Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland

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Pomonal, VIC
Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland

For Camping Site Bookings and Photos go to https://online.rezexpert.com/book?business_code=500410
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After many years of hosting campers, a few years of family succession is leading to many subtle changes. As always our aim continues to be to provide a peaceful, close to nature experience with large sites, lots of green grass, shady trees and a comfortable atmosphere.

07/09/2026

There are just a few days per year where this happens; the race is on at the ponds of Redman Bluff Wetlands at Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland…
A female loaded with eggs is hearing the call of the keen males. It’s an amazing soundscape with what sounds like thousands of Pobblebonk Frogs calling, filling the air with an amphibian symphony of wonder and anticipation.
The expectant mum makes her way to the ponds, a journey she must undertake at night, for it is a perilous path, one full of risk for frog who’s slowly hopping. She must be careful to outsmart those who would love to eat her; for she is a nutritious meal, full of tasty eggs. Mrs Pobblebonk frog does not need to worry about the Kookaburras at night (they are daytime hunters), though she had better hope the Tawny Frogmouth or even the Black Ducks do not spot her. Her strategy; she is very good at freezing dead still to hide in plain sight, and then when finally in one of the ponds, she will dive out of sight in a moment’s notice to escape danger.
Now it is time to choose her mate. He and his competitors are calling from their safe hiding spots in amongst the tangle of wetland plants emerging from the water in the pond, as they try to keep out of sight of those that would like to eat them too. She listens, and chooses a mate. He grasps her in a cuddle call “Amplexus”, at last she is able to lay her eggs. He fertilises them as she froths the water, eggs and s***m into a foamy mass that protects her soon to be tadpoles for the first couple of days of their lives. Her parenting job is done, the urgent call to breed answered, and now it is time for her to return home to her feeding grounds (for she does not live in the ponds). But once again she must face the danger of the journey… At least her babies now have a chance at life.
And so the cycle of life is complete, and the chorus of frog calls will soon diminish. But while it is on, it is one of the most amazing nature soundscapes you will ever hear. Make sure you listen to the video in this post, or better still come here to immerse yourself in the surround sound of frogs in our Redman Bluff Wetlands at Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Park. But you will need to come at exactly the right time of year (call us to find out if they are calling). It is a treat to behold.
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NOTE: At Grampians Paradise, Pobblebonk frog calling season starts somewhere in late August or during September. This year it started on the 3th September 2026. While in a dry year the Pobblebonk calling season may only last 4 days, this year it is wet, and this means it will be a longer calling season. The Pobblebonk calls may last for another week or two or a little more. If you want to experience this wonder of nature for yourself this year, now is the time to get to Grampians Paradise.
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Photos, video and nature sound recording of the Pobblebonk Frogs were all captured on the night of the 3rd September 2026 by Aidan Banfield in Redman Bluff Wetlands at Grampians Paradise.

16/08/2026

There are so many stories to explore at Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland…
On this day the most unlikely story unfolded, one you would not have thought of, one that grabbed the imagination of two kids, Xavier and Elijah and kept them enthralled as they learned about the Fresh Water Mussel (a type of native clam that grows in our Blue Lake), and how this shell would have been the home for a creature that is nearly as old as me.
Other days the stories might be about the Milky Way and celestial objects in our dark sky, or maybe the trees that were planted by my Grandma and Great Aunts 90 years ago and now provide shade to our camping guests. It could be about the changing light across the seasons, and how different the Grampians looks from day to day, season to season.
Xavier and Elija and their parents got to see an incredible example of this… Ibis wetland with no Grampians mountains (they were hidden in the clouds): On showing them a sunrise photo from the exact same spot (I keep photos like this on my phone), they were blown away by the amazing mountains, so close, but completely hidden by the false horizon created by the mountain clouds.
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First photo by Gary
Story by Aidan Banfield
Astro photos by Wenjing Zheng

12/08/2026

What happens to old equipment that's no longer able to be used in the campground and not able to be repurposed??
These crazy Campground Managers load up the trusty multipurpose trailer and drive 36km to the Ararat Transfer Station (our local one was closed last year sadly).
Many things can be repurposed, but this load had to go - and because the canvas was mouldy, it had sat outdoors waiting for me to get back from 4 trips to Tassie to help my Dad who had some big health challenges this year.... so I'm back and we are cleaning up all that's been waiting so patiently, we even have my Dad here helping us, which is awesome. Three generations of family keeping the Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland moving forward despite the challenges of bushfire, recovery and loss in late 2024.... and despite me nearly losing my life last year to a Staph Infection which caused me to lose the ability to walk for 2 weeks and meant a huge recovery journey.
I'm back and better than ever, I'm reinventing my life and keeping Aidan pretty entertained in the process.
Looking forward to seeing what projects can be wrapped up this year.
Nessa

11/08/2026

Kindness 🙏🥰♥️

26/07/2026

Join us on a really fun Walk and Talk through our Redman Bluff Wetlands to the sunset viewing spot at Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland. By chance, we landed at that spot at exactly the right time to watch the sun set behind the Grampians mountains.
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Guest walker: Christian Nikolajsen
with: Aidan Banfield of Grampians Paradise
Video by Backpack-Rig1 and Backpack-Rig2
Sound by BackPack-Rig2
Editing and sub-tiles by Aidan Banfield

09/07/2026

Just some mid week winter sun at Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland

03/07/2026

When it’s warm and wet they GLOW…
Glow in the dark Mushrooms, autumn colours, kangaroos, glowing sunrises, the night sky and a large selection of different looking mushrooms and fungi; These are some of the things that make late autumn and early winter special at Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland.
This year’s special treat for me, was an amazing Ghost Fungus (or Ghost Mushroom) Omphalotus nidiformis that decided to pop up on South 6 (S6) camping site for the Kings Birthday long weekend. As S6 was not booking, I quickly marked it as “not available” in the booking system, giving the chance to share this wonder with many of those who were staying for the long weekend (it’s featured in the short video in this post).
These Ghost Mushrooms glow just enough to see a smudge of white light during a very dark night. But by long exposure photograph they glow an “other worldly” green. Just the most amazing thing.
The glow is bio-luminescence, these mushrooms actually make their own light, but why. Well, as far as I know no body know why. Do you have any theories? I’d love to see yours in the comments, I’ll place my best guess there.
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Glow in the dark mushrooms were not the only fungi about for the 2026 Kings Birthday Long Weekend. There were many others, of which I’ve included some photos of in this post. But I’ll leave it up to one of King Birthday long weekend guest, Kim, tell the story of the Kings Bithday mushrooms. By his own admission he is a fungi nurd.
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- Following Story is by Kim -
“Just wanted to say a huge thank you for having us over the past few days - truth be told I’m usually fairly hesitant with new places and you made us feel wonderfully welcome, not to mention having a lovely place to let the kids run wild!
Like I mentioned when we were there, I consider myself somewhat of an amateur mycologist - I began my ‘mushroom journey’ a number of years ago by accident, where an old Russian couple taught me how to forage for Saffron Milk Caps (Lactarius Deliciosus). Turns out my family had a long history of mushrooming back in the Old Country (the former Yugoslavia), but much of that was lost here in Australia where the mushroom species are vastly different; I was not expecting love it anywhere near as much as I did, and it began a downward spiral into the wild world of fungi.
I spent the better part of the next three years obsessing about mushroom foraging, devouring every piece of information I could, to the point where my friends started telling me I should go back to uni and study mycology! It was one of those moments where the scales fell from my eyes - you realise that basically our entire world functions because of fungi. Trees? Fungi. Grasses? Fungi. You mentioned while we were there that the insects were the sign of a healthy ecosystem and I couldn’t agree more, except that I’d say fungi are an even better sign, though I may be biased!
I’ve attached a few photos, and I must apologise that some of them aren’t well focussed - iPhone photography can only go so far in the hands of an absolute amateur - but you’ll see some gorgeous specimens that where growing all on the one campsite. In these photos you can see some Agaricus species, some coral fungi (likely Ramaria sp., but I’m less confident about that ID), a juvenile puffball or earth ball (hard to say at that age without destroying it, but could be a Lycoperdon sp. or perhaps Sclerodoma sp.), as well as what might be a Volvopluteus sp. (the wonderful large brownish mushroom as the subject of most of the photos). The only mushroom from these images that’s not from the one campsite is the tall skinny white mushroom which is likely a Xerula species (maybe Xerula Australis, but it’s hard to say).
There are two things that I’d love to be the takeaways for yourself, and for anyone else who might read this:
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1. You have an unbelievably healthy fungal ecosystem here - each of these species occupy vastly different niches - mycorrhizal species that form symbiotic relationships with trees and grasses, leaf litter fungi breaking down the eucalypt leaves, saprotrophic fungi breaking down trees (which few other organisms on the planet can do), puffballs exploiting disturbed soils, and more. This is the type of fungal variance I’d expect to see in natural woodland, not a heavily trafficked area of human activity - you’ve done well to care for this land.
2. The massive gap of knowledge we have of fungi in Australia; I’ve done the best I can with the resources available to me to try and identify the species I found, but the reality is that our knowledge of fungi in Australia is woeful (certainly compared to the knowledge of fungi from Eurasia and North America). Every time I see such a plethora of fungi there are two thoughts that strike me almost simultaneously: “How incredible is this?”, and “How sad is this, that I will likely never truly know what it is that I have in my hand?”. Fungi have a lot of potential - food and medicine, but also manufacturing, and more - and yet we know so very little about the ones that grow in our own backyards.”
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Introduction by Aidan Banfield
Story by Kim (who stayed with his family and friends for the Kings Birthday long weekend)
Photos by Kim and Aidan Banfield
Video and video editing by Aidan Banfield

16/06/2026

Cancer sucks, but a ‘raison d’etre’ (reason to live for)…
A dear friend of Aidan and Vanessa of Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland is dying. This is our living tribute to him.
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For decades Steve had been growing and suppling the most amazing, nutritious, and yummy vegetables that have been helping keep our family going, even during the 2024 Grampians bush fires. But in the last year he has shifted focus from veggie growing to building his special native garden, full of amazing plants, iron sculptures and wetland ponds.
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Like the grounds of Grampians Paradise and our Redman Bluff Wetlands, Steve’s Garden has a magical energy. Something he has shared this weekend (14th June 2026) with people from near and far as an open garden fund raiser for the Oncology Department of the Stawell Hospital. You see, Steve has only a very short time left to live and to share his garden in person, to fulfil his wish of raising money for the Oncology Department that has helped him in the sunset of his life.
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The day was an amazing success, with at last I heard $11,000 being raised in cash.
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So where does Grampians Paradise and Vanessa Beckitt fit into Steve’s special day? Aside from friendship, we are inspired by Steve’s ability to find passion to live for, even when his body is failing him. We share a love of nature, and Steve loves Nessa’s Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls. In the lead up to Steve’s Open Garden Day, a plan was hatched between Steve, his wife Glenda and Nessa (Vanessa), for Nessa to play her Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls at the open garden. Nessa’s Bowls added another layer of magic to the day with the bowls singing for the 6 hours the garden was open.
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Nessa has a collection of 23 singing bowls that she loves to play. For me the most magical is when she plays out in our Redman Bluff wetland at Grampians Paradise, accompanied by the sound of our frogs and native birds. Some of these recordings I’ve used to accompany my Grampians Paradise Aurora (Southern Lights) videos. But Nessa also says “Have bowls and will travel”, because she loves adventures!
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At the time of writing this story, Steve’s Go Fund Me for the Stawell Hospital Oncology Department is still up. Here is the link.
https://gofund.me/fc1d1f02e
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Story, photos and sound recording by Aidan Banfield
Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls played by Vanessa Beckitt

20/05/2026

When do you think is the best time of the year to camp at the Grampians? I’d love to hear? but also I would like to know why?
For me, I love late autumn and winter at Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland. Why? There are the most amazing moments with the light. For example, Monday morning – 18th May 2026, all of a sudden, the sun broke through the clouds. I knew what was likely to happen so got myself out into our Redman Bluff Wetlands, and these photos show the magic that followed. It was such a beautiful day.
- Story, photos and Video by Aidan Banfield of Grampians Paradise

09/05/2026

Where are the Emus at Grampians Paradise Camping and Caravan Parkland?
For the first time in 10 years we have had a year with no ‘visiting Emus’ coming into our camping ground. What’s happened? Well, I think we have lost Emie, our family friend. When things were quiet in the camping ground during the warmer months, she would visit. She was shy, avoiding people, but also knew where she wanted to get to. She knew when the fruits ripened, when the cape w**d seed was ready and would jump up to pick the pears off the tree…
But in December 2024 bush fire ripped through the Grampians National Park, and part of our Redman Farm. Whilst we were able to keep the camping ground safe, I had no way to tell the native creatures to stay within the camping ground where it would be safe… Some did, including part of the Grampians Paradise Kangaroo Mob.
Emie and our Redman Farm Emu flock fled. For a time, we had no emus. As the months went by some started to return, and by the end of 2025, the wild flock was back up to about three quarters of the pre-fire numbers. But we never saw Emie again. Our whole family misses her, so it was with great happiness when part of the resident flock visited the edge of our Redman Bluff Wetlands while I was out filming the sunset behind the cliffs of Little Redman. They were curious and came close, but as always are a little shy so kept a safe distance away. It was great to say hello to them before they headed back off down the paddocks.
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So when did this start: While we have had emus on the property since somewhere around 2000, it was in 2014 when sightings became regular. In the summer and autumn of 2014, a Dad Emu brought his 8 “teenage chicks” into the camping ground at least 7 times. One of these early years, the emu parade was almost a daily event. From then on, Emus have been part of the ecosystem that surrounds Grampians Paradise and the history includes multiple sighting of teenage chick clutches. But it was Emie who was the one that represented the Emus within the grounds of Grampians Paradise, and sadly she is now gone. Emie, if you are no more, rest in peace, and I hope you are up in the sky in the Milky Way looking down on Grampians Paradise with a full belly.
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Story, photos and video by Aidan Banfield

Address

443 Long Gully Road
Pomonal, VIC
3381

Telephone

+61353566309

Website

http://www.grampiansparadise.com.au/, https://online.rezexpert.com/book?business_code=500410

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