Mt Buller and Mt Stirling Resort Management and the Mount Stirling Stakeholder Group are preparing a contemporary vision for the Mount Stirling Alpine Resort. Mount Stirling 2030 is a vision that reflects community and stakeholder aspirations, celebrating the social and environmental values of the mountain and addressing challenges of climate change.

Mt Buller Mt Stirling Resort Management seeks your feedback on Mount Stirling 2030, which is being prepared to guide future management decisions for the Mount Stirling Alpine Resort.

The consultation period is open between Monday 18 December 2017 and 5pm Sunday 21 January 2018.

There are two stages to providing feedback:

First, check this website and download the Mount Stirling 2030 – Draft For Consultation document.

Then complete an online survey which will ask about your level of support for each objective.

On the website you can also:

– find details of upcoming community information sessions about the plan (Jan 2 at Telephone Box Junction, and Jan 19 in Mansfield), and

– sign up to the Mount Stirling newsletter to stay up to date with the process.

A few thoughts on the draft plan

This plan is a synthesis of feedback from a range of stakeholders, authorities and managers and visitors to the mountain. It enshrines the vision of keeping Mt Stirling as an ‘undeveloped’ mountain with a strong emphasis on outdoor recreation in an alpine environment.

In this sense I feel that all 9 objectives should be supported (although of course there is some detail that needs to be resolved in actual implementation of the vision document).

Some key points:

  • It aims to keep the mountain as a ‘significant nature-based asset’
  • The plan deals directly with the implications of climate change (it acknowledges that opportunities for extensive cross country skiing will become increasingly limited in coming years)
  • It seeks to continue to work with traditional owner groups (the Taungurung Clans)
  • It has a focus on keeping the mountain accessible to a broad range of people (ie, keeping it affordable)
  • It commits the resort to using renewable energy to power its operations
  • It seeks to ‘balance’ recreational activities (and associated infrastructure) with conservation and environemntal protection
  • It will continue to build on Mt Stirling as an educational destination
  • It explicitly rules out on-mountain permanent visitor accommodation, ski lifts and use of snow mobiles for private or commercial use.

For further information please contact

Louise Perrin or Tom Kelly

Mt Buller Mt Stirling Resort Management (03) 5777 6077