The Hopkins Falls at Wangoom, near Warrnambool

CAPTION: The Hopkins is typical of the rivers of south western Victoria, falling from the Grampians to the sea, heavily used for pasture and stock irrigation throughout its length and regularly subject to low flows and supply restrictions during dry summers. In its lower reaches it flows through endless stretches of featureless farmland but, north east of its eventual mouth on the eastern edge of Warrnambool, the river is broken at Wangoom by a single fall over hard basalt rocks, some 10 m high. The result is a spectacle of great natural beauty and a popular destination for tourists venturing away from Warrnambool's beaches and other amusements.