Grampians National Park Preview

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Welcome Message

Welcome to the Grampians Tour. Famous for it’s natural beauty, native Australian animals and spectacular mountain views. Today’s highlights include Mackenzie Falls, Halls Gap, Brambuk (/’bræmbɑːk/) cultural centre, Boroka lookout and the Balconies. You are also sure to see a lot of Australian wildlife including kangaroos in the wild.We know you will have a memorable day. If you have a question or need help, please tell your guide at anytime. These kind people are always ready to help you. So sit back and relax and you are sure to have a great time with us.

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Ballarat

Ballarat is Victoria’s third largest city with a population of 100,000. It is well-known for it’s gold rush in the 1850s where huge quantities of gold were found in the region, transforming the town from a small sheep station into a major settlement with 20,000 migrants heading to the area. The most famous event during this time was the Eureka Rebellion in 1854 where rebelling miners battled colonial authorities over the high price of a mining licence at the Eureka Stockade. 22 miners were killed in the battle and remaining rebels captured. Mass public support for the minors saw the introduction of the Electoral Act in 1856 allowing the right to vote in Victorian Parliament… Symbolising the birth of democracy in Australia.

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Beaufort

Beaufort is a small Victorian Agricultural town with a population of 1,000. The town was discovered in 1852 after 450,000 ounces of gold were found in nearby Fiery Creek in a two-year period. Beaufort is also well known for being the birthplace of Cyril P Callister who is founder and creator of Vegemite.These days the town is most commonly known for the Rainbow music festival, which attracts approximately 10,000 people.

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Ararat

Ararat is the gateway to the Grampians with a population of 7,000. The town is named after mount Ararat in Turkey, which is the biblical location for the resting of Noah’s Ark.In 2014 the town was made famous for the show “The biggest Loser,” where the residents of the town shed a staggering 40,000kg collectively.

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Grampians National Park

The Grampians National Park or “Gariwerd” (‘/gɑːriːwɒrd/) as it’s traditional known, covers an area of 167,000 hectares and was declared a National Park in 1984. The National Park was later listed on the Australian National Heritage List in 2006.The area is popular among hikers with more than 200km of marked tracks – from short and easy walks to overnight expeditions for the more experienced trekker. Some other popular activities in the region include Rock Climbing, fishing, four-wheel driving, mountain biking, horse riding and canoeing.

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Grampians Geology

The Grampians are a result of complex geological process that began more than 300 million years ago when the content of Australia split from Africa and formed a huge freshwater inland sea in the region. Over millions of years it filled with sandy material eventually turning into layers of hard and soft sedimentary rock.Five spectacular sandstone ridges that run north to south for around 90km dominate the Park. These ridges are: Victoria Range, Serra Range, Mount William Range, Mount Difficult Range, and Wonderland Range.

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Plants and Animals

The National Park is home to 970 plant species, which include 20 plants that can only be found in the Grampians and nowhere else on earth.The Grampians are also home to 35 mammal species, 28 reptile species, 11 frog species and 6 fish species. Some famous native animals include the Eastern grey kangaroo, Emus, swamp wallabies and red-necked wallabies.The region also features some introduced (non-native) species such as Red Deer, rabbits, foxes, feral cats, goats, black rats, brown trout, rainbow trout and honeybees.

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Kangaroos and Wallabies

The Grampians are home to many kangaroos and wallabies. What is the difference between a kangaroo and wallaby?Wallabies are notably smaller growing from 30-104cm tall and weighing between 2 to 24kg, while Kangaroos grow to heights of 2.4m and weigh as much as 91kg. Other notable features are the wallaby’s compact legs as well as their coat, which is much brighter than the kangaroo’s.

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Aboriginal Culture and Brambuk

The Grampians National Park is the native home of the Jardwadjali (‘/dʒɑːdwɑːddʒɑːliː/) and Djab Wurrung (’/dʒɑːb wjuːrɒŋ/) and aboriginal communities. Carbon dating shows that Aboriginal people have lived here for at least 22,000 years. The area contains more than 250 rock-painting sites, only 4 of which are open to the public. Food was abundant for the native people. Their diet would include waterbirds, fish, mussels, kangaroos, wallabies, and several food plants (incl. lilies, bracken, orchids and yam daisy). They would also use the skins from possums and kangaroos to made garments that would protect them from the cold in the winter months.Brambuk Cultural Centre is an excellent place to learn more about these local tribes and about how important this region is to the Aboriginal people.

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Halls Gap

Halls Gap is the main town within the Grampians and has a population of 400. It is located in the Fyans Valley (‘/faɪjɑːn/) between the Wonderland and Mount William Mountain ranges. The town was settled in 1840 and was named after Charles Browning Hall, who was the first known European to move to the area. Due to the appearance of there being a gap in the mountain, then town gets the name “Halls Gap.”

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Natural Disasters

Natural disasters such as bushfires, floods and landslides are common in the Grampians region. The Grampians is so acclimatised to bush fires that many of the native plants rely on this to revegetate as it releases nutrients into the soil prompting a cycle of regrowth after the first rainfall. The most notable bushfire in recent times was in early 2006 where more than 84,337 hectares of the National Park was burnt. The fire was started by a lightening strike near Halls Gap.

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Boroka Lookout

Boroka Lookout has two viewing platforms and is surrounded by open stringybark forest. This lookout has great views of Fyans Valley across Halls Gap, Lake Bellfield and the Eastern Plains. This lookout also shows off some spectacular views of Mount William (East of Halls Gap) and Wonderland Range (West of Halls Gap).

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Mackenzie Falls

Mackenzie Falls is one of Victoria’s most spectacular waterfalls. The Waterfall is 40 metres high and the water originates at Lake Wartook, coming down the Mackenzie River.The base of the waterfall used to be an Aboriginal ‘women’s site’, suggesting that it was related to sacred women’s business.The best way to see the waterfall is to head to the base which is a 1.2km return hike. Red-necked wallabies can often be spotted on this hike or near the bus parking area and keep your ears and eyes open for kookaburras.

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Reeds Lookout

Reed’s Lookout has 2 dedicated areas next to the car park facing south-west towards the Victoria Range. The lake that can be seen is the Moora Moora Reservoir and the building nearby is a fire tower used to monitor bushfires.

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The Balconies

The Balconies is an easy 2km return hike from Reed’s Lookout on a wide flat track. The lookout was originally named “Jaws of Death” due to the dramatic rock formation of 2 slabs jutting out from the cliff face in the shape of a mouth. In the past people have been able to walk onto the lower rock slab to enjoy the views. This section was eventually closed off due to someone fatally slipping off and cracks that have begun to appear in the structure.From this lookout, you can enjoy spectacular views of the jagged peaks of the Serra Range.

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Other Tours

We hope you enjoyed your time on the Grampians Tour. Autopia Tours also runs other great day tours such as Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island Penguin, Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula, as well as many other extended tours. For more information be sure to ask your driver.