Grampians

If you see a kangaroo in the car headlights on the road into Halls Gap, don't be alarmed — there will be more. The Grampians (Gariwerd) is one of Victoria's wildlife hotspots: kangaroos and wallabies everywhere, emus striding the open plains, wedge-tailed eagles overhead, echidnas snuffling the roadside at dusk. The wildlife here is abundant, relaxed and remarkably easy to observe.

The mountains themselves are an anomaly in Victoria's flat western plains — dramatic sandstone ridgelines that rise suddenly from the wheat country, layered with gorges, waterfalls and cliff-edge lookouts. The Pinnacle, Boroka Lookout and the Balconies are the classic viewpoints, but the real Grampians experience involves walking into the ranges on foot — where you find the silence, the wildflowers and the ancient Aboriginal rock art sites.

The Brambuk Cultural Centre in Halls Gap is the starting point for understanding the Djab wurrung and Jardwadjali peoples who have lived in Gariwerd for tens of thousands of years. Their painted rock art sites — at Bunjil's Shelter, Manja and Ngamadjidj — are among the most significant in south-eastern Australia. Spring wildflower season (August–October) transforms the slopes in a way that draws visitors from all over the world.