Parking
Use the Ngamadjidj Shelter Trailhead near Stapylton Campground, reached from Olive Plantation Road. Park at the campground area and follow the short signed access to the circuit.
Overview
About Ngamadjidj Shelter Walk
Why go
- Very short, low-effort cultural walk
- Suitable for prams and limited mobility
Heads up
- Limited distance
- Rock art is viewed from outside the sealed shelter
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grampians map
Full mapElevation256–276 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 Ngamadjidj Shelter 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
Ngamadjidj Shelter: White Figures in the Rock0:00 / 0:42
“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 this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grampians Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Nest for Sleeping
- The Tiny Flowers of Pohlners Road
- The Trail Starts at Mount Zero
- The Chough's Extra Helper
- 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 Ngamadjidj Shelter Walk
The short versionThis is a 0.8 km loop in total, not one way and not a there-and-back you double.
This is a 0.8 km loop in total, not one way and not a there-and-back you double. It starts and finishes at the Ngamadjidj Shelter Trailhead near Stapylton Campground, and it's rated easy and self-guided.
What the walk doesFrom the trailhead you follow the formed circuit around to the sandstone overhang, where a…
From the trailhead you follow the formed circuit around to the sandstone overhang, where a short loop brings you beside the shelter. The payoff is the rock art itself: human-like figures created with white clay, at a site also known as the Cave of Ghosts. From there the path carries you back to where you started.
Difficulty and surfacesIf you want something genuinely short and undemanding with a strong point of interest at the…
If you want something genuinely short and undemanding with a strong point of interest at the end, this is it.
- Formed gravel and dirt, with short paved-stone sections
- Little overall elevation change across the circuit, so there's no real climbing
- Suited to all fitness types, and to people with limited mobility, including prams
Respect at the siteThis is an important Aboriginal Rock Art site, so treat it accordingly.
This is an important Aboriginal Rock Art site, so treat it accordingly. The painted shelter is sealed off and the art is viewed from a distance, so plan on looking rather than approaching or touching.
Getting there and parkingAccess is from Olive Plantation Road, via Stapylton Campground, which has parking and leaves…
Access is from Olive Plantation Road, via Stapylton Campground, which has parking and leaves only a short stroll to the shelter.
Rules and hazardsNot permitted at the trailhead area:
Not permitted at the trailhead area:
Be aware of falling limbs and falling trees, unstable cliffs, and European wasps.
- Dogs
- Camping and fires
- Horses and bicycles
- Generators
- Firearms
If you want moreThe nearby Mount Stapylton Loop is the option to look at if this circuit feels too short and…
The nearby Mount Stapylton Loop is the option to look at if this circuit feels too short and you'd rather have a longer, more demanding walk in the same area.
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.
