Little Desert National Park
Little Desert National Park
4.5
About
Little Desert National Park is more than a desert. Camp beside the Barringgi Gadyin, and enjoy bushwalks, birdwatching or four-wheel driving. The park has a number of marked, signposted walks, ranging from 30 minutes to three days duration. The best time to visit the park is between late winter and early summer when the temperatures are comfortable and the park is full of blossoms and wildflowers. The range of soil types in Little Desert National Park causes marked differences in vegetation. Many species of plants and animals have succeeded, on poor soils with little water, in creating a kind of arid landscape where survival depends on maintaining a delicate balance of natural forces.
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4.5
24 reviews
Excellent
12
Very good
9
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0
robynkiddell23
Melbourne, Australia109 contributions
Apr 2022
First time visiting this National Park. We certainly enjoyed the many walking tracks. Well marked and ample information flyers available to take with you while walking. Will return to do further walks in the future.
Written 27 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jean G
Melbourne, Australia130 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
Recently on a road trip back from Adelaide, we stopped at Horsham for the night. With plenty of time to spare we went to the Little Desert National Park where I hoped to see the rare and elusive Mallee Fowl. My friend told me I had no chance.
We took a short one kilometre walk through the bush, which showed different types of vegetation native to the area, and as we were finishing the walk, a Mallee Fowl walked across the path in front of us, and into the bush. Talk about luck! That really made my day.
We took a short one kilometre walk through the bush, which showed different types of vegetation native to the area, and as we were finishing the walk, a Mallee Fowl walked across the path in front of us, and into the bush. Talk about luck! That really made my day.
Written 30 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hypnojen
Brunswick, Australia107 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
4x4 only. Little dessert (despite the flies!!!!) is beautiful at this time of year. I highly recommend a fly net and insect repellent tho. We saw emus, wallabies/kangaroos, Goannas, lizards and lots of birds. There had just been rain so the sand was quite firm and good for driving but unless you stick to the main highway you will definitely need a 4 wheel drive.
Written 5 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hayesx2
Australia26 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
Bit hard to get maps of the walking trails and nothing very well signposted. With no visitor center in the town you really need to just rely on google!
Written 29 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks so much for taking the time to review Little Desert National Park and for your feedback about the walks. Safety of our visitors is extremely important to us, so please be assured this feedback will be passed along to the relevant teams to improve both our website and in park signage.
Thanks,
Parks Victoria
Written 31 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Leo R
Melbourne, Australia519 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
As the name says its truly a little desert. But not dead. We saw drill neck lizards and much more. Stay on the track or you will get bogged.
Written 7 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CACatgrrrl
Pasadena, CA32 contributions
Nov 2017 • Friends
We camped a night at Ackle Bend and birded the next day. In a morning's birding we saw around 30 different species, including emus. The landscape I found to be quite beautiful with its varied drought-tolerant plant species.
Written 17 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anita T
Forster, Australia12,693 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
We camped in our caravan at Kiata Campground for two night while we explored the Little Desert National Park. It is worth noting that camping at Kiata is free whereas if you stay at Horseshoe Bend or Ackle Bend you have to pay the national park camping fee.
Kiata campground is really big with two sets of toilets, undercover picnic tables and a water tank. A lot of the walks start from Kiata. One evening we walked The Red Gum Circuit if 2.6km. It is a lovely walk. We saw lots of wallabies and a flock of about 30 emus which took off on our approach.
The 4WDriving is amazing in this national park. It is a sandy dessert so you need to put down your tyre pressure to avoid getting bogged. We drove down to the pretty Salt Lake and Eagle Swamp. It is interesting the way the vegetation changes as you drive along depending on soil type and probably availability of water. A beautiful desert to explore.
Kiata campground is really big with two sets of toilets, undercover picnic tables and a water tank. A lot of the walks start from Kiata. One evening we walked The Red Gum Circuit if 2.6km. It is a lovely walk. We saw lots of wallabies and a flock of about 30 emus which took off on our approach.
The 4WDriving is amazing in this national park. It is a sandy dessert so you need to put down your tyre pressure to avoid getting bogged. We drove down to the pretty Salt Lake and Eagle Swamp. It is interesting the way the vegetation changes as you drive along depending on soil type and probably availability of water. A beautiful desert to explore.
Written 8 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie P
Narre Warren, Australia413 contributions
Sept 2019 • Couples
We went about 4pm and so much wildlife. Emus, kangaroos and wallabies. Lots of birds as well. We did thr main discovery track, the river track and stringybark track. Sadly not many wildflowers yet. We also visited about 8am next morning, not as much activity, but still a great spot.
Written 7 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GetLostProject
68 contributions
June 2017 • Couples
We spent there 3 days driving around from East to West. Well its sandy so only 4WD can do it easily. What a pleasant drive and what a nice nature! Its changing every few kilometers from forest, to desert and then again forest! Few nice and free camping spots within the park with bbqs and toilets! Worth visitng for outdoor experience!
Written 26 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EndlessTravels
Greater Melbourne, Australia38,571 contributions
Mar 2017 • Solo
great training ground for longer 4WD trips. plenty of camping grounds that allow you to get away from it all. Also features quite a few short walks for the day visitor. popular place for longer hikes. has a lot of great wildflowers and birdlife. the park goes all the way from dimboola (where you can camp at horseshoe bend on the river) to the SA border. fabulous part of country that some people find boring but others find beautiful and serene
Written 2 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Principal S
Yarraville, Australia
Can you take a small off road hybrid caravan along the border track? It will be towed by a landcruiser.
Written 11 October 2020
Hi, planning a road trip towards the end of November with my eldest daughter. My family were from Dimboola! Want to show my daughter her roots! We would like to visit The Little Desert National park for flora and fauna! Best way to approach this if we dint have a 4 Wheel Drive? Many thanks, Di
Written 21 September 2017
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