Historic Mt Buffalo Chalet to reopen after 18 years

The future of a Victorian High Country icon has been resolved with its future secured for the next four decades. See the details.

The historic Mt Buffalo Chalet is set to reopen soon. Picture: File.

The future of a Victorian High Country icon has been resolved with a new operator set to take the reins for the next four decades.

Melbourne-based Belgravia Group has signed a 40-year lease to reopen the Mt Buffalo Chalet, where it will operate a cafe and outdoor education and information centre, predicting to host more than 5000 students a year and creating more than 50 jobs.

A failed backburning operation in 2006 destroyed the nearby Cresta Lodge and associated ski infrastructure although the chalet was saved.

Since then several attempts and bids to revitalise the site have tried and failed, until now.

“At the Mt Buffalo Chalet, students will embark on journeys that not only connect them with nature but also build resilience, leadership, and teamwork skills that last a lifetime,’ Belgravia Outdoor Education CEO Richard Thornton said.

Built in 1910, the Mt Buffalo Chalet is the largest timber accommodation building in Australia and is included on both the Victorian Heritage Register and the National Heritage List.

Inside the Mt Buffalo Chalet which was built 114 years ago.

Owned by the state government, via Parks Victoria, the future of the chalet, known as ‘the grand old dame’, has been uncertain since its doors were closed in 2007.

Plans to reopen the site via a lease agreement were five years in the making with the Victorian Government spending $2.8m in maintenance and conservation works on the building in recent years.

A further $1.8m is committed for the cafe and outdoor education centre.

An additional $3m investment by the federal government will help conserve the facade of the historic 114-year-old chalet to keep it wind and watertight in the alpine conditions.

The chalet’s cafe is expected to reopen in early 2025 with the first schools expected soon afterwards.

“Reopening the chalet has been a long-held dream for many people in the local community, and across Victoria. It’s a place with many special memories and a lot of history,” Parks Victoria board chair John Pandazopoulos said.

“We’re proud of the work Parks Victoria rangers and staff have done over the years to maintain the chalet and are delighted such an exciting future has been secured.”