National Heritage List inscription date 15 December 2006
Known as Gariwerd by local Indigenous people, the region has been home to the Djab Wurrung and Jardwardjali people for 20,000 years and contains the densest concentration of rock art paintings and the largest assemblage of Aboriginal art motifs in Victoria.
An inspirational landscape
Famous for beautiful landscapes of rugged sandstone escarpments, high rocky plateaus and sheltered gullies, the Grampians have inspired works by Australian writers, poets, photographers and painters such as Arthur Streeton, Arthur Boyd and Eugene von Guerard.
This unique landscape also supports an abundant array of fauna and flora, with the wide variety of rock and soil types supporting high levels of biodiversity.
As the majority of the western Victoria plains have been cleared for agriculture, the remnant bushland in the Grampians National Park has become a refuge for native plants and animals. The Grampians support over 975 native plant species, including more than 75 orchid species, representing one third of the total Victorian flora. Many of these species are only found in the Grampians.
The Grampians is also home to the Grampians pincushion lily (Borya mirabilis)—one of the rarest native lilies in Australia. Nationally threatened animals recorded in the park include the endangered red-tailed black cockatoo and smoky mouse.
European settlement in the region
Major Thomas Mitchell named the mountains after scaling Mt Duwil (Mt William), the highest peak in the Grampians, with a small group of explorers in 1836. He chose 'the Grampians' after the rugged region in his native Scotland. European settlers arrived after hearing his favourable reports of potential grazing areas.
The Grampians soon became a centre for farming, mining and timber production, and a source of water for surrounding farmland. The Grampians were designated as state forest in 1872 and declared a national park in 1984. More than 800,000 people visit the Grampians each year.
Consultation with Indigenous people about the Grampians National Park (Gariwerd) national heritage listed place
The Indigenous values of the Grampians National Heritage Place are not definitively mapped. Indigenous people are the primary source of information on the value of their heritage and should be consulted on a proposed action likely to significantly impact on the listed Indigenous heritage values of the place and/or on a protected matter that has Indigenous heritage values (like listed threatened species).
Prior to undertaking any action, proponents should contact the appropriate Aboriginal Traditional Owners and custodians of the land on which the action will occur that has listed values that may be significantly impacted, as well as the Aboriginal Traditional Owners and custodians of adjoining lands that may be significantly impacted by the action.
A letter from the appropriate representative bodies declaring that they have been adequately consulted on the action informs the Department that a best practice approach has been undertaken. Further information on Aboriginal representative bodies is available from Native Title Corporations or via local Aboriginal Land Councils. Guidance about best practice Indigenous engagement can be found at Engage early – guidance for proponents on best practice Indigenous engagement for environmental assessments under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).