Touring / Base

Wartook Gardens is an ideal base to go touring in and around the Grampians. Day trips from here can give you a very diverse range of experiences.

Royce & Jeanne are happy to provide maps and advice and supply a picnic lunch if required.

Tour Wineries

There are a number in different areas. Jeanne & Royce will willingly provide information to enable you to plan an outing.

As well as the many old established wineries, there are some new exciting small vineyards opening up around the Grampians.

The major Grampians wineries are:

• Bests Great Western
• Montara Winery
• Mt Langi Ghiran
• Seppelts Great Western
• The Gap Vineyard

If a day trip is planned it is possible to include some of the Pyrenees Wineries.

There are a number of smaller vineyards that are also interesting to discover.

We have a new local winery (30 min):
Norton Estate
758 Plush-Hannans Rd
Lower Norton
Open: Wed - Sun

This new vineyard has achieved great success, 5 glasses in "James Halliday's Wine Companion 2007", Arapiles Run Shiraz 2004 and a Cabernet Savignon

Visit Horsham

Visit Horsham - the largest town between Ballarat & Adelaide and service centre for the Wimmera and surrounds.

Have a round of golf on one of Victoria's best and most picturesque golf courses. See fine art and photography at the Horsham Art Gallery.

Stroll the Botanic Gardens. Visit the Wool Factory or walk the banks of the Wimmera River and see the majestic red gums.

Pop out to Mt Arapiles (20mins from Horsham) and see one of the world's great rock climbing areas and fabulous wildflowers in the spring. Great views of the surrounding Wimmera Plains.

The Southern Grampians

Take a trip to the Southern Grampians - From Wartook go across to the Henty Highway and turn south. Cherrypool provides the opportunity for some bird watching, and once past Glenisla look for the Buandik turnoff and possibly spend an hour or two visiting Manja and Billimina Aboriginal shelters before returning to the highway. This low area through the Billywing is a wonderful; wildflower area in the spring. At Cavendish you can decide to go in any of 3 directions.

1. Across country to Coleraine to visit the Points Reserve and Eucalyptus Discovery Centre. (over 600 species of Eucalypt) and the Chocolate Factory before going back into Hamilton via Wannon and the Wannon Falls. Travel onto Dunkeld and back to Wartook via the Grampians.

2. Continue straight down the Highway to Hamilton for lunch and a visit to the Art Gallery (well known for its ceramics) From Hamilton head for Dunkeld and back to Wartook through the Grampians.

3. Turn left and head towards Dunkeld. You may either continue through Dunkeld or turn in to the Victoria Valley and come back to Wartook via Mirranatwa Gap and Halls Gap.

Take a trip to Balmoral Rocklands

From Wartook travel to the Henty Highway, and down to Cherrypool for some bird watching before turning into the Blackrange. Follow the signs through the Blackrange to Rocklands, with regular stops for the spring wildflowers. At Rocklands (Victoria's second largest reservoir) have a picnic before going into Balmoral and return to Wartook via Lake Toolondo and more of the Black Range if in wildflower season. The Fulham Reserve near Balmoral is another great wildflower area.

Northern Grampians

Have a relaxing day in the Northern Grampians. The rock formations and cliffs are much more colourful in the north than they are elsewhere in the Grampians. Visit a native plant cutflower farm, that exports all over the world.

Visit an Olive Plantation, drop into Mt Zero Olives and taste their now famous organically produced Olive Oil. Explore Mount Zero, Hollow Mountain and the aboriginal shelters. In the evening climb Flat Rock to get a shot of the magnificent Taipan Wall with the evening sun shining on the orange cliffs.