See sunset in the Victorian High Country
23 Apr 2019
We have set ourselves a seemingly simple task: to watch the day end on top of Mt Stirling in the Victorian High Country.
Mt Stirling is Buller’s wilder sibling. In winter it is for cross-country skiers, not softies who need a ski lift. In summer, it is peppered with mountain bikers, but they have had to ride up the mountain, not catch the bus put on by Mt Buller.
We are hiking the Bluff Spur Trail from Telephone Box Junction where we meet our guide Romana Hoffman from High Country Hiking Tours, a new company set up to help novices like us (and pro hikers) explore the parts of the alpine region that roads can’t reach. I have packed for my wife and two kids – freeze-dried meals, alpine wear and 20 litres of water – as per instructions on the High Country Hiking Tours website, but I can tell from Romana’s face that I am not a mountaineer just yet. There is too much of everything. We have the support of base camp managers, Vlad and Zdeni, who are driving the overflow (and the water) up to where we are pitching our tents at the Bluff Memorial Hut. From there, it is a 2.6-kilometre hike to the summit.
High Country Hiking Tours provides all the equipment for our two-day hike, but we carry it so we get a feel for what is involved. We put on gators (boot coverings to keep out rocks and protect from snakes), go through a safety briefing and strap in to our backpacks. I think mine is quite weighty, but later I will accidently lift Romana’s, which feels like it is stuffed full of lead weights. We start our ascent, the boys running ahead like hares to our backpack-laden tortoises.
Romana has a passion for this region that goes beyond her job as a mountain guide. She has been drawn to the region since she was a kid and has fallen in love with it. At every twist and turn of the walk she has information on the flowers, trees and surrounding peaks; her enthusiasm for the High Country becomes infectious.
“There are rivers winding their way down from the mountains with water so crystal clear you can see the fish swimming in it; hidden waterfalls that can take your breath away and lakes where you can swim, kayak and play all day long,” she says. “How can you not fall in love with the Victorian High Country? I was sold on my first visit.”
Making camp
Romana has taken on Mont Blanc in France, Grand Paradiso in Italy and Mt Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania. She has a hiker’s temperament, calm and capable – keeping a keen eye on all of us – and a love of fluoro colours (like her hot pink head band) because they are easy to spot.
“I see a mountain top, and I want to stand on top of it. I want to see what's on the other side,” she says. “I love the remoteness, the feeling of the wilderness around me; the smell of the earth, the wildflowers, the eucalyptus and the rain. I love hearing the birds chatter, the kookaburras laughing at me, the rustle of the leaves. And I love the physical and mental challenge. I love arriving on a mountain summit and being rewarded by stunning views and amazing sunsets at the end of the day.”
When you take a hike with Romana, you don’t just get a guide. You get a teacher.
She helps us pitch our tents and sort our meals, then she opens her pack and we can see just how much business she really means. Her backpack is a Tardis that appears to disgorge more equipment than should rightly fit in it. Out pop stoves, shelters and first-aid kits, followed by solar panels for charging phones, a sleeve that turns your smartphone into a satellite phone and a location beacon that is accurate to within 100 metres. When the zombies come, it is Romana you want by your side.
After pitching our tents we grab a quick dinner of freeze-dried camper meals and learn another lesson: don’t buy them. Our meals are barely edible, whereas Romana’s meal of vermicelli noodles, laksa and split lentils is amazing (keep an eye on her website for the recipe).
The walk to the summit is easier as the evening cools. The flies that have been dogging us during the day disappear and we are driven by our sunset goal. We reach the peak just as the sky blazes amber and Romana points out the surrounding mountains – from the jagged peak of The Crosscut Saw to the twin mounds of The Paps. It is as beautiful as Mt Buller, but we have the summit to ourselves – and it feels better because we earned it.
High Country Hiking Tours is run by Romana Hoffman and her husband Kevin. They offer one- to five-day hikes as well as tailored itineraries for hardcore hikers and novices alike. Check out their website for itineraries and essential information on what to pack for a hike in the Victorian High Country.
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