Buchan Voyage Tips and guide

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Perched in the hilltops of the Snowy River country, Buchan (pronounced buck-en) is a little town in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. With a population of just over 300 people, a town of its size would usually be overlooked by tourists. But Buchan's biggest claim to fame is the phenomenal limestone cave system which stretch for kilometres underground, formed 400 million years ago by underground rivers.

The easiest, simplest and most popular way to get to Buchan is by car. The town sits at the intersection of 3 major roads, which spoke out in opposing directions. Bruthren-Buchan Road enters from the south-west and is reachable from Bruthen in 40 minutes (50 km), Bairnsdale in an hour (75 km) and Melbourne in about 4 and a half hours (360 km). Buchan-Orbost Road approaches from the south-west, where the town of Orbost is 45 minutes away (60 km). The northern route does a large loop through the Snowy River National Park with no major towns, before reaching the Bonang Highway which heads into New South Wales.

Without a car, you will need a little more patience and time to spare. From Melbourne, a V/Line train will need to be caught from Southern Cross Station to the regional city of Bairnsdale, the end of the line of the same name (timetable). Then from the train station, the Route 12 Dyson's coach needs to be caught towards Gelantipy (timetable). The coach takes a moderately-long detour through Lakes Entrance before working its way to Buchan at Stop 13. Unfortunately, it only runs once every Wednesday and Friday, leaving Bairnsdale at 2:50PM, arriving at Buchan at 4:40PM. In the opposing direction, the coach departs Buchan at 9AM reaching Bairnsdale by 10:52AM.

If relying on public transport, a good itinerary would be to arrive Wednesday, stay for two nights leisurely visiting the local attractions before heading back on Friday. Remember to arrive at the bus stop at least 10 minutes early. This is not a bus you would want to miss, or risk waiting five days!

There are no local buses or taxis. Car is the best way to get around town and the nearby region. However, the town is quite small, and it is possible to walk or cycle between accommodation and sights like the Buchan Caves.

• -37.54774148.1217981 Avenue of Honour, Buchan South (8 km south of Buchan). An Anzac memorial remembering those who died in the Great War, with a tree planted for every soldier who died. 
• -37.489889148.2300662 Murrindal Bridge, 303 Basin Rd. A unique wooden bridge built in the 1920s. It is listed on the National Heritage Register as one of the only bridges of its kind in Australia. 

• -37.499321148.1619911 Buchan Caves Guided Tours, Buchan Caves Reserve. At the Buchan caves, you can explore two caves- -- Royal Cave and Fairy Cave. These caves have beautiful limestone sculptures on display. In terms of accessibility, Fairy Cave has a lot more stairs than Royal Cave. Book online at least 24 hours in advance -- you cannot get tickets at the reserve. $23.40 adult, $13.80 child. (updated Mar 2021)

• -37.49862148.17221 Buchan General Store & Post Office, 57 Main Rd, ☏ +61 3 5155 9202. M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa-Su 9AM-1PM. Grocery store with basic goods available. Post office offers foreign currency and Western Union money transfer. (updated Mar 2021)

• -37.499324148.1726991 Buchan Valley Roadhouse, 52 Main St, ☏ +61 3 5155 9484. M-F 7AM-5PM, Sa-Su and public holidays 8AM-4PM. Cafe and petrol station that serves fast food such as burgers, lamb, chips, etc. (updated Mar 2021)

• -37.49919148.171751 Buchan Caves Hotel, 49 Main Rd, ☏ +61 3 5155 9203, [email protected]. 11AM-11PM. Local country pub. (updated Mar 2021)

• -37.497204148.1715191 Buchan Motel, 67 Main Rd, ☏ +61 3 5155 9419, [email protected]. Offers modern motel rooms with a balcony and tea and coffee facilities. Free WiFi also available. $140-$180. (updated Mar 2021)
• -37.49962148.172272 Secret Cottage Buchan, 48A Main Rd, ☏ +61 4 1499 7744. Self-contained small cottage rooms in a garden setting. $100 a night for couple, $150 for two couples. (updated Mar 2021)
• -37.494148.1723 Buchan Lodge, 9 Saleyard Rd, ☏ +61 3 5155 9421, [email protected]. Check-in: N/A, check-out: N/A. Hostel-style accommodation on the Buchan River. Barbecue, kitchen and laundry facilities are all available. Bunk bed $25 per night. (updated Mar 2021)
• -37.49528148.16394 Buchan Caves Camping, Buchan Caves Reserve. Campsite at Buchan Caves Reserve with 41 powered and 20 unpowered sites, which can all fit up to 6 people each. Toilets and showers, as well as laundry and barbecue facilities, are all available. (updated Mar 2021)

The only mobile coverage in Buchan is with Telstra on the 4G network, and that's likely to be shaky at the reserve. There is a -37.49881148.172711 Telstra payphone in town.

• Lakes Entrance
• Orbost