Mt Stirling

            
             Mt Stirling is situated in the North - East part of Victoria on the dividing range, next to Mt Buller and 2 hours drive from Melbourne. It is a unique destination in that visitors can experience the unspoiled Alpine environment and all it has to offer in the way of recreational activities. There is conflict between the users on Mt Stirling because they are all looking for different outcomes. For example the bush walkers enjoying the peace and quiet of the mountain would be upset when the 4WD"ers come along in their loud noisy vehicles, ripping up the tracks. To help conserve the mountain the Alpine Resorts Commission (ARC) manages Mt Stirling consulting with the Mt Stirling Advisory Group and under the Minister for Conservation and Land Management.
             The trees on Mt Stirling are all very tall mountain ash, the thick forest was made up of these. We didn't see much scrub or bushes low to the ground because it was covered by snow. There weren't many animals around because when it is cold they move down the mountain to find a warmer home for the winter months. But we did see some currawongs (which is a large black bird).
             In the 1960's and 1970's the slopes of Mt Stirling were logged (due to the good quality mountain ash) and then regenerated and cattle were grazed on the summit area. In recent times there has been a restriction of 160 cattle allowed below the summit at any one time. Cattle can affect revegetation programs, maintenance of day shelters and ski trails. On our trip to Mt Stirling we saw signs of both logging and grazing. On the various slopes there was manure, so we thought that cattle must have been still grazing at this present time. The cattle spread plants from seeds in their manure, cause erosion from their hard hooves and stir sediment in the creeks. The signs of logging we saw were tall stumps left over from the logging days, the slopes must have been logged also. .
             On Mt Stirling there are many recreational activities some of these are - X-country skiing, MTB riding, walking, horse riding, camping, camel treks, 4WD"ing, motorbike riding, educational activities etc.