Grampians National Park

Listen for a moment. Wind moves through stringybark and grey box, a dry, papery sound. Somewhere a kookaburra starts laughing, then stops. Under your boots the ground is gritty, a pale sand worn from the rock above. Look up and you see long ridges of sandstone, tilted like slabs of a broken pavement and lifted toward the sky. This is the Grampians, in western Victoria, and the first thing it gives you is the feeling of stone.

Those ridges have a shape that geologists know well. The sandstone was laid down in layers, grain by grain, hundreds of millions of years ago. Later, slow forces in the earth tilted the layers. So each range has a gentle slope on one side and a steep cliff on the other. Drive or walk across the park and you see this pattern again and again. The ranges run roughly north to south, like waves frozen in place.

Long before any European name reached these hills, they had another one. To the Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali peoples, this country is Gariwerd. These ranges hold creation stories, ceremony sites and travel routes that go back many thousands of years. You may see the name Gariwerd on signs beside the English name. That pairing is deliberate. It recognises that this park is a cultural landscape, not empty wilderness that was simply discovered.

Here is something many visitors do not expect. The Grampians hold the great majority of the known Aboriginal rock art sites in Victoria. Most of the paintings are in rock shelters under overhanging sandstone. They are often small, in red ochre or white pigment. You might see hand stencils, simple human figures, or rows of short lines. Some sites are open to the public, protected behind screens. Many others are kept private, out of respect.

The English name came later. In the 1830s, the explorer and surveyor Major Thomas Mitchell travelled through this region. He named the ranges after the Grampian Mountains in Scotland. It is a curious choice when you stand here. The Scottish hills are green and wet. These ones are ochre, grey and gold, with eucalyptus leaves glinting silver in the sun. Two names, two histories, one landscape — and both are still in use today.

At the heart of the park is the small town of Halls Gap. It sits in a valley between the ranges, with cafes, motels and a general store. In the late afternoon, something happens on the grassy open spaces around the town. Eastern grey kangaroos come out to graze. They are often calm and close. Please keep your distance and never feed them. Wild animals that learn to take food from people can become sick or aggressive.

Near Halls Gap you will also find Brambuk, the national park and cultural centre. Its curved roof is designed to suggest the shape of a bird's wing. Inside, Aboriginal guides and exhibitions share stories of Gariwerd from the people whose ancestors lived here. If you only plan one stop before you start walking, make it this one. The rock art and the ridges both make more sense once you have heard those stories first.

Now, the views. From the ridges above Halls Gap, several lookouts open over the valley. The Pinnacle is a well-loved walk, climbing through sandstone passages to a rocky point high above the town. Boroka Lookout gives a wide view east across the farmland. Reed Lookout leads to The Balconies — two thin ledges of rock that stick out over the drop like the jaws of an animal. For years people called them the Jaws of Death.

Water shapes this park as much as stone does. MacKenzie Falls is the best known waterfall here. The water falls over a wide, dark rock face into a pool below. Many steps lead down to the base, and the climb back up is steep. Listen for the change in sound as you go down. At the top it is a soft rush. At the bottom it fills the air and you feel the cool spray on your face.

In spring, the Grampians change colour. This is one of the richest places for wildflowers in the whole state. Small orchids appear beside the paths, some no bigger than a fingertip. Heath bushes turn pink and white. Wattle shows bright yellow. Many plants here grow in this region and almost nowhere else. Slow down on the trails, look down as well as up, and you may notice flowers that most hikers walk straight past.

This country also knows fire and flood. In recent decades, large bushfires have burned big parts of the park, and heavy rain has washed out roads and tracks. For many native plants, fire is part of the cycle. Some seeds only open after heat. Look at the tree trunks around you. Black scars on the bark often sit under fresh green shoots. Those shoots grow straight from the trunk. It is a sign of recovery.

For people who want to go further, there is the Grampians Peaks Trail. It is a long walk of many days that follows the ranges from the north of the park to the south. Hikers sleep at campsites along the way. The park is also known around the world among rock climbers. Its sandstone walls offer hard, clean routes. Even if you never touch a rope, you may see small figures moving slowly up a distant cliff.

Before you leave, stand still for one more minute. Look at the line of the nearest ridge — the gentle slope, then the sharp edge of the cliff. Notice the colour of the stone where the sun hits it. Listen again for the wind in the leaves and the call of a bird you cannot see. As you walk away, keep watching the grass at the edge of the track. A kangaroo may be watching you too.