Parking
Mount Thackeray Carpark on Victoria Range Road, reached via the rough Goat Track and Victoria Range Road. The rocky approach is suitable only for 4WD vehicles.
Overview
About Mount Thackeray Summit Walk
Why go
- Broad summit range views
- Clear highpoint and trig marker
Heads up
- Rocky scramble and exposed upper slopes
- Requires 4WD access
The summit opens out to a broad panorama along the ranges, taking in the sweep from Mount Zero at the north end to Mount Sturgeon at the south. It is the kind of view that makes a short walk feel much bigger, and the broken trig gives you an obvious place to sit and take it in.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Grampians map
Full mapElevation893–967 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Grampians alerts
- ClosureBushfire-damaged walks and picnic area remain closedThe Fortress, Red Gum, Billimina, Chimney Pots and Brownings Loop walks, plus Mafeking Picnic Area, remain closed because of track or site damage from the 2024/25 summer bushfires.Official details
- ClosureMackenzie Falls precinct closed during constructionThe Mackenzie Falls (Migunang wirab) Precinct has no vehicle or visitor access during major construction works expected to finish by the end of 2026.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grampians Tour Guide
Your drive to Mount Thackeray Summit Walk, narrated.
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 trailhead
The Fortress: Access to the Sandstone Towers0:00 / 0:25
“You're nearing the access toward the Fortress, with more driving along Victoria Range Road before the walk begins.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grampians Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Mice That Survived the Fire
- The Blue-Grey Sheoak
- The Trail Inside a Leaf
- A Replacement Tail
- 233 audio storiesacross Grampians’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Short-beaked Echidna, Powerful Owl, Wedge-tailed Eagle, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 81 trails, 62 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Mount Thackeray Summit Walk
The short versionMount Thackeray Summit Walk is an out-and-back from the Mount Thackeray Carpark on Victoria…
Mount Thackeray Summit Walk is an out-and-back from the Mount Thackeray Carpark on Victoria Range Road, roughly 2.7 km total return distance. It is short on the map and slow on the ground, so budget more time than the distance suggests.
How it unfoldsA brief access track leaves Victoria Range Road, then the route drops gradually through a rocky…
A brief access track leaves Victoria Range Road, then the route drops gradually through a rocky gully and scrub under open forest with mint bush and tea-tree. A switchback turns you back uphill, and the last stretch is a rocky scramble up terraced slopes to the summit and its broken trig marker. Because you retrace the same corridor, the climb you earn on the way up is the descent you get on the way back.
Difficulty and footingCall it hard in practical terms.
Call it hard in practical terms. Published grades range from 3 to 4, and the honest read is that the scramble, uneven terraced rock and loose rocky slopes do the work rather than the length. You will use your hands near the top, and the footing rewards decent boots and a steady pace. Sections of the upper slopes are exposed, so anyone uneasy with drop-offs or scrambling on rock should think twice.
Getting there and the rulesAccess runs via the Goat Track and Victoria Range Road, and the rough rocky sections mean a 4WD…
Access runs via the Goat Track and Victoria Range Road, and the rough rocky sections mean a 4WD is the practical requirement to reach the carpark. If you do not have suitable clearance and traction, plan a different walk rather than risking the drive. Dogs are not permitted in the national park, and assistance dogs are covered by separate entry requirements, so check those before you set out. This is a remote corner of the park and there are no facilities at the start; the nearest toilets are at Buandik campground. Carry everything you need and be self-sufficient.
PhotographyAs a general preference rather than route-specific advice, early or late daylight gives the…
As a general preference rather than route-specific advice, early or late daylight gives the ranges more shape and warmth, and the long lines of ridges read better with low sun. Bring the camera you are happy scrambling with, since you will want hands free on the upper rock.
Honest drawbacksIt is an out-and-back, so there is no new scenery on the return.
It is an out-and-back, so there is no new scenery on the return. The 4WD approach rules out a lot of vehicles, the scramble rules out a lot of walkers, and the reward is concentrated almost entirely at the summit rather than spread along the way.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Grampians
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.
