Be sure to add the Howling Huskys to your bucket list.  A husky dogsled tour in the snow is something that will be long remembered.

When:  June – August (or the “white” season)

Where:  Mt Baw Baw (located near the Skiosk)

Cost:  Sled tours start from $140 for two people (in one sled) for 30 minutes.  Click here for all the tour details and booking form.  Suitable for all ages.

Snow Victoria Ambassador Lochie Daddo

Review

Howling Husky Tours came about as a result of Jake, its founder, looking for ways to train his very energetic (verging on antisocial) husky pup.  Jake found a local husky association that organised dog sledding – and the rest, as they say, is history.  Fast forward to today and Jake and his crew of 35 huskies (25 of which are rescue dogs) are living the dream running the trails of Mt Baw Baw and pulling some human cargo along for the ride.

When we arrived for our La Trobe tour (15 minutes of meeting the pups and 15 minutes cruising along Mt Baw Baw’s La Trobe Trail) we had plenty of time to meet every single dog working that day.  The dogs all love cuddles, pats and (if you’re up for a face licking) “kisses”.  Charlie (6) and his mate Henry (4) are both dog lovers and they threw themselves into this meet and greet session with great enthusiasm.  We even attempted to learn all the dogs names by heart – given there were about 20 dogs “working” that day it was a fun challenge.

When the dogs saw the sleighs being set up they got super excited – jumping, barking and howling – it was obvious that they couldn’t wait to get going.  All the dogs have been trained for hauling freight – which means they are slower than racing dogs, but last long distances.  According to Jake their favourite tour is the four hour Spirit Of A Sled Dog Tour.

The sled itself is very lightweight and close to the ground – it’s also pretty cosy.  Because we were part of a media call Charlie and Henry were lucky enough to have multiple turns on the Ta Trobe Trail – even one with Lochie Daddo (Snow Victoria’s Ambassador).  The sled (and dog team) can carry up to 160kg – so an adult and two children is easy cargo.

As we travelled along the La Trobe Trail we stopped a couple of times for a bit of a chat with Jake about the trail, how the dogs work, how the sled works and any other questions that came to mind.  There are also some pretty awesome dips and turns along the trail where we got to go pretty fast – snow was flying everywhere and I am pretty sure there was excited squealing coming from the passengers (okay maybe that was just me).  When we returned from our tour Charlie advised Lochie (who was waiting with the film crew) that if he liked roller coasters he’d love this.

We finished our dog sled experience on an absolute high – the dogs are so beautiful, experiencing the trail was a thrill and the surrounds of Mt Baw Baw are stunning.  This was one of those “pinch me” moments where I couldn’t believe that we were so lucky to be able to experience this amazing tour, unique to Mt Baw Baw.  If you are looking for something special that will long be remembered – get yourself on a Howling Huskys Tour.

Want to know more about visiting Mt Baw Baw in the snow season?  Click here.

Commercial Disclosure: We (my family) were kindly hosted by Destination Gippsland at Mt Baw Baw for two nights and two days.  All views are my own.