Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
risotto and the warm Moroccan chicken salad. There are indoor and outdoor play areas for
kids, and it's a social place for a beer after a day's bushwalking.
Information
9am-5pm)
The
Halls Gap Visitors Centre
(
1800 065 599;
www.grampianstravel.com.au
;
Grampians Rd;
staff here are helpful, and can book tours, accommodation and activities.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Dunkeld & the
Southern Grampians
The southern point of access for the Grampians, Dunkeld is a sleepy little town with a
very big-name restaurant. The setting is superb, with Mt Abrupt and Mt Sturgeon rising
up to the north, while the Grampians Tourist Rd to Halls Gap gives you a glorious passage
into the park, with the cliffs and sky opening up as you pass between the Serra and Mt
William Ranges. Fit hikers can walk to the summit of
Mt Abrupt
(6.5km, three hours return)
and
Mt Sturgeon
(7km, three hours return) for panoramic views of the ranges. Both walks
leave from signposted car parks off the Grampians Tourist Rd.
The town was established in the 1860s, but much of it was destroyed by bushfires in
1944. The
Historical Society Museum
( 03-5577 2386; cnr Wills & Templeton Sts, Dunkeld; admission $2;
1-5pm Sun)
, in an old bluestone church, has a local history collection, including Aboriginal
artefacts and old photographs.
Dunkeld has a couple of cafes in the main street and a number of holiday cottages dot-
ted around the region, but the main attraction is the restaurant at the
Royal Mail Hotel
(
03-5577 2241;
www.royalmail.com.au
;
Parker St; bar meals $31-44, restaurant set menu $120-140; bar & bistro
noon-2.30pm & 6-9pm, restaurant from 6pm Wed-Sun)
. The hotel has been continuously licensed since
1855 but today it's a stylish modern hotel with a fine bar, bistro and one of Victoria's top
restaurants. Chef Robin Wickens oversees the kitchens for the upmarket showpiece res-
taurant but also for the more affordable bistro. If you only splurge once while travelling
around the state, do it here. And if you can't, at the very least spoil yourself in the bistro.
You need to book months ahead to dine in the main restaurant. The attached motel-style
rooms and apartments, with mountain or garden views, are elegant with all mod-cons,
while the cottages across the road make up for the lack of views with their spaciousness.
