Grampians
News
& Information Page
& Information Page
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Grampians
News
& Information Page |
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INFORMATION |
The
Essence of the Grampians The quintessential Australian postcard - Australian wildlife - native flora and fauna - spectacular scenery - Indigenous Culture - Aboriginal Art - Gold and Wine - Bushwalking. Quiet and relaxation 262 kilometers northwest of Melbourne |
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May
Queens Birthday
Weekend |
Grampians
Bushfire Update -
28th April 2006
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All major
roads in and out of the Grampians are now open, and for the townships
of Dunkeld and Halls Gap it is "business as usual". The surrounding
bush is beginning to regenerate and recent rain has assisted the greening
of the Grampians. The next few months will give visitors the most dramatic
impression of how quickly the bush is a able to recover after a bushfire,
and as the photo to the right shows, there is quite a lot of regrowth
occurring in the bush already. |
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May
Update -
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| The next few weeks should be an ideal time to visit the Grampians and to make the most of the lst of the Autumn weather of clear sunny days and cool evenings. An added bonus for travelers are some of the specials on offer from some of the local accommodation operators. Currently many of the local businesses are conducting a campaign to promote the Grampians region following the bush fires in January this year and are offering great deals to entice travelers back to the Grampians. With about 50% of the bush untouched by the bushfire there is still a lot of great scenery and bush walks to cover, and the added bonus of being able to get up close to see the bush regenerating after a major fire. It all adds up to a great opportunities for the budget conscious traveler to pick a travel bargain click here for information on Grampians accommodation | |||
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Grampians
Information
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The Grampians is Australia's equivalent to the Lakes District in England and despite a vast difference in flora and fauna, both regions encapsulate the notional views of the region. The Grampians ( like the Lakes district) is a popular bush walking destination and also offers a diverse range of Australian native flora and fauna |
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| Halls Gap is the main tourist hub in the heart of the Grampians. The picturesque town is set in the Fyans Valley at the foot of the of Wonderland and Mount William ranges and is the perfect place from which to explore the Grampians National Park, one of Victoria's most outstanding natural features. | |||
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History
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| In 1837, Major Thomas Mitchell left Sydney to explore the Murray - Darling river system, by June he had crossed the Murray near Swan Hill and proceeded south west and first climbed and named Mt William in the Grampians Ranges. Four years later in 1841 Charles Browning Hall became the first European to locate a gap through the mountain ranges and discover the spectacular valley that now bears his name |
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| The
Grampians lie immediately west of Ararat and stretch some 90km from Dunkeld
in the south, almost to Horsham in the north. The Grampians are made up
of four different mountain ranges: the Mt Difficult Range in the north,
the Mt William Range in the east, the Serra Range in the southeast and the
Victoria Range in the southwest. Halls Gap is the only town in the Grampians
and lies in a valley between the northern tip of the Mt William Range and
the southern tip of the Mt Difficult Range. |
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Wine
and Gold
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The discovery of Gold near Stawell and St Arnaud in the late 1850s heralded the start of gold rush to the region and the Mount William Goldmine at Mafeking operating until 1912. Wine production in the Grampians dates back to the 1850 when gold attracted large numbers to the Stawell and Ararat region, French couple, Anne Marie Blampied and Jean Pierre Trouette arrived in the late 1850's to seek their fortune and established St Peters vineyard, a few years later Joseph Best established the now famous Great Western Estate |
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| . The gold petered out but the vineyards remained and the reputation of the Grampians climate and soil attracted others to the region. Today there are diverse number of wineries in the region ranging from small boutique operations to larger multimillion dollars operators such as Seppelts. The main varieties grown in the region are Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The scenic location and numerous small wineries with their associated cellar door sales make the Grampians a very popular destination for wine travelers | |||
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Southern
Grampians
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