The The Bluff via Link Track hike commences from a pleasant grassy clearing beside the Howqua River. The trail climbs steadily through dry open forest along Eight Mile Spur. The final stages of the ascent to the rugged natural ramparts of the Bluff are quite steep, but the rewards are soon evident. From the treeless 1,725 metre summit a spectacular alpine panorama unfolds, stretching to Mount Buller in the north and faraway Lake Eildon.
The trail continues through alpine meadows, carpeted with brilliant wildflowers in early summer, to Bluff Hut and a sheltered campsite among the nearby snow gums. Next morning, descend along a 4WD road on Sixteen Mile Spur for approximately two kilometres then locate a barely visible foot trail that descends along a steady spur to the Ritchies Hut on Howqua River.
From the hut, follow the river valley in a westerly direction to the start of the trail at Eight Mile Flat. Along this final section of the hike you will have the option of following either the high or low track. Both are equally as enjoyable so pick the best track for the conditions. Low track requires several wide and often deep river crossings.
Day 1 (13km)
Camp at Bluff Hut. Water should be available at this location.
Day 2 (12.7km)
Return to the trail head. Water will be available at Ritchies Hut and at various points along the Howqua River.
Best time
Summer, Autumn
All hikers should realise that weather conditions can change rapidly in alpine areas at any time of year. Snowfalls can be experienced at any time, so please be prepared with:
- warm clothing
- windproof and waterproof jacket
- gloves and hat
- strong footwear
- energy food and water
- compass and relevant topographical map
Total distance: 25730 m
Max elevation: 1718 m
Min elevation: 565 m
Total climbing: 1800 m
Total descent: -1800 m
Download file:
The Bluff via Link Track.gpx
- Gravel Path
- Rough Trail
- Undefined Trail
- Alpine Region
- Exposed Ledges
- Rock Scrambling
- Steep Terrain
- Off Trail
- Untreated Water
- Overnight Campsites
No Records Found
Sorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again.
Maps failed to load
Sorry, unable to load the Maps API.
- 2WD Access
- Gravel Road
- Steep Road
- Public Toilets
- Untreated Water
- Campfire Pit
- Camping Area
Travel to Mansfield from Melbourne (195km) and Take the Mount Buller Road for 20.6km, turn right onto Howqua Track and travel for 16.4 km to Sheepyard Flats. Drive through Sheepyard Flats and continue along Brocks Road for 13km to 8 Mile Flat. Turn left at the junction and continue to the carpark at the end of the track.
The Alpine National Park is a national park located in the Central Highlands and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. The 646,000-hectare national park is located northeast of Melbourne. It is the largest National Park in Victoria, and covers much of the higher areas of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria, including Victoria's highest point, Mount Bogong at 1,986 metres and the associated subalpine woodland and grassland of the Bogong High Plains. The park's north-eastern boundary is along the border with New South Wales, where it abuts the Kosciuszko National Park.
0 Reviews on “The Bluff via Link Track (25.7km)”
This was one of the best and most intense hikes I’ve done. Echoing what others have said, the climb up 8 mile spur is brutal, unrelenting uphill the whole day. But it makes the view once you get up on top of the bluff that much more spectacular. We saw no reliable water source after 8 Mile Flat and carried about 4litres each for the day. There was a half full water tank at Bluff Hut when we went in March 2020. Plenty of camping near Bluff Hut and just up the road a short ways. The next day coming down 14 Mile Spur was fine, it was overgrown for much of it (but there were some pink markers, so maybe its been maintained since then) and finding the trail from the 4wd track was a bit tricky, some large tree trunks had been placed at the start of the trail, so keep a close eye on your GPS when you get to the zigzag section of the 4wd track. Once you get down to Ritchies Hut (another great hut/campsite) theres plenty of water in the river. Two options to get back to 8 Mile Flat are the high and low tracks, on a hot day the low track with all the river crossings might be quite pleasant – but slower going. The high track was very exposed and you’re walking along some quite steep cliffs, also looked like prime snake territory and we saw 3-4 snake sized lizards that really made us jump – so take care along this section! All in all a fantastic hike, I’d say the best one in 2020!
Such an awesome hike. Particularly in the snow
Leisa Meyer this looks like a good one as well.