Things to do in Penshurst, Victoria: Mount Rouse and other attractions

The best things to do in Penshurst, Victoria, include the Mount Rouse Lookout, Volcanoes Discovery Centre and Yatmerone Reserve.

Penshurst, Victoria, is at the southern end of the Grampians region, just to the south of Dunkeld. This isn’t the part of the Grampians that most visitors bother with – they tend to target Halls Gap instead. But if you’re doing a loop from Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians, you’ll probably pass through Penshurst. This volcano-dotted Victorian town is just to the north of Warrnambool, Koroit and Port Fairy.

Things to do in Penshurst, Victoria: Mount Rouse

Top of the list of things to do in Penshurst, Victoria, is visiting Mount Rouse. This extinct Australian volcano rises 100 metres above the surrounding lava plain, most of which is now covered by fields.

There’s one main scoria cone, where the lookout is, and a small, circular crater lake at the southern end of Mount Rouse.

Mount Rouse Lookout

Both the Mount Rouse Lookout and Crater Lake can be accessed via short walks from the car park. The Mount Rouse Tourist Road essentially crosses the volcano from south to north.

Before you go clambering up the Penshurst volcano, however, it’s worth getting an idea of what you’re looking at.

Things to do in Penshurst, Victoria: Volcanoes Discovery Centre

The Volcanoes Discovery Centre in Penshurst, Victoria, explains how this vast lava plain came into being. It aims to take visitors back thousands of years, to a time when volcanoes regularly erupted from here to the South Australian border. There’s a video simulation of Mount Rouse erupting, and there are efforts to explain the connections of the local Koorie Aboriginal people to the volcanoes. The Volcanoes Discovery Centre is open on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The other main attraction in Penshurst is the Yatmerone Reserve. This wetland area is a good spot for birdwatching – there’s a bird hide a short way along the Yatmerone Reserve’s main walking trail.

Wetlands gardens in Penshurst, Victoria — The wetlands gardens in Penshurst, Victoria. Photo courtesy of Visit Victoria.

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