Eighty per cent of Aboriginal rock art sites in Victoria, Australia's smallest mainland state, are to be found in Grampians National Park west of the capital, Melbourne.

Add spectacular mountain ranges, a variety of Australian wildlife, a carpet of wildflowers in the spring, and you can understand why Grampians National Park is a favorite of visitors to Victoria.

WHERE. 260 kilometres west of Melbourne, 400 kilometres east of the South Australian capital of Adelaide.

Grampians National Park lies immediately west of the Victorian town of Ararat and south of the Western Highway between the towns of Stawell and Horsham.

SIZE. 167,000 hectares.

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY. Today's Grampians mountain range lay under shallow seas millions of years ago. Over the centuries, heat and pressure caused the solidification of the sandy bottom into great slabs of sandstone which, disturbed by tectonic forces, were forced upwards to become the jagged peaks we see today in Grampians National Park.

ORIGIN OF NAME. The Grampians are named after the identically-named mountains in Scotland. The Aboriginal name for the Grampians in Victoria is Gariwerd.

ATTRACTIONS. Bushwalks, mountain lookouts, areas suitable for rock-climbing, a variety of wildlife, wildflowers, Aboriginal rock paintings in areas such as Bullimina and Wab Manja near Glenisla, the spectacular McKenzie Falls, Victoria Valley wildlife sanctuary.

VISITOR CENTRE. Three kilometres south of the town of Halls Gap on the eastern edge of Grampians National Park.

GUIDED TOURS. Try Grampians National Park Tours based at the Halls Gap YHA hostel, telephone (03) 5356 6221.

HOW TO GET THERE. If driving from Melbourne, head towards the gold mining town of Ballarat through the Western Freeway which becomes the Western Highway and proceed from there on the Western Highway to Ararat. Take the Halls Gap Ararat Rd (about 20km) to Halls Gap. By public transport, you could take a train to Ballarat, a bus to Stawell and another bus to Halls Gap.

WHERE TO DINE. Your best bet is at Halls Gap.

WHERE TO STAY. Motels, guesthouses, hostels, caravan parks, units and cottages, all mainly at Halls Gap. With a permit (you can self-register or pay at the visitor centre), you can camp at one of more than 15 campsites with basic amenities (toilets, picnic tables, fireplaces, water) in Grampians National Park. Bush camping is allowed outside the designated camp sites, except in such areas as the Wonderful Range and around Lake Wartook, but always be sure to follow park regulations.

WHEN TO GO. The best times are from August to November (end of winter to spring) when the wildflowers are in bloom.

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