Grampians walking vacations, Victoria, Australia

Planet

Minimal impact walking: We lead by example and encourage others to follow. We believe that we are doing our job well when our customers leave a tour having had a fabulous, fun filled vacation but also come away with a broader appreciation of and respect for the natural environment. Ideally they come to walk and leave as ambassadors for the environment. We stay on formed tracks, avoid trampling vegetation, insist that all rubbish is carried out, pick up rubbish left by others. Group sizes on self-guided trips are usually only two. On group guided trips the maximum size is 15 but there are two guides so we can split into smaller parties, limiting our impact.

We plan our walks to utilise toilets wherever possible and if not available, we provide clear instruction on burying waste and carrying out any sanitary items. We view wildlife from a distance and never feed native animals. We do not light fires in the bush and we do not allow people to smoke on walks. Our motto is “Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photos and a piece of someone else’s rubbish”.

We donate money to FOGGS. FOGGS (Friends of Grampians Gariwerd) works in close co-operation with local Parks Victoria staff to promote the conservation, protection and restoration of the Grampians National Park. Recent projects include walking track maintenance, environmental monitoring of prescribed burning locations in the National Park and various threatened species projects. The aim of FOGGS is to encourage and educate people to understand and enjoy, while conserving, the Grampians National Park.

Through annual and daily fees to national park authorities we provide revenue essential to the protection and maintenance of the parks we visit. We comply with the management strategy plans of each park.. We foster an understanding and appreciation of our fragile ecosystems. We adopt a carry it in – carry it out policy and pick up any litter left by others. We encourage minimal impact walking techniques that will ensure we leave nothing behind other than footprints and take nothing away but memories and someone else’s rubbish.

People

On the Grampians trips we employ local guides and drivers. As we are a small company, in some areas the guiding is done by Phil and I, the owners of the company. All guides undergo our comprehensive training program and this is tailored to each individual’s needs. It covers areas such as safety, first aid, group management, minimal impact techniques, environmental interpretation, cultural considerations.

On our trips we stay in comfortable local accommodation properties with lots of character. Each one has been personally selected by the owners. It could be an historic guesthouse, comfortable B&B, cosy home-stay, seaside cottage, alpine ski lodge, resort hotel, a luxurious Ecolodge or country motel. When we use motels, we look for small, family-run places in attractive locations. Occasionally, remote locations mean that the only accommodation available is simple in nature, such as lighthouse keepers’ cottages and outback cattle stations, but the ones we select have character and ambience that more than compensates for star ratings. Good food is an important aspect of all our trips. Meals are plentiful, nutritious, wholesome and wherever possible offer local ingredients or specialties. No matter which vacation you choose, the accommodation and meals will add an interesting local flavour to your experience.

Wherever possible we incorporate quality local tourism experiences into our walking vacations. Examples include bush tucker walks with indigenous people, tours of historic lightstation precincts, lake or river cruises, snorkelling with marine biologists etc. On the Grampians walk we visit the Brambuk Cultural Centre to learn more about the Indigenous history of the area. There’s also the opportunity to sample bush tucker in the indigenous foods restaurant. In the Grampians our clients have the opportunity to enjoy the local dining experiences with an array of dining opportunities.