Sight · Grampians National Park
Ghostly white figures beneath a dark sandstone overhang
Overview
Ngamadjidj Shelter is a small sandstone overhang with an unusually distinctive panel of white-painted human-like figures. It is often called the Cave of Ghosts, a useful nickname for the pale forms that stand out against the dark rock. This is one of the northern Grampians' Aboriginal rock-art places, not a viewpoint or a conventional cave attraction, so the reward is a quiet look at a protected cultural site.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stopMap
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grampians Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grampians National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Ngamadjidj Shelter: White Figures in the Rock“Up ahead is Stapylton Campground, the starting point for a short walk to Ngamadjidj Shelter. The reason to stop is a group of pale, human-like figures painted with white clay beneath a sandstone overhang.”
Plays as you drive up to Ngamadjidj Shelter in the Parkwolf Grampians Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Start at Stapylton Campground and follow the signed circuit for roughly 300 metres. The easy loop takes about 10 minutes and gains only around 10 metres. The track is short and level enough for many visitors with limited mobility and for prams, although natural surfaces and small changes in texture can still matter for a particular wheelchair or stroller. The painted panel is fenced or sealed off, so expect to view it from outside the shelter rather than walk beneath it.
Stapylton is a useful base for this visit, with parking, shared picnic tables and pit toilets at the campground. Untreated tank water is available there, but bring your own drinking water. The campground is also a practical overnight option if you are pairing the shelter with Mount Stapylton or Mount Zero, but camping belongs at the campground, not at the art site.
Wildlife
157 sightingsShort-beaked EchidnaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
37 sightingsPowerful OwlMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
59 sightingsWedge-tailed EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
24 sightingsEastern Brown SnakeMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
10 sightingsTiger SnakeMost seen around noonSighting map
29 sightingsRed-bellied Black SnakeMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grampians. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyNgamadjidj Shelter Walk0.8 km · 30 min · 0.2 km awayShort gravel loop to white clay rock art beneath a sandstone overhang
ChallengingGrampians Peaks Trail164 km · 3.8 days · 3.9 km awayThirteen days of rocky ridgelines from Mount Zero to Dunkeld, one way
ModerateMt Zero (Mura Mura) Walk2.8 km · 1.3 hr · 3.9 km awayShort rocky climb to the range's northern-most peak and Wimmera views
ChallengingMt Stapylton (Gunigalg) Loop Walk4.6 km · 2.5 hr · 3.9 km awaySteep 4.6 km return scramble to a rocky summit with sweeping views
ChallengingBarigar Overnight Hike16 km · 8 hr · 4 km awayTwo days across Taipan Wall battlements to a low camp beneath Gar
EasyFlat Rock Walk1.3 km · 45 min · 4 km awayShort rocky climb to an outcrop facing Taipan Wall and Stapylton
ChallengingHollow Mountain (Wudjub-guyan) Walk2.2 km · 2 hr · 4.4 km awaySteep gully scramble to wind-scoured caverns above the Wimmera Plains
ModerateGulgurn Manja Shelter Walk1.5 km · 45 min · 4.4 km awaySteep-ish short climb to Jardwadjali handprints above the Wimmera Plains
Campground · 0.3 km awayStapylton CampgroundSleep beneath a rugged sandstone skyline in open eucalyptus woodland
Sight · 3.1 km awayMount Stapylton (Gunigalg)A rugged sandstone summit with broad northern Gariwerd views
Campground · 3.1 km awayCoppermine CampgroundA tiny 4WD camp with broad northern Grampians views
Sight · 3.7 km awayHollow Mountain (Wudjub-guyan)Wind-sculpted caverns and a big view over the Wimmera Plains
Picnic area · 3.9 km awayMount Zero (Mura Mura) Picnic AreaA shady trail base beneath rugged granite peaksSight · 4.3 km awayGulgurn Manja Aboriginal Rock Art SiteHand stencils and ochre symbols beneath a sandstone shelter
Sight · 4.8 km awayMount Zero (Mura Mura)A rocky summit walk with Wimmera Plains views
Campground · 7.9 km awayTroopers Creek CampgroundA gum-tree base beneath the Mt Difficult escarpmentParkwolf’s Grampians ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
