We met in Halls Gap to carpool and followed Pea Experts -Shirley McLaran and FOGG members -Neil & Wendy Marriott in search of pea flowers. We had a list of 71 different peas found in the Grampians some of them found exclusively in the Grampians (endemics).
Stop 1 Wonderland Carpark and the walk to Splitter Falls
Our first pea was Dillwynia sericea with orange yellow flowers – without stalks – along the stem.
Our next pea and the object of our walk to Splitters Falls was Dillwynia oreodoxa, a Grampians endemic. Identifying features included leaves with a slight twist, a groove at the top side of the leaf and a pointy bit at the end. Stop 2 Sundial carpark.
Here we saw evidence of the recent January February 2025 bushfires.
We came here to see a Grampians endemic Pultenaea costata and found many of these pea plants with very large … Read the rest
Category: Grampians National Park
Parks Victoria Update November 2025
Entire Grampians Peak Trail NOW Open 10th November for Day Walkers!
Parks Victoria, with the help of dedicated volunteers, completed essential maintenance on the Grampians Peak Trail from October 27–31. These works have paved the way for the entire trail to reopen on 10th November —initially for day walkers only.
Campgrounds along the trail are expected to reopen sometime next year, which will be welcome news for overnight walkers keen to camp along the route.
Trail Running Event – GPT 100 (6-9 November 2025)
The GPT 100 long-distance trail running event was held from Thursday 6 November to Sunday 9 November 2025, traversing the entire Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park along the Grampians Peaks Trail. Participants covered the full 162km route from Mt Zero (Mura Mura) in the north to Dunkeld in the south, split across several race formats and stages. Over four days, runners tackled designated trail sections in daylight, … Read the rest
Asterolasia phebalioides
Aster Greek meaning star and lasios hairy, because of the stellate hairs covering the leaves and stems of plants in this genus, phebalioides meaning it resembles the genus Phebalium. Both genera are in the family Rutaceae which contains plants like Boronia, Correas and citrus.
Downy Starbush is one of many of the Grampians rare and threatened plants, it is listed as Vulnerable under the Federal EPBC Act, it also occurs in the western Black Range and the Little Desert. It flowers in Spring, predominantly in October, with eye catching yellow flowers. For the uninitiated, at first glance you may mistake it for a Hibbertia, but it has distinctive foliage with downy covered stems and foliage. The grey green leaves are crowded, cuneate – obcordate (with a blunt or notched tip) and make it readily identifiable without flowers. If you have a look at the hairs under magnification, they look like … Read the rest
HEALING COUNTRY TOGETHER: ROCK ART PROTECTION IN THE GARIWERD CULTURAL LANDSCAPE
Parks Victoria Release: Millennium Cave restored : Monday 20 November, 2023
(Eds edited version)
“Today was five years in the making as we begin healing Rock Art places in Gariwerd after inappropriate and no consent access by climbers over a period of decades. With the help of climbers, today we took that step together toward looking after Country. The proper way,” John Clarke, General Manager of Bio-cultural Landscapes, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation.
The work represents a turning point in efforts to protect the nationally heritage listed bio-cultural landscape led by the Barengi Gadjin Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BGLC), Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC) and Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (GMTOAC) in partnership with Parks Victoria (PV). Traditional Owners, Cultural Heritage Advisors, and Rock Art Protection Specialists worked on the removal of chalk and graffiti. Bolt removal, chalk removal and patching work was done by specialist Industrial Rope Access Trade … Read the rest
Official Park Update 17-01-2025 Pest Control Operations
Grampians (Gariwerd) aerial pest animal control operation
20th – 24th January 2025
Parks Victoria is conducting a conservation program to respond to the ecological impacts of the Yarram Gap fire.
An aerial shooting operation will be undertaken between Monday 20th – Friday 24th of January 2025 to target pest animals and to support the recovery of the park and its native species.
The fire affected over a third of the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park impacting native plants, animals, aquatic species, and invertebrates.
Urgent action is being taken to reduce predators (foxes and feral cats) and introduced herbivores (deer and feral goats), threatening the survival and recovery of vulnerable native plants and animals.
Foxes and feral cats’ prey on Grampians native animals such as the Brush Tailed Rock Wallaby, Long Nosed Potoroo, Southern Brown Bandicoot, Smoky Mouse, Heath Mouse, and Grampians Mountain Dragon. These native animals are now … Read the rest
Gariwerd rock art in the Australian context presented by ben Gunn: June 2023
Friday 16th June : Gariwerd rock art in the Australian context presented by ben Gunn.
A well attending group were presented with a PowerPoint talk on how the rock art of Gariwerd is both different from that anywhere else, but still fits within the broader pattern of Aboriginal rock art across the continent. As so many of the public have seen the well-preserved and visually spectacular rock art of northern Australia, the immediate reaction to seeing that in Gariwerd is one of disappointment; a problem not assisted by the near lack of any suitable on-site interpretation. The problem, however, is not unique to Gariwerd, as most of the rock art across southern Australia is similarly small, hard to see, and poorly preserved. But Gariwerd is unique and very
significant because, unlike other areas of southern Australia, it has a particularly high number of rock shelters used for rock art (160+ … Read the rest
Raising Rarity
Raising Rarity:
Preventing extinction of Victoria’s threatened flora The Royal Botanic Gardens of Victoria (RBGV) was successful in procuring a grant to fund this 3-year project. The project starts on 1st June this year and covers 24 threatened species across Victoria, 11 of them occurring only in Western Victoria. RBGV are partnering with a number of organisations and there is a community engagement component to help with searching for and monitoring of these species. There will also be conservation genetics work done on collections already at RGBV as well as the collection of additional material to ensure the species diversity into the future. The gardens will also do work to optimise methods of germination on 11 species which are currently difficult to grow. For 10 species, little is known about how they are pollinated, so baseline data will be collected on pollination for these species; a researcher based at La … Read the rest
Mystery Mounds In The Mud
One of our favourite areas in the region is the open forests east of Gariwerd. Over the years Di and I became increasingly intrigued by numerous round earth mounds we were seeing in these magnificent Red Gum forests. Our son, Tom and partner Matilda regularly join us on our walks and have helped us to map and record our observations.
Over the last year we have drawn on the insights of our local archaeologist Ben Gunn, and Jake Goodes from Parks Victoria who have been assisting us to better understand the mounds. Apparently, the “donut” shaped mounds are similar to the remains of Aboriginal dwellings found elsewhere in Victoria.
An invitation from Ben and Leigh provided us with the opportunity to take a stroll in one area of Red Gum forest between Halls Gap and Stawell, with 22 FOGGS members, to talk about the earth structures.
On 10 April our … Read the rest
Who is Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park there for?
Article From Parkwatch March Edition (Shortened)
Parks Protection Campaigner Phil Ingamells takes a look at the Greater Gariwerd Landscape draft management plan.
After a bizarre group of bare-chested neo-Nazis stormed Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park in January, burning a cross and waving supremacist symbols atop the landscape, it might be time to take a deep breath and consider, coolly, whose park it actually is – and why we manage it.
Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park is public land, but that requires a bit of clarification. There are many categories of public land established under various old or new laws, and though the “public” might own these areas, activities on that land are commonly restricted.
With a management plan for Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park well overdue, Parks Victoria faced a bit of a dilemma: Traditional Owner status has not been legally established, but almost certainly will be during the life of the new … Read the rest
Grampians Landscape Management Plan review
Parks Victoria is excited to share dates and locations of upcoming community engagement activities for the Grampians Landscape Management Plan review.
The new management plan will underpin strategic planning for the Grampians landscape over the next 15 years to ensure that precious environmental and cultural values of this iconic landscape are preserved for future generations to enjoy.
Those interested in the Grampians landscape are invited to take part in a community workshop through September 2019. Workshop dates and locations are as follows:
- Halls Gap workshop, Thursday, 5 September 2019, 6.30-8.30pm
- Laharum workshop, Tuesday 10 September 2019, 6.30-8.30pm
- North Melbourne workshop, Thursday 12 September 2019, 6.00-8.00pm
- Halls Gap drop-in, Tuesday 17 September 2019, 12.00-3.00pm
- Dunkeld workshop, Tuesday 17 September 2019, 6.30-8.30pm
- North Melbourne workshop, Thursday 19 September 2019, 6.00-8.00pm
At the workshops, participants will learn about the management planning process, explore the challenges and opportunities for managing this highly valued landscape … Read the rest