For generations, the Stoneys' have been riding to the Bluff and beyond to drive and muster their cattle to their Alpine Grazing Lease, over the Great Divide and into the heart of Victoria’s High Country. The spectacular scenery and beautiful bush have been immortalised in films such as "The Man from Snowy River"; legends of life in the mountains and the mountain cattlemen have spread far and wide. 

However, with insurance premiums going through the roof, and the government rushing legislation through the Upper House banning cattle grazing in the high country, we have sadly had to cease Bluff and Beyond Trail Rides.  We therefore no longer operate the rides business.

However, you can ride that country with operators who still run rides.  MccCormacks, Lovicks and the Watsons still operate trail rides, of varying lengths, in the Mansfield district and high country regions.

Please contact these ride operators if you are interested in seeing a special part of this great country:
Watsons - 03 5777 3552 or 0407 841 736
McCormacks - 03 5775 2886
Lovicks - 03 5777 5715

In riding a horse, we borrow freedom.
        (Helen Thompson .b. 1943)

Choose your own adventure....

Choose from 1 hour rides to overnight camping safaris for various numbers of nights with different destinations. Riding through the bush, from the valleys to the rugged snowgrass plains, all the way to the mountain tops. Sparkling rivers are crossed many times as you make your way from one night’s campsite to the next. 

The bush frequently opens out to allow the opportunity for a good canter, and in many places, trees have over time fallen across the tracks, so when the terrain (and your enthusiasm!) allows it, you can try out your jumping skills. A hearty meal awaits you in camp, after which tall tales and music abound around the campfire.

The rides are booked with various professional local tour operators. All have been tried and tested by ourselves to ensure quality.  

"Again the early-morning sun was generous with its warmth. All the sounds dear to a horseman were around me - the snort of the horses as they cleared their throats, the gentle swish of their tails, the tinkle of the irons as we flung saddles over their backs - little sounds of no importance, but they stay in the unconscious library of the memory."                     (Wyford Vaughn-Thomas)


Rides vary in length from relaxing, get-away-from-it-all weekends, to 7 day safaris, with numerous variations in between. Weekends are suitable for riders of all abilities, from complete novices, eager for their first experience on horseback, to those who ride as an integral part of their life but who want to experience bush riding at its best. We recommend some riding  experience for our longer rides - or that participants are physically fit and very keen.

A bit of history....

The Stoney family name is synonymous with the mountains. For over 70 years we have conducted the annual pilgrimage on horseback, driving mobs of cattle into the Victorian High Country, right up onto the Bluff Range and onto the Great Divide. Weeks are then spent in the autumn mustering and taking cattle home before the winter snows. Chris Stoney now carriers on both the cattlemen and farming tradition as generations before him have done, with great gusto, passion, and unbridled determination.

Eadley Stoney was the first one into the Bush; with help from his son Graeme they built the Bluff Hut in 1956 carrying the materials in by packhorse. The mountain behind the Hut was named Mt Eadley Stoney in his honour after he died in 1972.

With the demand generated from, "The Man From Snowy River" movie and the public awareness of the Mountain Cattlemen's plight, and the fascination with our untouched magnificent country the Stoneys started their trail ride business in 1986, Bluff & Beyond Trail Rides. The family business has grown and thrived since those early days with the help of genuine, honest, fun-loving staff when in early 2001 we took the next step, working with our local community, in our retail / bookings store - Stoneys High Country Store. The pinnacle or the rides was winning the State Adventure Tourism Award in 2001. 

However, we were soon hit with a 250% rise in public liability insurance.  Even though we've had no claims, due to this and the increasingly litigious society that we now live in, we were forced to reconsider our position. We made the heartbreaking decision to close our Bluff and Beyond Trailrides earlier in 2002 and on June 1st we had a momentous clearing sale and sold all of our dear horses and associated gear. Part of the reason that we decided to break it all up hinged on our Riding Licence. We were one of the only business to have a licence with National Parks that was almost unrestricted, so we could ride over most of the mountains. This prevented us from selling the business as a whole. Thankfully we have negotiated with Parks and a few of the other operators will take on aspects of our licence to enable them to ride into some of the more spectacular areas. We are proud to be offering those rides through the shop/booking office.

We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those people that have ridden with us over the last 17 years. We have made some wonderful friends, had some incredible experiences, got ourselves in and out of all sorts of experiences in all sorts of weather. We've rolled smokes, swags and safari trucks ! It will be a time in our lives that we we won't forget.  Thanks also to all the hundreds of people that sent notes, letters, who phoned us etc - passing on their support to us and conveying their great sadness that we were closing our rides. We were very touched.