Century, not out ... Mount Buffalo Chalet's doors will open next Saturday.
Sue Wallace returns to an ageing beauty as she celebrates her birthday.
She's tough, haughty, has had a chequered past, sparked political debate and still faces an uncertain future.
But if you've ever sat beside her roaring fires, run along her long, crimson-carpeted hallways and danced in the ballroom, you may well have fallen under her spell.
She's the historic Mount Buffalo Chalet, celebrating her centenary year.
Generations have discovered the wonders of the Mount Buffalo National Park in summer and winter since the chalet opened on April 17, 1910.
Built for £3195, it was originally intended to be a larger, granite stone, castle-like chalet but, due to politics and cost, was built from locally milled timber instead.
Entrenched in Australia's skiing history, it has had storeys and wings added and the occasional facelift - but has always kept its charm.
Closed in 2007, Parks Victoria has cared for the chalet since last May with a full-time maintenance manager and rangers visiting daily.
In the lead-up to the centenary celebrations, rangers have been busy with chalet tours at this famed holiday destination, which was leased by Victorian Railways from 1924 to 1985.
As I step through the front doors, memories come flooding back - it has been 50 years since our family stayed at the chalet and I can recall the cold, the icicles on the windows, snowball fights, roaring fires and hot-water bottles.
I tour the vast chalet, which has 98 bedrooms, three sitting rooms, a gracious ballroom, a stately dining room and activities centre, with Mount Buffalo National Park acting ranger Enzo Brotto.
First stop is the bar, added in 1988. The subject of alcohol was always debated hotly and a liquor licence wasn't granted until the 1980s - but this was certainly no dry ''island''.
''There are many stories of patrons leaving money at a certain door and bottles miraculously appearing,'' Brotto says. ''Many would smuggle in their own alcohol and have parties in their rooms. Porters always knew those who enjoyed a drink by the weight of their bags.''
Norwegian-born Hilda Samsing, who was a matron during World War I and the only woman to land at Gallipoli, managed the chalet from 1919 to 1924.
Samsing fostered the growth of skiing at Mount Buffalo by importing hickory skis from Norway. She employed Fred Chalwell to teach people how to ski and soon skiers were travelling to Mount Buffalo each winter to try out the new sport.
Despite its grand proportions, the chalet offered very basic accommodation and was unheated except for 10 big stone fireplaces.
But a Victorian Railways guide describes the 1910 chalet as ''the last word in luxury, with well-ventilated rooms'' - especially in winter it seems - and hot and cold baths.
Melbourne to Mount Buffalo excursion tickets were £4, 10 shillings and covered return train fares, overnight accommodation in Bright, return coach fares up and down the mountain and six days full board at the chalet.
We head to a wing affectionately called ''Siberia'' - so named because of the cold and the long walk. It is not surprising that guests often went to meals wearing rugs and overcoats and would rush their dinner so they could get back to the fire.
In summer, the chalet was just as popular with nature lovers, who walked the plateau collecting wildflowers, gazing at granite rocks and looking at rare plants.
I hope the future treats her kindly - she deserves it.
The Mount Buffalo Chalet centenary celebrations include chalet tours, interpretive heritage walks in the gorge and exhibitions. Saturday, May 8, from 10am-4pm. Phone Parks Victoria on 131 963.
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