1. Grampians National Park

2. Climate & Geography Grampians National Park is in the Western Plains area of Victoria. It is surrounded by the towns Hamilton, Ararat, Stawell and Horsham. The main town in the national park is Halls Gap. It is 260km from Melbourne and it takes 3 hours to drive there from Melbourne. It takes 2.5 hours to drive from Geelong. The National Park is named after the sandstone mountain ranges it surrounds. There were five rows/ridges of mountains that form the Grampians and the ridges run from north to south. The weather is warm and dry in summer, cold in autumn and damp during winter. Spring has mild days and cool nights and is the coolest and wettest season in the Grampians. August to October (Spring) is a great time to visit because the wildflowers are coming out and little orchids too.

3. History & Founders The Grampians is called Gariwerd by the traditional owners of the land, the Aboriginal people. There are some important Aboriginal rock art sites in the national park. The Grampians National Park is 168110ha (hectares) in area. The Grampians National Park was established in December 1984. In 2006 the Grampians was included in the Australian National Heritage List. Brambuk - the National Park & Cultural Centre is south of the Halls Gap town. It is the visitor information centre for the Grampians.

4. Fauna There are lots of native animals in the park such as … Emu, Tiger quoll, Eastern grey kangaroos, koalas, snakes, lizards, possums and echidnas. There are other wild animals like deer, foxes and rabbits There are also lots of birds in the Grampians including cockatoos, kookaburras, galahs and lots of little honey eaters. People say there is also a black panther living in the area. A good place to watch wild kangaroos is the Halls Gap football ground and also the caravan park.

5. Flora The park contains over 800 indigenous plant species. Over 40 of these, including the Grampians Gum and Grampians Parrot-pea, are found nowhere else in the world One of the best parts of the Grampians is its colourful spring wildflowers. Flowers like the Grampians Boronia, Blue Pin-cushion Lily, Grampians Parrot-pea, Orchids and shrubs. Fire plays a major role in the life of the Grampians' vegetation and fauna. There have been lots of large fires which are hard to control because fire trucks cant reach a lot of the National Park because it is too rough and steep. Some of the different types of plant communities in the Grampians are fern gullies, stringybark forests and red gum woodlands.

6. Recreational Activities Activities you can do when you visit the Grampians Camping at Halls Gap or lots of camp sites in the park Hiking or bushwalking including look outs at The Pinnacle & The Balconies Rock Climbing Fishing at Lake Wartook or Lake Bellfield Visit waterfalls Go to scenic lookouts Go looking for wildflowers

7. Rules & Environment Some of the rules to protect the park and make you safe are: Do not feed the native animals No fire arms (guns and cross bows) No dogs allowed (unless in a car on sealed road or sealed carpark) Fires must only be lit in the fireplaces provided. Hike only on the marked out walking tracks. The temperature can change quickly – make sure you have clothing for hot and cold weather. Always carry drinking water. You can register a planned hiking trip at Brambuk.