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Mount Arapiles And Little Desert Self Drive Tour
This tour is self drive and based from Horsham, Victoria. You will travel a distance of 190 kilometres. Allow yourself plenty of time.
While travelling from Horsham to Mount Arapiles, Tooan State Park, via Natimuk on the Wimmera Highway (C240), you will pass the turn off to Norton Estate Vineyard (Noradjuha Road) and later Banksia Hill, Hutchinson Road, Quantong. Banksia Hill is a Bed and Breakfast, plus a working flower farm. The ten hectare property has been developed from a large sand hill and planted with Australian plants. There are over fifty species of Banksia and more than 5,000 plants for flower production.
Continue on to Mount Arapiles, passing through Natimuk and experience the rocky terrain of world class rock climbing, and view the flat plains of the Wimmera from the lookouts.
Drive along the Goroke-Natimuk Road (C213) and you will pass the Duffholme Museum, which features many aspects of life in the past (bookings are essential). Keep travelling on the C213 to the Jane Duff Memorial Park, which commemorates the heroine of the ‘Three Lost Children’ story, from the early days of settlement in the Wimmera.
Continue on to the Harrow-Nhill Road (C206) travelling through the Little Desert National Park, where you can view a sea of pink heath and wild flowers in the spring. Continue along the C206 towards Nhill, passing the Stringybark walk that consists of three various tracks that show the interesting diversity of the park (this walk can take from half an hour to an hour depending upon the loop that is taken). Before reaching Nhill you will pass Little Desert Nature Lodge that offer half day or full day 4WD tours, it is also home to the Malleefowl, where you can view these special birds in the Malleefowl aviaries in their natural state.
Continue on to Nhill, then turn right and follow the Western Highway (A8) until the Pink Lake. This lake is known for its colour and purity of its salt. From here continue into Dimboola and out to Horseshoe Bend to see where the Wimmera River meets the desert. View the magnificent giant river red gums and take in the parks egetation while on the half hour Pomponderoo Hill Nature Walk. Then we continue back to Horsham passing the Nicholas Olive Grove specialising in fine quality olive oil, tastings and light refreshments available by appointment, and stopping at the Wail Native Plant Nursery and Arboretum.