One of Australia’s largest ski resorts will once again spin its chairlifts for downhill mountain bikers after a seven-year hiatus. Mt Buller, located in the province of Victoria, used to operate a lift system for mountain bikers, but it hasn’t since 2018.
The resort has just announced that it’s adding bike carriers to one lift so it can haul mountain bikes. MTB operations will open on Saturday, December 27th, 2025, and run through Sunday, January 11th, 2026. After the 11th, Mt Buller will operate on all weekends and public holidays through Easter (April 5, 2026), including for the National Downhill Championships on March 18-22, 2026.
“Gravity mountain bike riders and sightseers are going to be thrilled with this news. There have been long and loud calls for the Northside Express to roll in summer since 2018,” explained Buller Ski Lifts GM Noel Landry. “It’s been an involved process finding an approved solution for carrying bikes on Northside Express, and it’s great to offer guests this unique and popular experience again.”
Mt Buller is building 10km of new trails this season
In addition to adding bike carriers to the lift, Mt Buller is building 10km (6 miles) of new MTB trails to provide a modern downhill mountain biking experience and to close gaps within the existing trail system. While Mt Buller hasn’t run their lifts in some seven years, the mountain is home to an existing trail system that has remained popular with local riders.
Currently, Mt Buller offers three full days of riding straight from the village, according to Rhylla Morgan, PR & Communications Consultant for Mt Buller. Riders can enjoy “a day on the gravity network, a day around the Corn Hill Zone, and then a Stonefly ride and/or some long Delatite River Trail rolls to Mirimbah,” said Morgan.
Three of the new trails will provide “‘modern’ descending blue flow/jump trails that [can] be accessed via an uplift service,” according to David McCoombe, Resort Operations Manager for Mt Buller. Once complete, these new downhill trails will offer three difficulty levels for downhill riders: a light blue, a dark blue, and a shorter black trail.
Within the existing network, Mt Buller is rerouting two trail segments so that the downhill on the Stonefly loop is now on singletrack instead of a fire road. They’re also building a singletrack return trail that bypasses another road.
The Delatite River Trail is “our very popular top-to-bottom trail,” said McCoombe. “Though it’s essentially a doubletrack trail, we have built jumps, added features, and tried to give it a [singletrack] feel where possible.” Despite adding jumps, this trail remains accessible to a wide range of riders. Mt Buller is also constructing a new singletrack link from the main network to the Delatite River Trail, which, again, will help keep riders off the road.
Day passes cost $82 AUD and two-day passes can be purchased for $147. But if you’re a local, you might as well buy a season pass: current Mt Buller winter season pass holders can add an MTB season pass for a discounted rate of just $199.
With fresh downhill trails to rip and lifts once again hauling mountain bikes, Mt Buller is poised for an MTB revitalization. If you’ve written Mt Buller off, it might be time to visit this iconic resort once again.
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