⊕ Mt Donna Buang · 1,250 m
When it snows.An hour from Melbourne.
A few times each winter the road to the summit ices up and the beech forest goes silent under a foot of white. Here’s the live forecast, the weather map, and what you’ll find when you get there.
Photo: MDRX, CC BY-SA 4.0
⊕ Right now
Live conditions.
Snow on the summit is unpredictable — sometimes there for a fortnight, sometimes gone overnight. Check the 6-day forecast before you load the toboggan.
⊕ Weather map
The whole region.
Snow, cloud, wind, satellite — toggle the layers. Mt Donna Buang sits just east of Warburton at the centre of the map.
Map: meteoblue · updated continuously
⊕ Up there
What it looks like.
Mountain ash and beech, snow gums and tree ferns. The Donna Buang summit sits in cool temperate rainforest — the snow rarely lasts long, but when it falls it transforms the whole forest.
⊕ Before you go
A few tips.
01 / GETTING THERE
75 km east of Melbourne
From the city, head out the Maroondah Hwy through Lilydale and Warburton, then up Donna Buang Road. Allow 90 minutes. The summit road is sealed but narrow and steep — slow down.
02 / GEAR
Wheel chains, warm layers
When snow’s forecast you’re legally required to carry chains past the snowline. Warburton True Value Hardware hires them out, and stocks toboggans, gloves and beanies for the day.
03 / TOBOGGANING
Gentle slopes by the summit
The picnic ground at the top has open runs perfect for kids. Bring a thermos. Avoid the road.
04 / SAFETY
Sun reflects off snow
Even on overcast days you’ll burn quickly. Sunglasses, sunscreen, water. Check the forecast above before driving up — conditions change in an hour.
⊕ Photos by MDRX via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Snow forecast: snow-forecast.com. Weather map: meteoblue.