Mount Buller in Victoria, Australia, now boasts the country's first via ferrata experience, a thrilling way to ascend the mountain's challenging cliffs. This innovative climbing experience combines traditional rock climbing with fixed metal ladders and cables, making it accessible to those without extensive climbing experience. The first via ferrata route, designed for beginners, opened in October 2023, with a more challenging French-inspired route set to launch in February 2024. The experience provides a unique opportunity to connect with nature and enjoy breathtaking views.
I wonder if Italian soldiers ever stopped to admire the view? Climbing with heavy packs and rifles slung across their backs, they couldn’t have known the network of iron ladders and cables they were using to climb high into the Dolomites would one day become a vertical playground for sightseeing tourists.(Italian for “iron roads”) sprung up across the Italian Alps during World War I.
When fighting ended, the vertiginous trails were maintained by keen mountaineers, and the concept spread to Germany, France and Switzerland, then eventually across to North America, which has two dozen via ferrata trails from Whistler to New Mexico.– Australia’s first and only via ferrata experience – is teaching mountaineering history as we both hang some 1700 metres off the side ofIt is a brilliant December morning, and the slopes far below us are carpeted with gold and purple wildflowers. Some adventurous blooms even poke out of the cliffs next to my hands. Black and white butterflies flutter and settle on the rock face, oblivious to the perilous heights. To get here, we walked an hour along a ridge track from Mount Buller’s summit until we reached the start of the via ferrata at the top of a cliff, where Webb introduced me to the cable that will guide me up and down said cliff, explaining how to attach to it using my lanyard and carabiner. Ensuring I stay on the trail is a two-point safety system designed to guide me from one anchor point to the next, while minimising any potential human error. If I somehow lose my footing and fall, I’ll only drop a metre or so and cop a grazed knee.My first steps down are shaky as I get used to it, but soon it becomes an almost meditative experience. I shuffle, climb or step my way along the rock face until I reach an anchor point, re-attach my carabiner to the next section of cable, and then continue. Against all self-preservation instincts, the trick is to lean out into the blue and use the cable as a handle. Within minutes, Webb and I settle into comfortable chit-chat as we traverse the mountain’s western face. Australia’s first via ferrata has been a long time coming. Despite enthusiasm from the government and park authorities, Webb says it took seven years of rigorous scouting, testing and reporting before all regulatory approval was signed off. Giving up months of weekends and spare time, he painstakingly mapped the entire mountain face to design each of RockWire’s three routes. The first route, an approachable loop track designed for newcomers with no climbing experience – the one we’re on – was unveiled in October 2023.Sensing that I’m getting the hang of things, Webb unclips me from the first route and invites me to take a sneak peek of a new route he is working on. Designed as a more challenging French-inspired trail that combines traditional rock climbing with via ferrata’s signature metal cables and rungs, this second route is on track to launch in February. James leads me to a steep V-shaped chasm where he explains how he is building a wire bridge that will serve as the climax.“I want people to come here, disconnect from a screen and connect to the environment,” he says. “You can’t properly appreciate what we have until you come out and see it for yourself.” Looking out over the valley, the High Country stretching to the horizon as kites circle below us, I couldn’t agree more.RockWire offers three-hour small-group and private climbing sessions from $199 per person. No previous climbing experience is needed. Safety requirements mean participants must weigh between 40 kilograms and 120 kilograms. See Accommodation on Mount Buller is easier to book and more affordable outside ski season. Mount Buller Chalet Hotel & Suites in the heart of Mt Buller Village provides self-contained suites with kitchenettes, which is ideal as most restaurants and shops are closed or have reduced hours over summer. Seetraded his corporate suit for a rucksack and hasn’t looked back. With an emphasis on travelling sustainably, he now travels the globe as a journalist and photographer documenting the people, cultures, food, history, and wildlife that make up our big, beautiful world. Justin was recognised with the Australian Society of Travel Writers 'Rising Star' award in 2018
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