About McCormack's Mountain Valley Trail Rides
McCormack's Mountain Valley Trail Rides is a multi-generational horse riding operation run by the McCormack family, who have farmed and ridden the High Country around Merrijig since the 1880s. Their property sits at the gateway to the Alpine National Park, where the foothills rise toward Mt Buller and the surrounding ranges — the same landscape immortalised in the Banjo Paterson poem and the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River. In fact, McCormack's land includes the trails and terrain used during filming, and their signature ride takes guests to Craig's Hut, the iconic mountain cattlemen's hut built as a set for the movie and now a beloved High Country landmark.
Rides range from two-hour introductory jaunts through river flats and bushland to full-day Craig's Hut expeditions and multi-day pack trips that venture deep into the alpine wilderness with overnight camps under the stars. All rides are led by experienced guides — many of them McCormack family members — and the horses are bred and trained on the property for temperament and sure-footedness on mountain trails. No prior riding experience is required for shorter rides, while longer expeditions suit intermediate and experienced riders comfortable with extended time in the saddle.
What makes McCormack's exceptional is the genuine connection to the land and the living heritage of mountain cattlemen's culture. This is not a tourist trail ride through a paddock — it's a ride into the actual High Country, on stock routes and bridle paths that have been used for over a century. The Craig's Hut ride in particular delivers one of Victoria's most spectacular viewpoints, with panoramic vistas across the alpine ranges. For visitors to the Mt Buller region looking for an experience beyond skiing, McCormack's offers something deeply rooted and unmistakably Australian.
