Wannon Falls

Wannon Falls is a 15-metre cascade waterfall on the Wannon River in the Wannon Falls Reserve, near the locality of Wannon, about 19 kilometres west of Hamilton in Victoria's Southern Grampians Shire. Formed where the river plunges over a basalt lava cliff, it is notable for its wide curtain, hexagonal basalt columns and seasonal flow variation. The reserve offers viewing platforms, picnic facilities and short walks in a rural volcanic landscape.

Visitors can expect a wide waterfall plunging over a basalt cliff into a plunge pool, viewed from fenced lookouts above and below the falls. The reserve is set in open rural parkland with scattered eucalypts, picnic lawns and short walking tracks linking viewpoints. Facilities include car parking, picnic tables and toilets. The flow is highly seasonal, most impressive in winter and spring after rain, and can be reduced to a trickle in summer.

The falls were formed by basalt lava flows from volcanic activity that created a hard cap over softer sediments, later eroded by the Wannon River. The area was documented by Major Thomas Mitchell during his 1836 expedition through western Victoria. The reserve has long been a local recreation and scenic reserve managed by Southern Grampians Shire.

The falls lie on the traditional lands of the Gunditjmara people of western Victoria. The Wannon River and surrounding volcanic plains hold cultural significance as part of Country with long-standing Aboriginal connection to land and waterways.