Indigenous Experiences

The Great Southern Touring Route gets travellers front and centre for Indigenous cultural experiences like no other – sacred sites, songline journeys, ancient cultures and a mindblowing UNESCO World Heritage site. More than 40,000 years of civilisation woven together by generations of First Nations storytellers.

The Grampians (Gariwerd): They say you can feel the culture in the earth here. The region is rock art central with southern Australia’s largest number of sites and 80% of Victoria’s sites.

Brambuk: The National Park and Cultural Centre, Halls Gap: THE place to learn what the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park means to the Jadawadjali and Djab Wurrung people. Dive in for self-guided (and accessible) walks through nearby wetland and native gardens.

Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Charlemont (Geelong): Narana means to deeply ‘listen & learn’. And that’s the absolute focus here where education programs mingle with art gallery, café, shop and cultural walks to share and celebrate Indigenous culture.

Older than the Pyramids

‘The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is the site of one of the world’s oldest and most extensive aquaculture systems, dating back at least 6,600 years. The Gunditjmara cut hundreds of metres of channels into bedrock and utilised the local volcanic rock to manage water flows and divert water from surrounding wetlands into naturally forming sinkholes on the lava flow. In doing so, they built a complex system of channels, weirs and dams in order to trap, store and harvest Kooyang (eels). These manmade structures are older than the Pyramids, they’re older than Stonehenge. So not only could the Gunditjmara be the oldest fish farmers in the world, they could be the world’s oldest engineers!’

Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, Macarthur: Experience Gunditjmara Country on this UNESCO World Heritage listed site. Discover the remnants and enduring storytelling –the oldest continuing story in human history.

Worn Gundidj at Tower Hill, Tower Hill: Take a guided night tour for off-beat discovery of the deep connection between ancient culture, Victoria’s largest dormant volcano and the wildlife-rich setting of Tower Hill.

Wildlife Encounters

Travellers rave about the many random glimpses and encounters with native wildlife on the Great Southern Touring Route. For those not keen on missing out, lock in something special at purpose-built wildlife locations.

Ballarat Wildlife Park, Ballarat: Visitors can warm up by hand-feeding the 100 or so roaming kangaroos before a pre-booked encounter with a fave creature. Choose from tree kangaroo, wombat, cassowary, meerkat, Sumatran tiger (!) and more.

Werribee Open Range Zoo, Werribee: Ever wondered what goes on at the zoo before the gates open? Find out with an intimate morning tour with keepers as they go about their morning round feeding and getting the day started with the amazing animals of the Savannah, including rhinos, giraffes and zebras.

Wildlife Wonders, Apollo Bay: Take a walk on the wild side with a Dusk Discovery Wildlife Tour. As the sun sets over the Otways hills, spot potoroos, bandicoots, pademelons and more emerging for their evening of feeding and foraging. A conservationist guide shares insider insights into the more elusive species. It’s just a taster of what’s on offer at this 30-acre social enterprise sanctuary where native wildlife is protected and conservation is the name of the game.

Nature takes right of way

‘Brian Massey’s approach to the design of Wildlife Wonders was based on the principle that ‘Nature takes right of way’. The creation of the walking path was as much about habitat restoration – removing the weeds and making space for the delicate ferns to return –as it was about the construction of the boardwalks that curve around the trees. Every single tree on the site was retained and thousands more have been planted. Now, little pademelons and bandicoots rest in the shade of the boardwalks and wallabies and emus graze the native grasslands overlooking the ocean. The path is truly a part of the bushland itself.’

Lizzie Corke OAM, director | Wildlife Wonders

(Brian Massey was a Greensmaster of The Lord of The Rings, an Art Director of The Hobbit, Landscape Designer of Hobbiton and the Creative Director of Wildlife Wonders.)