www.warragulcyclingclub.org.au/baw%20baw%20classic/index.html, which began in 2001, is an annual cycling race held by the Warragul Cycling Club http://www.warragulcyclingclub.org.au/, which 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 and a half minutes duration, comprising a good mix of cambered dirt, rocks, fire road and technical sections.
The Mount Baw Baw tourist road provides excellent shuttle service capability, and the venue is very mountain bike friendly.