Visitor Information -- The Halls Gap & Grampians Visitor Information Centre (tel. 1800/065 599 in Australia or 03/5261 444; www.grampians travel.com) is at 115 Grampians Rd., Halls Gap. The Bambruk National Park and Cultural Centre (tel. 03/5361 4000), 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) south of Halls Gap, also has plenty of maps and brochures, and the rangers can advise you on walking trails and camping spots. Check out www.bambruk.com.au. Other good websites are www.visitgrampians.com.au and www.visithallsgap.com.au.

Getting Around

Getting Around -- Paved roads include the Grampians Tourist Road, which cuts through the park from Dunkeld to Halls Gap; the Mount Victory Road, from Halls Gap to Wartook; and the Roses Gap Road, which runs from Wartook across to Dadswells Bridge on the Western Highway. Many other roads in the park are unpaved, but most are passable with a two-wheel-drive car.

Autopia Tours (tel. 1800/000 507 in Australia, or 03/9419 8878; www.autopiatours.com.au) offers all-day tours of the park and surroundings from Melbourne on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays (call for departure times and pickup points). The tour includes a stop at Brambuk, as well as Aboriginal rock-painting sites, waterfalls, and lookouts. There's a bit of walking involved, so you need to be reasonably fit, but you're almost certain to see native wildlife. The tour includes morning tea and National Park entry fees and costs A$120.

Getting There

Getting There -- By car, the park is accessible from the Western Highway at Ararat, Stawell (pronounced Storl), and Horsham. Alternatively, you can reach the southern entrance from the Glenelg Highway at Dunkeld. The western areas of the park are off the Henty Highway (A200).

V/Line (tel. 13 61 96 in Victoria; www.vline.com.au) has daily train and bus service to Halls Gap from Melbourne. (The train goes to Ballarat, and a bus continues to Halls Gap via Ararat and Stawell.) The trip takes around 4 1/2 hours, and there is a half-hour wait at Ballarat.