| Inland mountain | NE |
| 4527' / 1380m amsl, 975m / 3200ft agl | Gorge launch HG Advanced, HG Int under HG Adv supervision, unsuitable for PG. Reed's launch PG5, PG4 under FI/SSO supervision. |
Landowners
Parks Victoria. Sites are licenced to VHPA via SAFA.Contact/Responsible
NEVHGCMt Buffalo
Mt Buffalo is a large granite mountain. The Gorge ramp launch suitable for hang gliders. Reid's lookout suitable for paragliders.Takeoff
Constructed ramp for hang gliders, sloping rock face for paragliders. Both launches are good, but there is no room for mistakes, they are very sheer.
Ramp safety harness
For organised hang gliding events at the Mt Buffalo ramp, Parks Vic require launch assistants to wear a safety harness. The NE Vic HG Club has provided such a harness. It consists of a certified fall restraint harness and 17m of static fall rope with two carabiners to limit the range of movement of the wire assist person working near the edge in front of hang gliders preparing to launch. The harness will be stored with other competition equipment at the NE Vic Club storeroom at the Mystic landing paddock and may be signed out by any pilot as required by contacting one of the club committee members. If using this harness be sure that the range of travel of the assist person does not allow them over the edge of the cliff and that they keep the rope clear their own feet and of the feet of the pilot when moving away.
Landing
Porepunkah airstrip in the Buckland Valley to the east or anywhere in the valley. Nearest bombout is 'The Burrs', alongside the park entrance directly in front of launch.Before going XC, please check the map for allowed and forbidden landing paddocks in the area.
Flight
You can fly Buffalo in any wind direction as long as it is fairly light. In summer the wind is generally N-NW in the Ovens Valley and there is usually a light wind blowing up the gorge when the sun is out and the wind is light. This makes it 'on' at takeoff on a large percentage of days, but don't be surprised if you find yourself drifting away from the mountain while thermalling, or landing in a SW wind! On strong days the thermals blast through at 18-25knots or more, this indicates lift of 1000+/min and comparable sink. The worst winds are probably South Easterlies which roll around from the right and can produce some radical turbulence out from takeoff.The XC potential is very good. (eg. the 1988 World championships held here). To the north the ridge peters out at Myrtleford, 18kms away. South, the valley disappears after 16 kms into rugged country with no landing areas. West, you could fly over the plateau into the next valley, but it can be difficult to get there. One direction is east, over Bright and the Tawonga Gap and onto Mt Beauty and Mt Bogong, but this requires a lot of height. Other directions include flying straight up the Kiewa Valley towards Albury, or up the valley past Myrtleford and then out into the flatlands towards Benalla.
Hazards/Comments
Minimum pilot rating is advanced for this site, however intermediate rated pilots supervised by an advanced pilot may launch. Action will be initiated against pilots launching illegally.A powerline cuts the corner of the 'Burrs' paddock to power the toll station. If you land anywhere else in the valleys, keep out of tobacco fields and, as always, watch for powerlines, fences, etc. Remember that this is mountain thermal country, and winds are unpredictable in landing areas.
Map information
