Halls Gap is a town in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is located on Grampians Road, adjacent to the Grampians National Park

Grampians National Park

The Grampians National Park is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 235 kilometres west of Melbourne. The Park was listed on the Australian National Heritage List on 15 December 2006 for its outstanding natural beauty and being one of the richest indigenous rock art sites in south-eastern...

, in the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area. The town is set in the Fyans Valley at the foot of the of Wonderland and Mount William ranges . At the 2006 census

Census in Australia

The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...

 Halls Gap had a population of 281. The approximate driving time from Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 is 3 hours.

History

The first settler was Charles Browning Hall who set out in search of a suitable grazing run when he found the cattle market at Port Phillip

Port Phillip

Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...

 overstocked in 1841. Establishing a station just east of the Grampians in a spot known as 'Mokepilli' to the indigenous inhabitants (probably the Tjapwurong tribe).

By following aboriginal tracks he came upon the gap which now bears his name.

Hall's Gap Post Office opened on 3 February 1893, closed in 1896, and reopened in 1902.

Today

Its chief industry is tourism, due to its location in the Grampians National Park

Grampians National Park

The Grampians National Park is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 235 kilometres west of Melbourne. The Park was listed on the Australian National Heritage List on 15 December 2006 for its outstanding natural beauty and being one of the richest indigenous rock art sites in south-eastern...

. Australia's longest running Aboriginal cultural centre, Brambuk, is located in the town. The Halls Gap Zoo is located 7 km from town. :)

Golfers play at the course of the Halls Gap Golf Club on Red Gum Lease Track.

External links

• Halls Gap - Visit Victoria - Government tourism website
• Official Halls Gap Tourism website
• Halls Gap Zoo