Grampians National Park

The Grampians are a range of rugged sandstone mountains up to 1000m high, the last remains of the western foothills of the Great Dividing Range. The highest peak, Mount William (1167m), was climbed in July 1836 by Thomas Mitchell, who named the range after the Grampians of his Scottish homeland. The Grampians were declared a national park in 1984. On one side the mountains fall gently away, on the other they have steep rock faces, much eroded by wind and water. In the western Grampians there are Aboriginal cave paintings, and at the visitor center there is an exhibition of Aboriginal culture. The mountains are covered with heath and scrub, the valleys with forest. The park is famed for its wild flowers (over 700 species of flowering plants), and the fauna include koalas, kangaroos, echidnas, platypuses, opossums, deer and over 100 species of birds.

Short trails lead to fantastic rock formations and places with stunning views (especially Balcony, Reid Lookout, Mount William).