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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion
General Climbing Discussion
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Buffalo Chalet to close open? / Skyways Pjt |
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7-Sep-2012 4:39:55 PM
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An update of sorts (late!*), from an ABC radio session I heard on morning of 27 August.
(* Jotted some notes but have not had time to update here till now).
The Member for Benambra (Bill Sykes) was interviewed and said that gov't incentives for development in NP's now include 99 year leases as part of a range of incentives, with this applying not just to Mt Buffalo NP (which was a previous sticking point in the Chalet lease), but for all Vic NP's.
I got the impression that Bill Sykes is in favour of the Chalet being rehabilitated and reopened.
After this, one of the co-authors* of the book The History of Mt Buffalo, was interviewed.
(*I did not catch his name, but gather that he was a former Ranger and lives in Bright).
Anyway, he informed listeners that the Dingo Dell backpacker accomodation / year-round shelter facility, that burnt down when a controlled burn during the 2006/7 bushfires got out of control, was 100% (Bob Hawke Labour Gov't) Federally funded; and that the insurance payout was $4.6 million.
Enquiries by this author reveal that the money has been retained by Vic Gov and the interest earned on it amounts to a further $2 million dollars over the intervening years, with none of that money (ie total $6.6 million), spent on NP's anywhere!
He is appalled at the hypocrisy of the Vic Gov knocking back funding matching the Friends of Buffalo Chalet Community Group proposal, on the basis that the funds for rehabilitation of the Chalet had blown out from $2.5 million to $5 million ...
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4-May-2013 7:44:26 AM
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http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/buffalos-grand-old-chalet-gets-7m-makeover-20130503-2iynw.html
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20-Feb-2014 9:51:03 AM
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Another update of sorts.
Local ABC radio recently had a short segment about the Vic Gov't intention to demolish 40% of the Chalet.
Victorian Deputy Premier Peter Ryan was quoted as saying that it needed to be done "to make it a more viable interest". 'Broadly we can't keep it as it is, but will retain the facade and core.'
Paul Rosa; Manager of National Trust, said that the Chalet is a nationaly significant place and has been assessed as such and "sounds a big note of caution about speculative demolition of 40% of it's footprint".
He outlined it's ongoing problems in the present sense, and indicated it would cost 7 million dollars to restore the front to it's 1939 former glory, without the additional rear wing and accomodation at the back being swept away.
Heritage Victoria is currently in the process of assessment, and will only have a 2 week response period for any public comments to be put in. Any appeals to the Heritage Council will likely be heard within next month.
Interestingly a former employee called back to the radio station saying that in it's heyday it employed about 140 people, and maybe instead of demolishing the rear accomodation, they could market the Chalet experience as a 'period-experience', with staff dressed in period clothing etc, and serving patrons in the style that they used to...
One thing is for sure, the tardiness in process to date, has gone on for at least the time-length of this thread ie 2006-2014 !
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20-Feb-2014 6:00:06 PM
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The (relatively) modern back end of the Chalet is an eyesore and should be demolished
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20-Feb-2014 6:04:28 PM
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On 20/02/2014 JamesMc wrote:
>The (relatively) modern back end of the Chalet is an eyesore and should be demolished
>
I don't think that is what they are talking about.
I went past again yesterday and took a second look. There is quite a large section of original building back there too, along with the 'tacky-modern' add-on/s, plus assorted other buildings.
Post edit;
~> I just google-earthed it, and there is even more than I thought, ie that which is generally visible from the road, or wandering around after going through the tunnel/arch-way.
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21-Feb-2014 10:51:06 AM
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or
How far back do you want to go? There is no date for the first pic and the second is dated 1912
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21-Feb-2014 10:59:28 AM
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On 20/02/2014 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>~> I just google-earthed it, and there is even more than I thought, ie that which is generally visible from the road, or wandering around after going through the tunnel/arch-way.
>
>
There's a bunch of interesting formations up near the stables out there. Would be interesting bouldering maybe if the rock was a little less crumbly and there was less broken glass.
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21-Feb-2014 11:16:11 AM
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Not really relevant, but my Grandmother met my Grandfather there at a dance, sometime pre-WWII. Only found that out at her funeral.
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4-Apr-2014 3:19:38 PM
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Some older information and some new...
Mt Buffalo Chalet redevelopment
May 2013: The development of the day visitor facility aims to open the Chalet again to the public and to make the site ready for further investment when the opportunity arises.
http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/forestry-and-land-use/visiting-parks-and-forests/mt-buffalo-chalet-redevelopment
HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT FOR DEMOLITION OF
REAR WINGS AND CONSERVATION AND ADAPTATION
OF FRONT SECTION OF THE CHALET
By: MGS Architects and
McDougall & Vines, Conservation and Heritage Consultants
54 pages...
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=show_document;document_id=55650;proposal_id=7099
March/April 2014
Parks Victoria is seeking expressions of interest from community representatives to participate in the Mount Buffalo Chalet Community Forum. The Mount Buffalo Chalet Community Forum is being established to provide opportunities to get involved with the Victorian Government’s $7.5 million commitment to the re-development of Mount Buffalo Chalet as a…
http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/about-us/tenders-and-notices/mount-buffalo-chalet-community-forum
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4-Apr-2014 3:25:22 PM
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An interesting submission made recently by Victorian National Parks Association.
http://vnpa.org.au/admin/library/attachments/PDFs/Submissions/Mount%20Buffalo%20Chalet%20submission%20permit%20P20081.pdf
Reproduced here for information...
Victorian National Parks Association.
Level 3, 60 Leicester St
Carlton Victoria 3053
Phone 03 9347 5188
Fax 03 9347 5199
vnpa@vnpa.org.au
www.vnpa.org.au
ABN 34 217 717 593
5 Feb 2014
Tim Smith
Executive Director
Heritage Victoria
1 Spring Street
Melbourne Victoria
Re: PERMIT APPLICATION P20081 – MOUNT BUFFALO
Dear Mr Smith,
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the permit application for the partial demolition and repair of the Mount Buffalo Chalet.
The Victorian National Parks Association is an independent, member-based non-government organisation dedicated to the protection of Victoria’s great natural heritage. We have been the leading organisation advocating for good management of our national parks since 1952. We have a long history of involvement in the management of Mount Buffalo National Park. In 2001 we published Discovering Mount Buffalo, still the definitive visitor’s guidebook for the plateau. Our members are frequent visitors to the park.
Summary
We generally agree with the demolition of the ‘newer’ parts of the chalet and other outbuildings as identified in the recent EPBC referral to the Federal Government, and the restoration of the older buildings identified in that referral.
Importantly though, while we understand that the Victorian Government is allocating between $7- $9 million to prepare the site for commercial operations, we are concerned that recent changes to the National Parks Act allow a lease agreement of up to 99 years. A lease of that or similar length would effectively mean private ownership of the Chalet buildings, and that could greatly compromise future management of both the natural and cultural heritage values of the site, and indeed the park itself.
We support adaptive re-use of existing infrastructure in parks, but any lease arrangement should be affordable, not exclusively a commercial arrangement, and allow capacity for involvement of the park management agency (especially in relation to any information centre) and also allow for not-for-profit or community enterprises to be involved.
We strongly believe:
• Lease arrangements should be 25 years maximum.
• Any commercial lease arrangement should be open to public scrutiny before signing.
• Intended potential benefits to the community should not be interpreted solely as financial benefits.
• Any lease arrangements should clearly ensure that the operation of the Chalet, and any other activities associated with the lease, align with the prime purpose of the National Parks Act (ie the protection of the park’s natural values) for the duration of the lease.
We agree with the considerable reduction of the footprint of the Chalet complex, and we strongly advocate that that area be restored, as far as possible, with native vegetation.
We believe Mount Buffalo National Park has a very good future as a low-budget backpacker and school adventure camp destination, as well as family accommodation, and that the Chalet is ideally suited to that sort of accommodation.
We would like to see a well-resourced information centre included in the refurbishment of the Chalet.
We do not believe that Mount Buffalo has a viable future as yet another high-end tourism destination. We would be greatly alarmed to see any large scale building replacing the demolished buildings.
Background
Importantly, when Mount Buffalo National Park was first proclaimed, it was in response to the notion that the remarkable natural values of the mountain were a valuable draw for tourists to the region. As the Bright Alpine club said in its 1887 guide to the ‘Buffalo Ranges’ (nearly 10 years before the plateau was first gazetted as a national park):
“…the exhilaration of the wildness and magnificence of the surroundings brings the tourist in close sympathy with nature.”
It is probably fair to say that those early promoters of the park would be dismayed by the great hotch-potch of buildings now littered around the original Chalet.
We believe Mount Buffalo National Park will always have great potential to draw visitors to the area, but that a lack of understanding of the nature of those visitors has been largely responsible for the failure of previous attempts to revive the Chalet.
We also believe that if the facilities on the plateau and any promotional material are appropriately targeted, the plateau can provide significant long-term health and economic benefits to Victoria.
Rather than trying to be yet another Victorian venue aimed at attracting high-end tourism, we believe there are two distinct park visitor groups in paeticular that any proposal for the Chalet should geared towards.
1/ Backpacker tourism
According to Tourism Victoria’s Backpacker Tourism Action Plan 2009-2013, the alpine region of Victoria provides a good focus for attracting backpackers, and it is well situated on the Sydney/Melbourne overland route.
Notably, according to the Action Plan:
• Around 260,000 backpackers currently come to Victoria each year, contributing around $500 million to the Victorian economy. Nevertheless this amount is substantially less than for NSW, which attracts some 440,000 backpackers annually.
• Even though backpackers generally stay longer than other visitors, and have a “higher propensity to disperse into regional Victoria” than other visitors, “of all backpacker visitor nights spent in Victoria in 2007, 84 per cent were spent in Melbourne and 16 per cent in regional Victoria”. It seems Victoria’s tourism industry has so far failed to attract backpackers into regional Victoria, even though that would be a preferred destination for most.
Also, according to the Action Plan:
• “Anecdotal evidence suggests that backpackers are more environmentally sensitive visitors, with travel patterns that are sustainable and less intrusive than other visitor segments”.
Mount Buffalo National Park is ideally placed to cater for this visitor group if a sensitive redevelopment of the Chalet is the clear objective. The larger alpine resorts of Hotham and Falls Creek have increasingly (though not very successfully) aimed at high end tourism, but in the process have largely scared off the backpacker ‘market’ by disregarding the Alpine National Park ambience they could so easily have been in sympathy with.
If the Buffalo Chalet embraced a plan of minimal infrastructure, efficient energy use and waste management, and restoration of the earlier parts of the existing building under sensitive heritage guidelines, it could be a mecca for backpackers.
• It is brilliantly sited at the top of the Buffalo Gorge.
• It is serviced by a strong contingent of local outdoor adventure tour operators, offering such things as abseiling, underground river tours, canoeing, cross-country skiing, snow-shoe shuffles, nature walks and the best selection of short (half day and one day) bushwalks in Victoria, most of which end in a spectacular view from the plateau’s edge.
• The Chalet largely has shared bathrooms and other facilities, which are acceptable for backpacker-style accommodation.
If carefully managed, the Chalet and Mount Buffalo National Park could become a ‘must visit’ for local and international backpackers.
2/ School adventure camps
While there are a number of school adventure camps in Victoria, none can offer the variety of adventures that Mount Buffalo offers, or the ready availability of many experienced and qualified instructors and guides, all in a relatively safe and contained plateau environment.
With accommodation options at both the Chalet and the Lake Catani campground, the plateau has the capacity to offer adventure camps year-round for a great
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3-Mar-2017 9:15:46 PM
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The current edition of Wild Magazine has an article stating; The ‘Vision for Mount Buffalo’ document submitted to Parks Victoria earlier this year also includes plans to develop and reopen the iconic Mount Buffalo Chalet and its many outbuildings, with shops, wedding chapel and function rooms, and build a new 47-room day spa and hotel, including a roller skating rink.
The result will be a privately owned and run mountain resort-style ‘village’ on top of Mount Buffalo. ... amongst other things!
... It's a bit early for April 1st, so this could be another concerning issue for some?
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3-Mar-2017 10:50:55 PM
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On 3/03/2017 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>...including a roller skating rink.
A roller skating track around the rim of the Gorge would be cool.
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3-Mar-2017 11:12:49 PM
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http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/spectacular-skywalk-and-new-spa-hotel-proposed-for-mount-buffalo-20170224-gul3bs.html
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4-Mar-2017 11:50:33 AM
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here is the facebook page that has some more info
https://www.facebook.com/CommunityActionForTheChalet/
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20-May-2020 8:32:18 AM
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A cross-posting from the Buffalo closed due fires thread...
On the subject of Cresta Valley.
According to local ABC Radio this morning, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced as part of the economic recovery post Covid19, the construction of five eco-pods at Cresta Valley costing $1.5 million, for luxury tourism accomodation.
They are allegedly portable and will be constructed locally.
At the same time expressions of interest will be sought for investing in and running the Buffalo Chalet cafe.
The initial cafe will be temporary, until the fully revamped Mansfield Cafe can be reconstructed.
This will be a first step in a staged redevelopment of the Chalet for accomodation.
Community action for the Chalet apparently has a local Facebook group, with a link to the Price Waterhouse & Cooper proposals about the progressive development options.
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20-May-2020 4:36:39 PM
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The commodification of our parks continues unabated. I weep.
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25-May-2020 11:02:39 AM
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On the other hand, there used to be a two-storey building and ski lifts there.
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12-Jul-2024 6:36:12 PM
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An update of sorts …
Local ABC Radio recently interviewed the Mt Buffalo Head Ranger about progress on restoration of the Mt Buffalo Chalet.
He was quite enthusiastic about the imminent finishing of the re-stumping of the main building before works close down over winter due to the weather.
Most of the restumping had been done except for the worst area - the southern section which had slumped. It involves removing all floorboards inspecting and re-using where possible the original timber stumps installed into the ground, by removing, cutting off rotted timber, and replacing them on new concrete footings.
Work commenced in 2015 on the facade and it’s been a continuous battle with the elements to maintain it withouts protection from the weather, with last season’s work often requiring repainting next season. The $3 million Federal grant towards restoration has enabled the floorwork to now be nearly completed and the project is coming together finally and is expected to be finished this year (next Spring), - nine years after commencement!
He noted that the southern aspect of the building was particularly problematic with window frames and timber cladding being vulnerable to the elements and required much of it to be replaced rather than refurbished.
https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/news/2024/05/23/03/43/mount-buffalo-conservation-works
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There are 98 messages in this topic.
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