Great Ocean Road and Grampians 3 day tour, Australia

Planet

The Grampians National Park is a series of stunning mountain ranges and is home to 80% of Victoria's Aboriginal rock art. We view a rock art site called 'Bungil's shelter' which is open to the public and protected by fencing. While other unprotected sites are accessible we choose to look at the sanctioned site deemed appropriate by the local Aboriginal people. The Grampians National Park is also home to wonderful wildflowers and is internationally renowned for the its unique species and abundance through the spring months. We use only dedicated tracks to take walks and view the stunning lookouts so that we do not disturb this native flora.
Bushfires are a threat in the region but are also needed to promote growth with many of the Australian trees not propagating without fire. We monitor any threats daily through the touring season and take any appropriate action to avoid danger and undue strain to the environment and communities when needed.

People

The Aboriginal Cultural center 'Brambuk' is one highlight of our 3rd day of this tour. This award winning center in Halls Gap has amazing displays of local indigenous history, culture and art. We also view videos that explain the Aboriginal creation story of Gariwerd (the Grampians) and the European history of the region.
After spending the night on the Great Ocean road at stunning Beacon Point we turn inland to stay at a very different site. Based at the bottom of Mt Sturgeon, the Royal Mail Hotel is a magnificently redeveloped site that has built a reputation for its fine food in particular. It is located in a small country town of Dunkeld that has been overlooked for many years by tourists. The Royal Mail Hotel has lifted the profile of this town and the region by attracting tourist after a gourmet experience with breathtaking scenery. It has won 'Best country restaurant in Australia' numerous times and the chefs take great pride in growing a substantial herb and vegetable garden for their own use. They are also great ambassadors of other locally grown products and source their meat locally. They also employ a large numbers of locals for all manner of positions within the hotel and restaurants.