Victoria For Everyone: Western Districts

Western Districts

The Western Districts region includes one of Victoria’s most vital agricultural regions. It has an abundance of available arable land, secure surface water storages, large reserves of underground water, marginal forestry resources and a broad agriculture production base. The Grampians is a rugged mountain range takes its name from the towering series of mountains at the western end of Victoria’s Great Dividing Range, serviced by the tourist centre of Halls Gap. Waterfalls, spectacular scenery, lush bushland and native wildlife are features of the Grampians National Park.

The coast of Western Victoria offers some of the most stunning coastal vistas in the country. The Great Ocean Road winds its way from Torquay to Warrnambool, giving access to the area’s coastal attractions. The road begins on the Surf Coast, Victoria’s premier surfing strip. It passes through the lush rainforests of Otway National Park before following The Shipwreck Coast.

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How To Get There

How to Get There: by road west from Melbourne – via Princes or Hamilton Highways from Geelong; via Glenelg Highway from Ballarat; via Glenelg Highway from Mt Gambier, SA; via Wimmera Highway from Naracoorte, SA; via Dukes Highway and Western Highway from Adelaide via Murray Bridge and Bordertown.

By rail: via The Overland from Melbourne or Adelaide (3 daylight services per week in each direction). The Overland stops at Bordertown, Nhill, Dimboola, Horsham, Stawell, Ararat and Geelong

Best Time To Go

As Victoria has a temperate climate, there is no one season or month that the visitor needs to avoid, except perhaps summer (December – February), if you find hot weather unbearable. In and around Melbourne, which gets more cloud and disturbed weather despite a lower rainfall, sunshine hours per day in winter (June – August) are three to four as against seven to eight in summer. Cold spells are brief and never severe on the coast, and temperatures can drop much lower inland in winter.