13 of the best things to do in the Grampians

Wondering what are the best things to do in the Grampians? Don’t worry we have you covered with our 13 things you’ll definitely want to see.

Home to some of the most scenic roads in Australia, the Grampians is stuff of road tripping dreams. The iconic route between Dunkeld and Halls Gap, a 65-kilometre stretch of road so spectacular you’ll want to drive it twice because the views are that good, is just the beginning. Follow this list and go a little deeper.

1. Find “Hope" in St Arnaud

The Grampians may be famous for its soaring peaks and amazing views, but one of the region’s best kept secrets is the historic gold mining town St Arnaud and in particular, its Silo and Art Trail. The trail reveals a collection of nine public works by local artist Kyle Torney. Torney’s most arresting work, titled “Hope", spans two silos and reflects the aspirations of the time.

St Arnaud Silo Art, Grampians, VIC, Australia — One of the region’s best-kept secrets is the historic gold mining town of St Arnaud.

2. Be awed by Mad-Dadjug (Mt Abrupt)

When the sandstone ridge of Mad-Dadjug (Mt Abrupt) majestically appears at the end of the road it’s one of the most remarkable – and photogenic – sights on the scenic route through the heart of Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park between Dunkeld and Halls Gap. For truly awesome views, tackle the steep walking track up to the summit. It’s a challenging climb but the rewards are worth the effort.

Road, Mt Abrupt, Grampians, VIC — The remarkable drive towards the equally remarkable Mad-Dadjug (Mt Abrupt). (Image: Grampians Tourism)

3. Chill out at Victoria’s largest waterfall

Standing at the foot of Mikunung wira (MacKenzie Falls), it’s hard to believe that these thundering cascades – the largest in the state, and the only falls in the Grampians that flow all year round – are less than 100 kilometres from a desert. It’s one of the park’s most celebrated attractions, but to really get a sense of all that natural power, follow the walking trail from the lookout down to the pool at the base (be prepared to get doused in the mist). If you don’t fancy tackling the 265 steps, the longer but gentler MacKenzie River Walk is easier on the knees.

Mackenzie Falls, Grampians, VIC, Australia — These are the only falls in the Grampians that flow all year round. (Image: Visit Victoria)

4. Be humbled by ancient creation stories.

The Grampians region has the largest number of rock art sites in southern Australia (more than 80 per cent of Victoria’s First Nations art sites are here). One of the most significant is Bunjils Cave, in the Black Range Scenic Reserve near Stawell, the only known rock art depiction of the spirit Bunjil, who created not only the sandstone ranges of Gariwerd, but all the plants and animals as well. Seeing these ancient galleries in real life is a powerful reminder that this place is home to the oldest living continuous culture in the world.

Indigenous Art, Bunjil, Grampians, VIC, Australia — See the only known rock art depiction of the spirit Bunjil.

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5. Get in the picture at Framing the Wimmera

There are plenty of views in the Grampians worth framing, but the vistas in the art installation Framing the Wimmera really are next level. Super-sized frames in four of the most picture-perfect locations across the region – at Mount Arapiles, the Grampians, Toolondo Reservoir and the Wimmera River – make glorious locations for road trip snaps, ready to share. Don’t forget to tag #FramingTheWimmera.

Framing the Wimmera, Grampians, VIC, Australia — Don’t forget to tag #FramingTheWimmera. (Image: Robert Crack)

6. Take a deep dive into the world of olive oil

The Grampians Olive Co is one of the oldest olive groves in Australia. Family run and certified organic, it’s the place to get the good oil on, well, the good oil. Visit the farm, follow the process from tree to bottle, learn how to taste like an olive oil sommelier and stock up on picnic supplies. Need another reason to stop? They also roast their own coffee and serve lunch platters. The mountain views are pretty special too.

The Grampians Olive Co, Olive Groves in Australia — The Grampians Olive Co is one of the oldest olive groves in Australia.

7. Putt your way through the fern forest at Adventure Golf

You don’t have to be an expert golfer to play around at this course, but you will need a sense of adventure. Rated one of the best adventure golf courses in the world, the 18-hole course has no less than four waterfalls and five ponds, plus a few tunnels and other challenges. Surrounded by the wilds of the national park with its own beautiful gardens, it’s family-friendly fun, although the infamous ‘nerve test’ has been known to spark some serious social rivalry.

Mini golf at Adventure, Grampians, VIC, Australia — Beyond golf, there are lots of options for family-friendly fun.

8. Pay your respects to the father of football

Here’s something most folks don’t know: Australian rules football was born in Moyston! Cricketing superstar, Thomas Wentworth Wills, who in 1858 co-founded and captained one of the oldest professional sporting clubs in the world, Melbourne Football Club, grew up at Lexington Station, near Moyston. Inspired by the games he played with local Indigenous kids as a child, he helped develop the rules of the game we now call Aussie Rules as a way for cricketers to keep fit in winter.There’s a monument to the sporting great in Moyston, and the gazebo behind it features a six-sided history of the game. It’s one of the stops on the East Grampians Scenic Route.

Tom Wills Memorial, Moyston, Grampians, VIC, Australia — Australian rules football was born in Moyston!

9. Take a tour of one of the longest underground wine cellar in the world

Ever wondered how much space you’d need to keep three million bottles of wine? The answer is heaps. A cellar three kilometres long, at least. Seppelt Great Western is home to the longest and largest underground wine cellar in the southern hemisphere and can hold three millions bottles of bubbly. Dug by out-of-work gold miners in the 1860s, the labyrinth of tunnels known as ‘drives’ took more than 60 years to build. The daily tours include a tasting of the region’s famous sparkling shiraz, first made back in 1890.

Seppelt Great Western Old Cellar, Grampians, VIC, Australia — Seppelt Great Western is home to the longest and largest underground wine cellar in the southern hemisphere

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10. Climb a volcano and peer into a bottomless lake

Something else most people don’t know is that the southern Grampians sit atop the third largest volcanic plain in the world. Take a drive along Mt Rouse Tourist Road near Penshurst and stop at Crater Lake on the way to the top – it was once believed to be bottomless. Follow the walking track up to a viewing platform and stairs to the summit of the now dormant volcano, where you’ll find extraordinary 360-degree views of the lava plain and neighbouring volcanoes Budj Bim (Mt Eccles) and Mt Napier. Learn more about the amazing history of the region at the Volcanoes Discovery Centre in Penshurst.

Mount Rouse, Crater Lake, Grampians, VIC, Australia — Take a drive along Mt Rouse Tourist Road near Penshurst and stop at Crater Lake on the way to the top. (Image: Robert Crack)

11. Take a walk on the dark side in Ararat

Delve into Victoria’s dark underbelly on a guided tour of J Ward , Ararat’s Old Gaol and Lunatic Asylum. Built as a goldfields prison in 1859, it became home for the criminally insane once the gold ran out, incarcerating some of the most depraved, desperate and dangerous men in the state. It’s not for the squeamish or easily spooked, as you’ll be chilled by the stories of murderers, ghosts and the rather barbaric treatments for mental illness in the past. It’s proof that real life can be stranger than fiction – and even darker than your favourite Friday night TV crime show.

J Ward, Street view, Grampians, VIC, Australia — Delve into Victoria’s dark underbelly on a guided tour of J Ward.

12. Give the big koala a big hug

We all know it’s not a real Aussie road trip without snapping a selfie with a big thing, and big things don’t come more Instagrammable than the giant koala at Dadswells Bridge, roughly halfway between Stawell and Horsham. Standing 14 metres high and weighing in at a whopping 12 tonnes, Sam – named in honour of a real life koala rescued from the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 – even has his own hashtag. If you really want to impress your friends, pick up a t-shirt while you’re there: there’s a gift shop in his belly.

13. Marvel at a giant shed made of sticks

Not just any shed, the Murtoa Stick Shed is simply marvellous. Built in 1942 as an emergency grain store – the only Second World War emergency store still standing – it’s made of hundreds of hand-hewn poles of mountain ash (big sticks). It feels more like a cathedral than a silo, with its vast gabled interior and long rows of poles casting ethereal shadows. Part of the 200-kilometre Silo Art Trail – soon to become Australia’s biggest outdoor art gallery – you’ll never see anything else like it.

Murtoa Stick Shed, Grampians, VIC, Australia — Built in 1942 as an emergency grain store, Not just any shed, the Murtoa Stick Shed is simply marvellous.

Plan your Grampians road trip at visitgrampians.com.au.

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Just 15 years ago, Federal Mills was a very different place. Once among the most significant industrial sites in Victoria, the historic woollen mill was one of a dozen that operated in Geelong at the industry’s peak in the mid-20th century, helping the city earn its title as ‘wool centre of the world’. But by the 1960s global competition and the rise of synthetic fabrics led to the slow decline of the industry, and Federal Mills finally shuttered its doors in 2001. Within a few years, the abandoned North Geelong grounds had become makeshift pastoral land, with cows and goats grazing among the overgrown grass between the empty red-brick warehouses. It was a forgotten pocket of the city, all but two klicks from the bustle of the CBD.

Geelong cellar door wine bar — Geelong has shed its industrial identity to become an innovative urban hub with reimagined heritage spaces. (Image: Ash Hughes)

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Today, the century-old complex stands reborn. The distinctive sawtooth-roof buildings have been sensitively restored. An old silo is splashed with a bright floral mural, landscapers have transformed the grounds, and the precinct is once again alive with activity. More than 1000 people work across 50-plus businesses here. It’s so busy, in fact, that on a sunny Thursday morning in the thick of winter, it’s hard to find a car park. The high ceilings, open-plan design, and large multi-paned windows – revolutionary features for factories of their time – have again become a drawcard.

Paddock Bakery andPatisserie — Paddock Bakery and Patisserie is housed within the historic wool factory. (Image: Gallant Lee)

At Paddock, one of the precinct’s newer tenants, weaving looms and dye vats have been replaced by a wood-fired brick oven and heavy-duty mixers. Open since April 2024, the bakery looks right at home here; the building’s industrial shell is softened by ivy climbing its steel frames, and sunlight streams through the tall windows. Outside, among the white cedar trees, families at picnic benches linger over dippy eggs and bagels, while white-collar workers pass in and out, single-origin coffee and crème brûlée doughnuts in hand.

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

Paddock Bakery can be found at Federal Mills. (Image: Gallant Lee)

“A lot of people are now seeing the merit of investing in Geelong,” says Paul Traynor, the head of Hamilton Hospitality Group, which redeveloped Federal Mills. A city once shunned as Sleepy Hollow, and spurned for its industrial, working-class roots and ‘rust belt’ image, Geelong has long since reclaimed its ‘Pivot City’ title, having reinvented itself as an affordable, lifestyle-driven satellite city, and a post-COVID migration hotspot.

And the numbers stand testament to the change. In March 2025, and for the first time in its history, Greater Geelong became Australia’s most popular regional town for internal migration, overtaking Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Current forecasts suggest Geelong will continue to outpace many other Australian cities and towns, with jobs growing at double the rate of the population.

Tourism is booming, too. The 2023-24 financial year was Geelong and The Bellarine region’s busiest on record, with 6.4 million visitors making it one of the fastest-growing destinations in the country. It’s not hard to see why: beyond the city’s prime positioning at the doorstep of the Great Ocean Road, Geelong’s tenacity and cultural ambition stands out.

As Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design, Geelong is swiftly shaking off its industrial past to become a model for urban renewal, innovation, sustainability and creative communities. The signs are everywhere, from the revitalisation of the city’s waterfront, and the landmark design of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre and Geelong Arts Centre, to the growing network of local designers, architects and artists, and the burgeoning roster of festivals and events. That’s not even mentioning the adaptive reuse of storied old industrial buildings – from Federal Mills, to Little Creatures’ brewery ‘village’ housed within a 1920s textile mill – or the city’s flourishing food and wine scene.

The rise of a food and wine destination

Restaurant 1915 is housed within a restored former boiler house. (Image: Harry Pope/Two Palms)

Traynor credits now-closed local restaurant Igni, which opened in 2016, as the turning point for Geelong’s hospo industry. “[Aaron Turner, Igni’s chef-patron] was probably the first guy, with all due respect, to raise the bar food-wise for Geelong,” he says. “People now treat it really seriously, and there’s clearly a market for it.” While Igni is gone, Turner now helms a string of other notable Geelong venues, including The Hot Chicken Project and Tacos y Liquor, all within the buzzy, street art-speckled laneways of the CBD’s Little Malop Street Precinct. Many others have also popped up in Igni’s wake, including Federal Mills’ own restaurant, 1915. Housed within the cavernous boiler house, 1915’s interior is dramatic: soaring, vaulted ceilings with timber beams, exposed brick, a huge arched window. The share plates echo the space’s bold character, playing with contrast and texture, with dishes such as a compressed watermelon tataki, the sweet, juicy squares tempered by salty strands of fried leeks, and charred, smoky snow peas dusted with saganaki on a nutty bed of romesco.

The Woolstore, one of The Hamilton Group’s most recent hospo projects, opened in February. It occupies a century-old riverside warehouse and exudes a more sultry, fine dining ambience. Much like Federal Mills, the blueprint was to preserve the original brickwork, tallowwood flooring and nods to the building’s former life. That same careful consideration extends to the well-versed, affable waitstaff as well as the kitchen. Head chef Eli Grubb is turning out an eclectic mix of ambitious and indulgent mod Oz dishes that deliver: strikingly tender skewers of chicken tsukune, infused with hints of smoke from the parrilla grill, and glazed with a moreish, sweet gochujang ‘jam’; nduja arancini fragrant with hints of aniseed and the earthy lick of sunny saffron aioli; and golden squares of potato pavé, adorned with tiny turrets of crème fraîche, crisp-fried saltbush leaves, and Avruga caviar, to name but a few stand-out dishes.

Woolstore menu — Woolstore’s menu is designed for sharing.

Breathing new life into historic spaces

On the city’s fringe, hidden down a winding side road with little fanfare, lies a long-dormant site that’s being gently revived. Built from locally quarried bluestone and brick, and dating back to the 1870s, the complex of original tin-roofed mill buildings is lush with greenery and backs onto the Barwon River and Buckley Falls; the audible rush of water provides a soothing soundtrack. Fyansford Paper Mill is one of few complexes of its time to survive intact. It feels steeped in history and spellbindingly rustic.

“We were looking for an old industrial place that had some charm and romance to it,” explains Sam Vogel, the owner, director and winemaker at Provenance Wines which moved here in 2018. When he first viewed the building with his former co-owner, it was in such a state of disrepair that the tradie tenant occupying the space had built a shed within it to escape the leaking roof and freezing winter temperatures. “To say it was run down would be an understatement,” he notes. “There was ivy growing through the place; the windows were all smashed. It was a classic Grand Designs project.”

Provenance Wines moved to Fyansford Paper Mill in 2018. (Image: Cameron Murray Photography)

The team has since invested more than a million dollars into their new home. Where paper processing machinery once sat, wine barrels are now stacked. Vaulted cathedral ceilings are strung with festoon lights, and hidden in plain sight lies a shadowy mural by local street artist de rigueur Rone – one of only three permanent works by the artist.

While the award-winning, cool-climate pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay naturally remain a key draw at Provenance, the winery’s restaurant is a destination in itself. Impressed already by whipsmart service, I devour one of the most cleverly curated and faultlessly executed degustations I’ve had in some time. It’s all prepared in a kitchen that is proudly zero-waste, and committed to providing seasonal, ethical and locally sourced meat and produce under head chef Nate McIver. Think free-range venison served rare with a syrupy red wine jus and a half-moon of neon-orange kosho, shokupan with a deeply savoury duck fat jus (a modern Japanese take on bread and drippings), and a golden potato cake adorned with a colourful confetti of dehydrated nasturtiums and tomato powder, and planted atop a sea urchin emulsion.

handcrafted pieces — Bell’s handcrafted functional pieces on display.

The complex is home to a coterie of independent businesses, including a gallery, a jeweller, and its latest tenant, ceramicist Elizabeth Bell, drawn here by the building’s “soul”. “There’s so much potential for these buildings to have new life breathed into them,” says Bell, whose studio is housed within the old pump room. “Even people in Geelong don’t know we’re here,” she says. “It’s definitely a destination, but I like that. It has a really calming atmosphere.”

A Melbourne transplant, Bell now feels at home in Geelong, which offers something Melbourne didn’t. “If this business was in Melbourne I don’t think it would’ve been as successful,” she notes. “It’s very collaborative in Geelong, and I don’t think you get that as much in Melbourne; you’re a bit more in it for yourself. Here it’s about community over competition.”

13 of the best things to do in the Grampians

Wondering what are the best things to do in the Grampians? Don’t worry we have you covered with our 13 things you’ll definitely want to see.

1. Find “Hope" in St Arnaud

2. Be awed by Mad-Dadjug (Mt Abrupt)

3. Chill out at Victoria’s largest waterfall

4. Be humbled by ancient creation stories.

5. Get in the picture at Framing the Wimmera

6. Take a deep dive into the world of olive oil

7. Putt your way through the fern forest at Adventure Golf

8. Pay your respects to the father of football

9. Take a tour of one of the longest underground wine cellar in the world

10. Climb a volcano and peer into a bottomless lake

11. Take a walk on the dark side in Ararat

12. Give the big koala a big hug

13. Marvel at a giant shed made of sticks

Plan your Grampians road trip at visitgrampians.com.au.

This epic multi-day Victorian hike has fully reopened after bushfires

This little-known heritage rail journey takes you past charming towns, artworks on silos and lakes

This scenic Victorian region is the perfect antidote to city life

This hidden region in Victoria is home to a peaceful lake trail

Inside Geelong’s glow-up from factory town to creative capital

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

The rise of a food and wine destination

Breathing new life into historic spaces

Wondering what are the best things to do in the Grampians? Don’t worry we have you covered with our 13 things you’ll definitely want to see.

1. Find “Hope" in St Arnaud

2. Be awed by Mad-Dadjug (Mt Abrupt)

3. Chill out at Victoria’s largest waterfall

4. Be humbled by ancient creation stories.

AI Prompt

5. Get in the picture at Framing the Wimmera

6. Take a deep dive into the world of olive oil

7. Putt your way through the fern forest at Adventure Golf

8. Pay your respects to the father of football

9. Take a tour of one of the longest underground wine cellar in the world

10. Climb a volcano and peer into a bottomless lake

11. Take a walk on the dark side in Ararat

12. Give the big koala a big hug

13. Marvel at a giant shed made of sticks

Plan your Grampians road trip at visitgrampians.com.au.

This epic multi-day Victorian hike has fully reopened after bushfires

This little-known heritage rail journey takes you past charming towns, artworks on silos and lakes

This scenic Victorian region is the perfect antidote to city life

This hidden region in Victoria is home to a peaceful lake trail

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

The rise of a food and wine destination

Breathing new life into historic spaces