I went bush in Suzie today up the Buckland Valley past Beveridges Station for the first time. I followed the Selwyn Creek Track and Tea Tree Range Road to Mount Sarah, stopping at the helipad after walking the Sarah Spur Track to Guys Hut.

It was a terrific day and the road conditions were better than I expected. The Buckland Valley Road was potholed and ordinary up until where Alpine Shire’s responsibility ends and Parks Victoria takes over. You have to feel sorry for the handful of residents along that section.

I stopped where the Selwyn Creek track reaches the ridge of the Great Dividing Range and hiked for a couple of kilometres towards Mount Selwyn. The Twins road was closed. I climbed steeply along part of the Australian Alps Walking Track to a summit and decided to turn back after seeing the trail plunge downwards before presumably ascending again to Mount Selwyn.

Suzie took me to Mount Sarah, with only the last 200 metres causing any difficulty. The vehicle scraped the bottom three times, which surprised me and suggests the clearance isn’t as good as it might be. I’ll have to take that into account for future expeditions.

Mount Sarah is 1553 metres high. It offers good views towards Mount Hotham on one side, and to what I think is Mount Howitt on the other. The higher peaks were snow capped. I expected to see patches at Mount Sarah, but there weren’t any. The snowline last Sunday was around 1400 metres, so it’s retreated quickly in seven days to about 1600 metres.

I tried returning via Mount Selwyn, but a log across the road cut me short and I had to backtrack. I pulled in at Beveridges Station for a coffee and to read the paper beside the Buckland River.

It was a very enjoyable day and I now have some ideas for camping spots. I’d also like to explore along the Mount Murray Road when it re-opens.