旅行は私の人生なのだ

Five o'clock in the morning (Yes, it's five o'clock), I've already waked up.

My breakfast is m&m chocolate and hot chocolate. Actually, I forget to buy ingredients and I don't have anything for the breakfast.

Because of the event yesterday, I'm quite clear that the Grayline bus will pick me up.

Without any accident, I'm going to Mt. Buller today.

In Australia, I only see the snow on the summit of Cradle mountains but didn't have the chance to step on the snow.

I really want to see the snow, step on it and take some photos before I leave Australia.

Therefore, I choose to go to Mt.Buller instead of walking  around Melbourne city.

About skiing, I've joined the beginner skiing lesson at Cardrona, New Zealand two years ago. It's quite hard for me to learn skiing well for only one lesson.

In order to take photos around all the snow area, I don't join the lesson this time and be a complete sightseer.

My ticket includes the chairlift riding for sightseers.

Mt. Buller is quite far away from Melbourne.

About ten o'clock, we only arrive at Mansfield, the nearest town to Mt.Buller.

The tourists rent their equipments in Comfort Resort Alzburg which is a hotel offering the rental and transport service. The price for the facilities is a little cheaper and you don't have to wait for a long time in the line.

In my opinion, I think it's not enough to learn skiing well in only one day. Deducting the time spent on the transportation and facility hire, the actual time for learning skiing is less than five hours (or even four hours if the lunch time is also deducted). If I really want to learn skiing well, I would choose to stay at mansfield for a couple of days.

This time, I'm a sightseer and four hours is enough for me to walk around the snow area.

I get my lift ticket at the desk and order the chips at the store. The man who sells the chis says with a strong tone: You want the chips. I Give You The Chips. It's nice to have hot chips in the freezing mountain area. 

Though the weather is cold, it's strange that the trees around the hotel have bloomed.

After the hire, we spend another one hour to arrive at the car park of Mt.Buller resort.

The tourist bus has to park and wait here and then we take the free shuttle to the entrance.

There is a small snow area for playing the toboggan behind the shuttle stop. The snow seems to be melted soon.

At the entracne of Mt. Buller Alpine Village, there is a square with the information center o the right (The big "i"). Except for the ticket office and ski hire, you could buy the food from three restaurants and two outdoor vendors.

Besides, Mount Buller YHA is also here but the price is much expensive than others.

I walk toward the first chairlift for a riding. The snow around here is wet and mixed with mud, but you could see the snowy hill in front of you. It's quite exciting!

As the map you may watch above, there are two chairlifts for evreyone whether you are skiing or sightseeing.

The Blue Bullet Chairlift I take nearby the entrance only goes to the top of this hill.

If you want to reach the remoter location, you have to walk for a distance to the Holden Express Chairlift.

It's a pity that the sightseer could not ride all the chairift in the resort. Otherwise, it would be easy to arrive the summit of Mt. Buller.

Anway, I just want to experience the chairlift for as least one time. I think I could walk to the summit by foot in five hours.

The end of Blue Bullet chairlift, the hilltop, is only a small part of Mt.Buller. The skiing area is wider than I think and I'm still far away from the summit.

Walking on the snow is very similar to walking on the sand. It's tiring for every step on the steep ascent.

Skiers of all ages pass in front of me. I quite envy that they could ski so well. Even the children also ski better than me but I just could not ski in a straight line.

Such as the blooms in Mansfield, some part of snow here is melted on my way to the summit.

Spring will come soon and the grass is ready for growing. 

Except for Mt.Buller, other mountains already have no snow.

It's interesting to take photos of the skiers, snow scenes and chairlifts.

I really have great fun here.

Following the chairlift, the last hilltop is the summit of Mt. Buller. 

The slope is thes steepest and I could only walk by my foot even though there is the chairlift to the top.

It's pretty tiring for every step on the snow.

On the half way, I find some young skiers playing snowboard here.

I'm sure it would be exciting to do the jumping and they show different poses when they are flying.

For me, it's a excellent subject for my photos.

The moment as they jump with slight snow in the air is the perfect timing.

The only thing I don't know is how they feel if they fail to land on the snow.

I Finally reach the summit after the steep slope. 

There is a stone walk along the edge to the top where you could find a pyramid-shaped object that might be used for communication.

The mountainous scenery is awesome but will be greater if these mountains are both covered with snow.

I feel quite great that I have done what I want to do.

The time now is just two o'clock, and I could walk back to the entrance easily for my late luch.

It's a little slipery and interesting when I walk down from the summit.

Such as the sandsurfing, moving downward is always fun.

Coming back to the entrance soon, I order a beef fried noodle in a restaurant.

Before I leave the resort, I look around the surrounding outside the resort and find a community center.

Actually, this community center is also a small elementary school. 

The classrooms, gym and other facilities are located on differernt floors.

I think it should be wonderful to live here as a child and student. You will have plenty of time playing snow.

Returning to the car park at four o'clock, I eat the chicken pie at the food store nearby the shuttle stop.

This pie reminds me of the movie "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" starring by Johnny Depp.

The crust is scripy and the chicken mince is soft. However, I forget to take a photo of it.

About 4:30, it's time to going back to Melbourne city. It takes another long four hours to arrive.

Because I reach the hostel in the late night, the restaurant is already closed.

Hmm....it's quite strange to put the noodle into the mushroom chowder as my dinner.

When my self-prepared dish becomes tasteless, sometimes it means that the journey is reaching its end.

The trip tomorrow will be the great, great, Great Ocean Road, the most popular trip in Melbourne.