Mount Buffalo National Park, Victoria: World's highest camping experience is on the side of a 300 metre cliff in Australia

For campers ready to take the great outdoors to the next level, an overnight stay on the side of a sheer 300 metre cliff face in Mount Buffalo National Park has been launched and it's just a four-hour drive from Melbourne.

In Australia's first and the world's highest cliff camping experience, guests abseil down to the portaledge on the north wall of Mount Buffalo Gorge for a three-course meal and overnight stay before waking to a spectacular sunrise, coffee and breakfast the next morning and an optional multi-pitch abseil to the valley floor.

Unleashed Unlimited's Andrew Dawson, who founded the company with his brother, Howie, says that as young rock climbers in Australia they'd see images of people sleeping on portaledges on giant walls in places such as Yosemite and always wanted to know what it would be like.

When the pair started camping out on the cliff they found that the concept received a lot of attention from their non-climbing friends.

"The reaction was usually polarised from something like either, 'No way in hell I'd ever do that!', or, 'I'd absolutely love to give it a go!" Dawson says

He says Mount Buffalo is an ideal location for cliff camping due to the site's relative ease of access in an experience that is designed to cater both to novices and experienced climbers.

"We get a mix of guests, some with climbing experience and some without and we train people up on all the roping skills they will need and make sure they're totally comfortable with everything before they go down to the portaledge."

He says guests are typically either a pair of good friends or siblings - there has also been a couple on a first date and a wedding proposal (she said yes).