Goto Chockstone Home

  Guide
  Gallery
  Tech Tips
  Articles
  Reviews
  Dictionary
  Links
  Forum
  Search
  About

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

  Shop
Chockstone Photography
Australian Landscape Photography by Michael Boniwell
Australian Landscape Prints





Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Author
Mt Buffalo Camping options?
argos44
23-Nov-2014
8:58:53 AM
G'day,

I wouldn't mind checking out Mt Buffalo for a bit, but the crazy $46 per night camp fee is not going to come out of my pocket. Is there any other camping options in the area?

Cheers

Jason

ajfclark
23-Nov-2014
9:12:08 AM
Not on the plateau.

Halfway up the North Wall could work.

Sadly I think this will kill climbing at Buffalo for a lot of people. It was reasonable a couple of years ago, then they doubled it and now they've put it up another 50%. It was already expensive and now it's ridiculous. I'm not running my usual Australia Day week trip this year because I didn't think I'd be able to cover the costs (would need to cover something like $1753.20).

ajfclark
23-Nov-2014
9:25:11 AM
They've also removed the casual sites:
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE TO CAMPGROUND CONDITIONS FOR 2014 - 2015: SITES 2 TO 19 MUST BE BOOKED PRIOR TO ARRIVAL - THEY ARE NO LONGER CASUAL FIRST IN BEST DRESSED SITES
*shakes head*

Looks like their website doesn't enforce the 7 day rule properly anymore? There's loads of sites available for a few days here and there throughout the summer period whereas usually they're booked solid 15 minutes after bookings open on the 1st of September.

Totally been a huge step forward for them.
argos44
23-Nov-2014
9:55:36 AM
That's dissapointing. I'm not going to drive from the Wimmera to pay nearly 50 bucks a night. You would think governments would encourage people to get outdoors, the parks are for the 'people' are they not?

Wonder if they will review the system and work out overnight visitors have declined. Did recreational climbing bodies object to the fee increases when they were proposed?

Maybe all these fake passport/license posts could be useful in getting out of paying camp fees. Haha!
patto
23-Nov-2014
10:11:36 AM
It is not clear to me that bush camping is banned in the park. But with the poor information that is available from ParksVic, most things a seldom clear.

On 23/11/2014 argos44 wrote:
>Did recreational climbing bodies object to the fee increases
>when they were proposed?

It was discussed extensively here. Quite a few people and organisations objected. Of course the "consultation" was a farce.
Dave_S
23-Nov-2014
8:19:09 PM
On 23/11/2014 ajfclark wrote:
>
>Looks like their website doesn't enforce the 7 day rule properly anymore?

Sound like the 7 day rule now only applies for the 2 weeks following Christmas. (It used to be the whole school holidays, right?)

http://www.parkstay.vic.gov.au/mount-buffalo-national-park

"Peak Periods:
Christmas/New Year School Holidays - available in 7 day blocks (Saturday to Saturday) for the following dates

Week 1 (Sat 27 Dec 2014 to Sat 3 Jan 2015)
Week 2 (Sat 3 Jan 2015 to Sat 10 Jan 2015)
Easter weekend (Fri 3 April - Monday 6 April 2015) - minimum 3 nights booking"

gordoste
23-Nov-2014
9:13:35 PM
I guess its OK if you have 4 people on your site but if it's 1 or 2 then it is a bit steep.

ajfclark
23-Nov-2014
10:34:55 PM
On 23/11/2014 Dave_S wrote:
>On 23/11/2014 ajfclark wrote:
>>
>>Looks like their website doesn't enforce the 7 day rule properly anymore?
>
>Sound like the 7 day rule now only applies for the 2 weeks following Christmas.
>(It used to be the whole school holidays, right?)

Yes

>"Peak Periods:
>Christmas/New Year School Holidays - available in 7 day blocks (Saturday
>to Saturday) for the following dates
>
>Week 1 (Sat 27 Dec 2014 to Sat 3 Jan 2015)

There's a few random nights available during this period.

>Week 2 (Sat 3 Jan 2015 to Sat 10 Jan 2015)

Still 3 nights available on the 9th.

ajfclark
23-Nov-2014
10:37:18 PM
On 23/11/2014 gordoste wrote:
>I guess its OK if you have 4 people on your site but if it's 1 or 2 then it is a bit steep.

If you manage to get the full 6 it's $8.10 per head. That's almost pines rates!

Sadly, I don't think many sites will routinely get 6 people on them.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
24-Nov-2014
5:14:20 PM
On 23/11/2014 ajfclark wrote:
>On 23/11/2014 gordoste wrote:
>>I guess its OK if you have 4 people on your site but if it's 1 or 2 then
>it is a bit steep.
>
>If you manage to get the full 6 it's $8.10 per head. That's almost pines
>rates!
>
>Sadly, I don't think many sites will routinely get 6 people on them.

6 people don't normally fit into one car, especially for extended camping and taking climbing equipment with them, and they want something like $9(?) per car for every extra above the first included in the booking!

Patto wrote;
>It is not clear to me that bush camping is banned in the park.

I got the general (for all Vic Parks in Vic), impression that wilderness camping attracted a fee of $9.80(?) back when I first perused the new rules.

ajf wrote;
>Halfway up the North Wall could work.

In the past the climber-friendly Rangers adopted the attitude that to do that was not in Catani (or any other designated camping area), and so was not their concern and accordingly did not attract a fee, however I wonder if the bureaucratic boffins behind the new rules consider that 'wilderness camping'?

From the Buffalo Aidfest just finished, my general impression was that the new system is a real dogs breakfast as far as it working smoothly, as I noticed campers on wrong sites causing others to set up on wrong sites etc, and a grey nomad camper-van with two occupants turned up (without a booking), expecting an honesty box* and some sites available on a casual basis...

I checked that the honesty box is still there. It is, but unlocked and prominant signage associated with words to effect of 'Have you booked your site yet'.

The friendly Ranger offered to amend our site booking to include all the extra cars that were involved, since we had arrived from many quadrants of the compass for the event.
... Similar applied to the 20 adults and 8 kids associated with the 50th birthday celebration gathering at the adjoining 'communal table'...

In my opinion the new system is ☻.
patto
24-Nov-2014
5:35:34 PM
On 24/11/2014 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>
>From the Buffalo Aidfest just finished, my general impression was that
>the new system is a real dogs breakfast as far as it working smoothly,
>as I noticed campers on wrong sites causing others to set up on wrong sites
>etc, and a grey nomad camper-van with two occupants turned up (without
>a booking), expecting an honesty box* and some sites available on a casual
>basis...
>
>I checked the honesty box and it is still there, but unlocked and prominant
>signage associated with words to effect of 'Have you booked your site yet'.
>
>The friendly Ranger offered to amend our site booking to include all the
>extra cars that were involved...


I don't believe it. There changes were recommended by experts from Deloitte Access Economics. Are you really suggesting you know more about camping, booking sites and paying fees than these experts?

These experts spent months reviewing, modelling and going for expensive lunches before recommending these changes. They have years of experience of taking public money and producing glossy brochures of recommendations and impact statements.

Clearly if something is going wrong here it is the visitors to the National Parks that are to blame. Now we could have another study done and recommendations to remove all visitors to fix this issue however, we are currently spending all the money on a website so we will have to wait another decade before we can fix this problem entirely by closing the entrances to the National Parks..

JamesMc
24-Nov-2014
8:19:35 PM
Although we might complain about the cost of camping at Mt Buffalo, Christmas bookings still sold out on the morning they opened, So people are prepared to pay.

If you can put up with the drive, there's very nice camping about 20 km up the Buckland Valley at the right price.

We stayed at a place called Ah Young's last month. It might fill up with bogans at Christmas but was great in October.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
25-Nov-2014
7:30:11 AM
On 24/11/2014 JamesMc wrote:
>Although we might complain about the cost of camping at Mt Buffalo, Christmas
>bookings still sold out on the morning they opened, So people are prepared
>to pay.
>
Family traditions can run strong, but they may not be pleased about the fee increase?

When we discussed the matter with the Ranger, we offered constructive opinion, and although agreeing with us (& indicated other user groups expressed similar common sense to him!), his response was that they had tried to implement everything we said at an organisation internal level and were ignored as they were, quote, "only Rangers", so did not have enough clout to overturn the politics of it.
... So yes, it seems the decision was fait accompli, and the public consultation exercise was indeed a farce.

>If you can put up with the drive, there's very nice camping about 20 km up the Buckland Valley at the right price.

As you are aware, half the convenience of camping on the plateau is to save the drive you indicated. For the time involved in that, one could have a leisurely breakfast and then still be touching rock (canoeing, etc, etc), earlier, with a Catani headstart!
So maybe it is a combination of convenience, apathy, resignation to being ruled, as well as maintaining family traditions, that cause us to roll over and accept this nonsense?




Ajf wrote;
>I'm not running my usual Australia Day week trip this year because I didn't think I'd be able to cover the costs (would need to cover something like $1753.20).

Would an internal crowd-funding from likely participants help in getting that off the ground?
It's not as if we don't have to pay up front with the present booking system anyway...

hipster
25-Nov-2014
1:51:56 PM
>Family traditions can run strong, but they may not be pleased about the
>fee increase?

I'm one of those who booked over the Christmas break. Fee increase? Who cares, it's one of the best places on the mainland to be in January and worth every cent IMHO.
The exitement of 10am on Sept 1 (when the bookings open) is awesome. I have the PC, Ipad and mobile phone all on the website, waiting for the campsites to go live. The mobile snared the booking this year.
M9 drop by for a beer, we're there 3rd till 17th.I'll have cuts all over me and a sh!t-eating grin from having had an awesome day, guaranteed.
Ado
kieranl
25-Nov-2014
2:02:41 PM
On 25/11/2014 hipster wrote:
>>Family traditions can run strong, but they may not be pleased about the
>>fee increase?
>
> I'm one of those who booked over the Christmas break. Fee increase?
>Who cares, it's one of the best places on the mainland to be in January
>and worth every cent IMHO.
> The exitement of 10am on Sept 1 (when the bookings open) is awesome.
>I have the PC, Ipad and mobile phone all on the website, waiting for the
>campsites to go live. The mobile snared the booking this year.

Blood sport - I'd almost pay to see that.

There are 15 messages in this topic.

 

Home | Guide | Gallery | Tech Tips | Articles | Reviews | Dictionary | Forum | Links | About | Search
Chockstone Photography | Landscape Photography Australia | Australian Landscape Photography | Landscape Photos Australia

Please read the full disclaimer before using any information contained on these pages.



Australian Panoramic | Australian Coast | Australian Mountains | Australian Countryside | Australian Waterfalls | Australian Lakes | Australian Cities | Australian Macro | Australian Wildlife
Landscape Photo | Landscape Photography | Landscape Photography Australia | Fine Art Photography | Wilderness Photography | Nature Photo | Australian Landscape Photo | Stock Photography Australia | Landscape Photos | Panoramic Photos | Panoramic Photography Australia | Australian Landscape Photography | High Country Mountain Huts | Mothers Day Gifts | Gifts for Mothers Day | Mothers Day Gift Ideas | Ideas for Mothers Day | Wedding Gift Ideas | Christmas Gift Ideas | Fathers Day Gifts | Gifts for Fathers Day | Fathers Day Gift Ideas | Ideas for Fathers Day | Landscape Prints | Landscape Poster | Limited Edition Prints | Panoramic Photo | Buy Posters | Poster Prints