Mount Buffalo and surrounds activation

Mount Buffalo National Park is an iconic and beloved place in north eastern Victoria. It is a magnificent destination for visitors from near and far. Its crisp fresh air, giant tors, deep gorges, tumbling waterfalls, Snow Gum woodlands and masses of summer wildflowers provide something for everyone to enjoy.

A range of infrastructure works are underway at Mount Buffalo National Park.

Page last updated: November 2026

Mount Buffalo Chalet

The iconic Mount Buffalo Chalet is the largest timber building in Australia, and is included on both the Victorian Heritage Register and the National Heritage List. Conservation and maintenance works help protect the heritage values of the Mount Buffalo Chalet.

We have partnered with the Belgravia Outdoor Education (BOE) to reactivate the nationally significant heritage site. Belgravia signed a 40-year lease in 2025 to operate programs and services from the Mount Buffalo Chalet. This includes school outdoor education camps, re-activation of a café as well as a heritage hotel offering.

The activation of the Chalet will happen in stages;

School outdoor education camps began in February 2025.
From Saturday 24th October 2026 onwards, the Mount Buffalo Chalet café has reopened to the public under the management of Belgravia Outdoor Education. Visitors can now enjoy a hot drink and something to eat in one of the state’s most scenic locations and iconic buildings. For more information on opening times, visit Mount Buffalo Chalet website.
Work is also underway inside the chalet to create a 38-bedroom accommodation offer for key workers, supported through the Victorian Government’s Regional Worker Accommodation Fund.
South wing of the Chalet is being renovated to accommodate for 200 beds for school camps. School camp accommodation facilities will be available to book during school holidays and weekends for anyone longing for nostalgia or a different kind of encounter.

Mount Buffalo Chalet with garden in bloom

Chalet Wastewater upgrades

As we welcome the public back to this significant heritage site, some of the essential services need to be updated to better suit future use. As a priority, the Chalet’s old wastewater system needs to be upgraded so visitors can enjoy showers and flushing toilets.

Currently the small amount of wastewater created is regularly pumped out of holding tanks and trucked down the mountain. However, as the use of the Chalet increases, this is not a safe or viable long-term solution.

We are working with consultants to determine the best way to safely manage wastewater from the Chalet in future. We have engaged Pitt & Sherry Environmental Engineers to re-design the wastewater system and bring it up to a standard that meets EPA Victoria Wastewater Guidelines.

We expect the new wastewater system and other upgrades to be completed by 2029.

For more information on the project and to provide feedback, read our full Community Update (639 kB).

Chalet annual maintenance program

Each year, we allocate annual funding to the upkeep and ongoing maintenance of the building and the surrounding gardens.
Additional funding has been allocated for the fit-out of the kitchen facilities in 2026-2027.
Between 2015 and 2018, $2.8 million was provided for the conservation of the Chalet front façade and foundations.

Chalet Commonwealth funding

Parks Victoria received a $3 million Commonwealth Government grant for conservation works to the historic Mount Buffalo Chalet.

The conservation works were completed in May 2025, helping to protect the 114-year-old building. The works involved repairs to the timber facade including painting and works to several windows. The replacement of some timber stumps and improvements to water drainage around the buildings was also undertaken.