THE GRAMPIANS, VIC TRAVEL
The Grampians National Park straddles a brace of spectacular sandstone ranges in central-western Victoria, bounded by highways that connect the towns of Horsham, Stawell, Ararat, Dunkeld and Hamilton. Covering more than 167,000 hectares, the Grampians is one of the largest and most popular national parks in Victoria. In 2006, it was inscribed on Australia's National Heritage List for its Indigenous cultural assets, dramatic landforms and rich natural diversity.
Known to the local Jardwadjali Aboriginal people as ‘Gariwerd’ (pointed mountains), the ranges were given their European name by explorer Thomas Mitchell in 1836 after their highland counterpart in his native Scotland. Nestled in a valley on the banks of Fyans Creek, the pleasant village of Halls Gap is the local hub for tourists and daytrippers who flock to the ranges for outdoor adventuring that includes hiking, rock climbing, camping and aquatic sports on lakes and reservoirs.
The physical landscape
The Grampians’ geological fabric began forming about 430 million years ago when sand, silt and mud were laid down to a depth of 7km on the floor of an ancient sea. Pressure and heat transformed these sediments into layers of rock that were later warped and titled by tectonic forces and intruded by veins of volcanic granite.
