Mt Buller, VICTORIA
Airing Date: Aug 23rd, 2004
Mt Buller is Melbourne's winter playground, and one of Alisa Camplin's favourite places to ski. Alisa is the Olympic aerial skiing champion from the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
There are two reasons Alisa enjoys skiing at Mt Buller; it's only a two and a half hours' drive from Melbourne, which means you can visit for the day, and it also caters to all level of skiers, from world champions to beginners.
Situated high in the snowfields, the quaint village has lodges, luxurious hotels and modern apartments guests to enjoy. The village's central location means you can ski from the slopes right to your front door. There is a fantastic selection of restaurants, cafes and bars, and a variety of shops to keep you entertained aprs skiing!
Mt Buller's 263 hectares of spectacular terrain includes over 80 kilometres of groomed trails. There are a variety of slopes ranging from gentle and groomed to steep and fast, ideal for skiers of all levels.
Mt Buller offers a natural playground with rugged ridges, cliff drops and tree runs, as well as a fully designed terrain park with a sculpted half pipe and rail park. Mt Buller's large ski lift capacity can move up to 40,000 skiers per hour on its network of 25 lifts. This means more time out on the slopes and less waiting in queues.
There are plenty of activities on offer both on and off Mt Buller's slopes. There is snow tubing, snowshoeing and tobogganing, as well as Australia's highest cinema screening the latest movies, two gymnasiums, and a huge indoor sports complex at La Trobe University's Mt Buller Campus. Throughout the year, there's an exciting calendar of events and festivals with first class facilities providing an experience like no other.
After a fun day of skiing, treat yourself to a delicious dinner at the Pension Grimace, a Mt Buller institution. It's a favourite with all the ski instructors because of its great food and the large selection of European beers they serve.
The facts
Accommodation is available at the Mercure Grand Chalet Hotel. Usually a room starts from $680 a night, but as a special offer for viewers of The Great Outdoors the first 50 callers on the 9 August only can book a room for $399 a night including breakfast. A third person is also welcome to stay free.
Mercure Grand Chalet
Tel: 1800 810 200
Qantas can fly you to Melbourne with one way, online prices from Sydney
starting at $98 or $137 from Brisbane and $233 from Perth.
Qantas
Tel: 13 13 13
Suggested reading material: Lonely Planet
Prices correct at 09/08/04
