Grampians National Park wildlife: where and when to look

Bird species in the park number at least 230, joined by 40 mammals, 30 reptiles, 11 amphibians and 6 native fish, according to Parks Victoria's fauna guide.⁴ Of those, 50 species are listed as threatened, among them Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies, Smokey Mice and Powerful Owls.⁷ The numbers show how much wildlife the ranges hold beyond the mobs of kangaroos beside the road.

The 2024-25 summer fires burned 135,000 hectares, close to 80% of the park, and put some of those animals under pressure.⁸ Recovery work included ground feeding for the critically endangered Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, and temporary habitat pods that shelter small native mammals and reptiles.^9,10 Visitors are unlikely to meet these animals on a walk.

Many of the park's plants are endemic, found nowhere else in the world.¹¹ The plants feed the animals, and the stories run together. A walker looking for wildlife in Grampians National Park does well to move slowly, listening and scanning the edges of clearings, where grass meets forest.

On koalas the honest answer is cautious. Parks Victoria's fauna guide says there are no large colonies in the park and individual koalas are hard to spot.³ A koala in Grampians National Park is a lucky sighting rather than a plan, and no tour can promise one.

For a better chance, the same guide points elsewhere: parks with high koala populations include Budj Bim National Park and Tower Hill.²⁴ If koalas matter more to you than ranges and waterfalls, build a separate stop into your trip instead of expecting them on a Pinnacle climb.

Parks Victoria does say that a walker on the Pinnacle routes may glimpse koalas, kangaroos, snakes, skinks and even an echidna.²⁶ Keep your eyes up in the eucalypts and scan for grey shapes wedged in forks. A pair of binoculars helps more than a long lens.

Many native animals are most active at dawn and dusk, says Parks Victoria.⁵ The visitor guide adds that wildlife is common along roadsides at those hours.¹² The fauna guide asks drivers to go carefully, since wildlife regularly crosses roads without warning.²⁹ Slow down on the winding roads above Halls Gap in the evening.

Gliders and possums are found throughout the park and are nocturnal.¹⁶ Bats are nocturnal too, and the best time to see them is dusk.¹⁵ Echidnas are best seen in the mornings or early evenings.¹³ A short walk at the end of the day often shows more than a long walk at noon.

A hoped-for animal is missing. The park's waterways tend to run seasonally and do not suit the platypus.³⁴ Creeks dry up in the warmer months, so do not rely on them and bring water for yourself.³⁰ July averages a daily high of only 12.4 °C at the Stawell Aerodrome station, which makes a warm layer worth packing for cool evenings.³¹

Parks Victoria asks visitors to keep wildlife wild and not to feed native animals, and states that feeding wildlife is not allowed in Victoria's parks.^6,38 Do not offer food, even to a friendly kangaroo at a campground. Keep rubbish sealed so it does not become a lure.

If you find an injured animal, do not try to handle it. Contact Wildlife Victoria on (03) 8400 7300 for assistance.²⁸ Parks Victoria also lists licensed tour operators, which run more than 50 different kinds of experience inside parks.³⁹ A guide helps with finding the animals, not with touching them.

The small-group day tour sold on this site ends with 15 minutes watching kangaroos around Halls Gap. For captive animals and hand-feeding of kangaroos, wallabies and deer, Halls Gap Zoo sells special animal food on site.²⁵ That is the right place for close contact; in the park, watch and let go.