By Callum Ludwig
Mt Donna Buang saw its first snow of the year on Saturday 7 May.
A 1cm cover of snow descended on the mountain, creating a light blanket over the summit. It was, however, mostly washed away by the rainfall over the weekend.
The owner of Mountain Tucker Joe Buckley said the snow came a bit later than usual this year.
“Normally we get a fall in April, which we didn’t get this year. Last year, we had a fall on the 11th of April and the year before we had one too,” he said.
“May was just a little bit late for the very first fall for the season, we will we get our more regular snowfall after June and July right through to September.”
Mr Buckley and his wife took over the business at the beginning of 2020, which has been operating on Mt Donna Buang for close to 30 years. The business traditionally provided a snow report to the Warburton Information Centre, and Mr Buckley has been keeping that up with updates on Facebook.
Mr Buckley said while he hasn’t been able to work on the mountain much over the last couple of years, the snow has been consistent.
“It tends to be very agreeable to fall mostly on the weekends, so we didn’t have to come up during the weekdays,” he said.
“Normal snowfall up there is about 10 centimetres, which would be about what we expect through the winter months, there have been no standout days, the snow has been very supportive of our business and coming mainly on the weekends.”
At the mention of snowfall, Yarra Ranges residents wheeled out their toboggans and snow gear. Mountain Tucker offers hot food and drinks on the mountain, as well as toboggan hire.
Mr Buckley said the arrival of snow is a double-edged sword for the business.
“We do look forward to it because it’s our busiest season time of year, we are under the pump when the snow falls,” he said.
“We work really hard and I dread that part of it but working in the snow is just so enjoyable. We’re just looking forward to a good season and without interruption would be nice this year.”
Mountain Tucker operates on Mt Donna Buang and the Redwood Forest alternatively, with service on Mt Donna Bunag heating up as the weather cools down.
