Ararat is an attractive old gold mining town that's become a thriving agricultural and commercial centre.
It has a fascinating history as the only town in Australia to be founded by Chinese, who discovered gold in 1857, triggering a gold rush that saw 30,000 people descend on the town in a matter of weeks.

Beaufort started as a gold rush town when gold was discovered at Fiery Creek in 1854. These days the main street has several cafe's and provides a service centre for surrounding primary production.

Avoca is an idyllic rural town, with a backdrop of the Pyrenees Ranges and tall red gums along its river banks, Initially settled for sheep and cattle grazing, it quick established itself as the administrative and commercial centre of the region when gold was discovered in the early 1850's. Avoca's wide main street, which reflects an era when bullock teams required a large turning circle, has maintained an historic facade that hardens back to its gold rush days.

Ararat & Avoca are the main towns for the Grampians and Pyrenees Wine regions.

These wine regions have established an envious reputation for dense purple, spicy Shiraz and sparkling wines renown for their cellaring capacity.

Natural diversity is a feature of the Western Ranges, which can be experienced in the State parks. The rocky granite peaks of Mount Langi Ghiran and Mount Gorrinn create an imposing presence from the surrounding plains east of Ararat. Named after the local Aboriginal term for '' Yellow tailed Black cockatoo'' , these birds can be seen flying through the wooded slopes of the park. Mount Buangor State Park offers a forest paradise, walk through cool fern gullies, to seasonal waterfalls and mountain plateaus to take in views across the plains

The Pyrenees Ranges offer a wonderful mix of natural and cultural history, spectacular views rugged mountain ranges, abundant wildlife, and a rich mix of wildflowers Eastern grey kangaroo's, black wallabies, echidna's and variety of birds can be seen in the parks.
 

Ararat & Western Ranges Discovery Tour

This Full day sightseeing Ecotour is themed on History/Heritate, Food & Wine and Wild nature

We travel North West along the Western highway towards Ararat & the Western ranges of the Great Dividing Range.

We pass Lake Burrumbeet, one of the larger lakes in the region before stopping at Beaufort for morning tea at one of the cafe's.

We enter Mt Buangor State Park, and discover a hidden gem of a forest paradise.

As you walk along the Ferntree walking track, vista's of the surrounding plains appear through the towering forest open to you, gullies full of cool ferns, maybe a sighting of a black wallaby bounding through the undergrowth, before stopping at the Ferntree waterfall.

Enroute to Langhi Ghiran State Park, we stop at the Langhi Ghiran winery to taste their famous award winning wines.

As we travel through the Langhi Ghiran State Park, named after the black cockatoo's of the area, we walk along the Lar-ne-Jeering track which leads to an aboriginal shelter displaying rock art unique to the area of the Djab Wurrung people.

We also visit the reservoir make from locally hewn granite blocks in the 1880's.

Stopping in Ararat, we visit Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre, one of the few examples of a traditional Chinese pagoda building in Australia, the centre tells of the story of how Chinese miners travelled from Robe, South Australia to the Victorian gold fields.

We stop at One Tree Hill for spectacular 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and plains.

Avoca is the heart of the Pyrenees wine region, and here we taste what the area is famous for - Shiraz.

We discover the Pyrenees ranges - a mix of natural and cultural history, wonderful views of the vineyards below, abundant wildlife, rich mix of wildflowers, and historic sites.
 

Highlights

Ararat / Avoca gold rush heritage streetscapes
Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre - Chinese gold history

Western ranges consisting of;

• Langi Ghiran State Park - Aboriginal culture / 1880's reservoir /Wild nature
• Pyrenees Ranges - Lookouts / Wild nature
• Mt Buangor State Park - Waterfalls & cool fern gullies / Wild nature
• Beaufort - Gold rush town / Morning tea
• Pyrenees & Grampians region wineries - wine tastings

Morning tea included / Lunch is Not included
Return Train Fare Included (Melbourne customers)
Pickup/Drop off - Ballarat/Avoca/Maryborough/Daylesford accommodation