Mount Stirling is an area used during winter for cross-country skiing and is therefore quite mountainous. There is a loop road running around the mountain and during summer it would be possible to drive a 2WD car around the mountain (
check road conditions first), but after any rain or snow the road turns to 4WD only and is closed as part of the seasonal road closures in Victoria, generally from the day after the Queen's Birthday long weekend until November.
The advantage of having a 4WD is the ability to perform a number of diversions away from
the loop road across the top of the mountain. Visiting
places such as Craig’s Hut, famous for it's appearance in the great Australian movie, ‘The Man From
Snowy River’. Walking around the back of the hut or even inside, you quickly realise that this is definitely just a prop. The good people from the
Mansfield 4WD Club and CFA 4WD Club maintain the hut.
The trip to
the summit of
Mount Stirling is also a worthwhile diversion, which can be reached by following the 4WD track past Craig’s Hut. If the weather is kind you will be rewarded with magnificent
views of the surrounding countryside and of the skiing village at Mount Buller.
Other possible diversions from the area are down to Kings Hut, or Pineapple Flat (on the Northern side) or Binderee Falls and Pykes Flat, on the southern side. Both of these make excellent extensions to the trek and allow you to continue on travelling through the high country to other areas.
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
TrekID: 45