Third largest national park in Victoria, The Grampians is one of the most visited places in the state, with some amazing rock formations, impressive views over mountain ranges, beautiful waterfalls, diversity of animals and plants, and numerous sites of Aboriginal rock painting. There are plenty of bushwalks, and good options for camping, fishing and mountain climbing in the park, and just outside are some nice vineyards, art galleries and lots of Chinese and European gold history. Here is some information about the park, and in the end of the page is a map of the area.
Geology and Vegetation The sweeping slopes and craggy sandstone escarpments of the Grampians National Park are different from the younger, fertile basalt plains that surround them. In the Grampians, sandy and infertile soils are produced by weathering of sandstone. This creates harsh conditions for the plants, which have developed some clever adaptations to cope. There are at least 800 native plant species in the park, 20 of which are endemic. The vegetation types include sclerophyll forests, open woodlands, heathlands and swamplands, and during the spring, the rich flora puts on some of Victoria’s best wildflower display.
Aboriginal Rock Painting Aboriginal people have been living in the Grampians for at least 5000 years and the area has today some of the best examples of Aboriginal rock painting in south-eastern Australia. The rock art sites are in the park’s “shelters”, while displays of traditions, clothing, tools and weapons of the local tribes are in the Brambuk Living Cultural Centre in Halls Gap, which also offers cultural tours.
Hall's Gap - the centre of the Grampians Hall's Gap is the park’s central town, where there is a supermarket, cafes and restaurants, a range of accommodation, and the Grampians National Park Visitors Centre with informative displays, educations services for schools and visitor activities programs. Here you can get updated information about the parks attractions and activities, and maps of walking tracks.
Short Walks from Hall's Gap There are many great places around Halls Cap, easily reached by short walks. The most classic is the Pinnacle Lookout, not far from the Visitors Centre, but there are other popular spots such as Sundial Peak, Boronia Peak and Chataugua Peak.
Longer Walks from Hall's Gap North-west from Halls Gap is Zumstein, a popular picnic area frequented by kangaroos (do not feed them), and the beautiful McKenzie Falls with several walking tracks around them which take you to different lookout points. There are picnic facilities here too, and McKenzie Falls is connected to Zumstein by walking tracks.
Northern Grampians: Wartook Valley North from McKenzie Falls and Zumstein is an area called Wartook Valley, known for its Aboriginal and European pioneer history, and as one of the best wildflower regions. Furthest south are the little townships Wartook and Laharum, east of which is the Ngamadjidj Aboriginal Shelter, and further north is Gulgurn Manja Shelter. There are walking tracks to Mt Stapylton, Hollow Mountain and Mount Zero, and you can also visit one of the many wildflower or olive farms in the area, and do some horse-riding or fly-fishing with a local guide.
Western Grampians: Mt Arapiles West from Wartook Valley is Black Range, and north of it is the small town Horsham with a wool factory, a regional art gallery and the Little Desert National Park north of it. West of Horsham is Mount Arapiles, famous for its excellent rock climbing and abseiling. You can hire a local guide through Grampians Adventure Services, Hangin' Out or Grampians Mountain Adventure Company.
Eastern Grampians East of Halls Gap is the Wonderland Range, and south of it is the highest peak in the Grampians National Park, Mount William (1167m). There is a steep track from the car park to the top of it, where you can enjoy views above the clouds.
Southern Grampians: Mt Abrupt South from Mount William Range is the small township Dunkeld, and the 825m-high Mount Abrupt. A winding track which starts from a small parking area besides the Dunkheld-Halls Cap Road leads up to summit where there are some of the best views in the Grampians National Park.
South-west of the Grampians West of Dunkeld and Nigretta Falls is Hamilton – a lovely town with wool-growing heritage, grand buildings, beautiful botanic gardens and an art gallery. Not far along the Glenelg Highway are the amazing Wannon and Nigretta Falls, a Volcanic Trail, and plenty of fishing and water sports at Lake Hamilton.
East of the Grampians: Chinese History East of The Grampians National Park is Ararat, the only town in Australia that was established by the Chinese. You can explore the town’s gold heritage at the Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre or visit Long Morgala Museum and Australia’s largest wind farm at Challicum Hills.
North-east of the Grampians: Vineyards North of Ararat is the small town Great Western, established in 1863 by winemakers. You can visit the pioneer wineries – Best’s and Seppelt, where you can do some wine tasting.
What to do in the Grampians National Park There are more than 150km of bushwalking tracks in the Grampians National Park, all from half-hour strolls to serious overnight trails, pick up the maps and information at the Visitors Centre. Horseriding tours are offered by the Grampians Horseriding Centre, and canoeing, caving, bushwalking tours and bike tours by Grampians Adventure Services and Hangin’ Out.
Here's a map of the Grampians National Park, where I have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
