Get hooked in Buxton
BUXTON, population 400, is a small township set above the Black Spur and is known for its beautiful mountain vistas, trees and rivers.
With a general store, fishing and outdoors supply, active CFA station, town hall, primary school and several bed and breakfast options you’ll find it the perfect place to visit along with the nearby towns of Marysville and Narbethong, or the Cathedral Ranges.
Buxton is home to the famous Buxton Trout and Salmon Farm, the first trout farm in Australia.
Family owned and established in 1958, the farm was set up by Frank Parkes at a time when there was no commercial farming of trout in Australia, the farm becoming instrumental in shaping Australia’s trout industry.
Today, Australia produces approximately 1500-2000 tonnes of trout each year, with roughly 85 per cent grown in the Murrindindi and Upper Goulburn regions of Victoria.
The farm has a variety of ponds with large trout (500g-4kg), medium trout (300g-500g), Atlantic salmon (2kg-5kg) and a challenge lake.
Growing approximately 80 tonnes of fish per year through an onsite, self-sufficient breeding, hatching, growing and processing program, the majority are sent to wholesale and restaurant markets, with the rest set aside for visitors.
Staff are more than happy to help you catch a fish and will clean it and pack it on ice for you to take home or you can cook it on the onsite BBQ facilities.
The Trout and Salmon Farm’s world famous specialties of Mountain Ash Smoked Trout and Hand-Milked Caviar have even featured on Masterchef Australia.
Outside of the trout farm, you can enjoy the thrill of catching a trout or salmon in pristine waters, see the ‘Meeting of the Waters’ where three mountain rivers come together or simply enjoy the peace and quiet of the surrounds.
Some regard the Steavenson River near Buxton as the best fly fishing river within two hours’ drive of Melbourne with regular ‘fishos’ insisting that it simply can’t be beaten for reliability and consistency whether in the classic stream or the overgrown, fast-flowing waters, there’s an abundance of trout from Buxton to the base of the Steavenson Falls.
For those seeking something more energetic, try mountain biking or hiking in the Black Range State Forest or enjoy nearby Lake Mountain.
With so much beauty on offer, Buxton is the perfect place to stop and hide away in nature today.