Just
a 3-hour drive from Melbourne,
you’ll find heaps of outdoor activities like bush walking and hiking as well as
beautiful waterfalls, panoramic lookouts and cute wildlife nestled in the heart
of the Grampians.
The Pinnacle
One
of the park’s most popular treks is to the top of The Pinnacle, which starts at
the Wonderland carpark. This lookout offers breathtaking views of Halls Gap and
the Grampians' many mountain peaks. You have to follow the yellowish arrows
painted on the steep rock slabs, which are easy to miss at times so we got
“lost” more than once.
As
you get closer to the top, you hike through a gorge known as the Grand Canyon
with cliffs rising 20 metets tall on either side of the track. Another tricky
stretch is called Silent Street, a narrow path between the rocks which is
barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through. Once you reach the top,
you’ll be rewarded with commanding views over the valley and Halls Gap below.
Plan on about 90 minutes to 2 hours.
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| Living on the edge in the Grampians! |
Boroka Lookout
From
the Wonderland carpark, we drove along Mt Difficult Road to another stunning
lookout in the Grampians – Boroka Lookout. After a short walk from the carpark
to the lookout platform, you’ll be greeted with lovely 180-degree views of
Western Victoria looking out over the Grampians and Lake Bellfield.
MacKenzie Falls
Next,
we stopped at MacKenzie Falls, noted as one of the largest and most spectacular
waterfalls in the Victoria region. To see the falls, you can take the easy, 1-km
path to the viewing platform at the Bluff (which is wheelchair accessible) or
the steep trail which involves like 200 steps to the base of the waterfall.
Guess which route we took.
Sitting
near the falls so we could feel the fine mist of water to cool down, we enjoyed
a picnic lunch. NOTE: Swimming is not allowed in the falls.
Broken Falls
After
visiting MacKenzie Falls, take a slight detour before the carpark to see Broken
Falls. This small lookout sits on the edge of a gorge and provides a sweeping
view of the MacKenzie River as it flows over the Broken Falls.
After
the falls, we continued driving on Mt Victory Road to reach the Reed Lookout
carpark. It’s a short stroll from here to the lookout point for views of
Victoria Valley. You’ll also find a lot of bizarre rock balancing formations around
here. Does anyone know the symbolism of this act?
The Balconies
About
walking about 2km past Reed Lookout through some forested areas, you’ll find a
fantastic place to watch the sun set in the Grampians. Although the path
leading out to the Balconies was closed off during our visit, hubby climbed
over the fence to reach the outcrop of stacked rocks. We had just watched
another hiker do the same thing so we figured why not. I stood back and took
photos.
Sundial Peak
Our
last hike of the day was at Sundial Peak, which offers sweeping views over Lake
Bellfield and Halls Gap. According to local history, early Europeans in the
area used the peak to tell the time so you’ll find a stone sundial on top. This
hike is a moderately easy 4.2km return, and you should allow 1-1.5 hours. I
enjoyed sitting on the edge here and having a granola bar for an afternoon
snack. Hiking is tough work!
You’ll
also find many spring wildflowers blooming here from October to November.
Lake Bellfield
About
4km south of Halls Gap, Lake Bellfield is a popular local lake for fly-fishing.
We stopped by the lake to check it out, but the section we saw looked more like
the perfect place to hide a dead body instead of fishing. Plus, the area was
eerily quiet!
Look for Awesome Australian animals
According
to the Victoria Parks website, the
Grampians is home to some awesome Australian animals such as more than 85 birds, 23 reptiles, 22 mammals and
nine frog species. And that’s just in the wild! You also can check out the
Halls Gap Zoo to see more wildlife. During our weekend visit, we saw two
dingoes, a handful of deer, heaps of kangaroos, cockatoos, fairy wrens, kookaburras,
some lizards and one echidna in the wild.
Visit Historic Wineries
About
30 minutes east of Halls Gap, the tiny village of Great Western is home to two
of Australia’s oldest wineries – SeppeltGreat Western Winery and Best’s GreatWestern Winery. Both wineries were established by the Best brothers, Henry
and Joseph, in the 1860s. Henry’s vineyard, originally called Concongella, is
still known as Best’s, but has been owned by the local Thomson family since the
1920s. Joseph Best’s winery was known simply as Great Western and became part
of the Seppelt Company (originally started in the Barossa Valley) in 1918.
If
you do the cellar door tour at Seppelt’s, don’t miss the 3km-long tunnels which
were dug by the local miners in the late 1800s and completed in 1932. The
tunnels are home to the storage of hundreds of old, dusty wine bottles. I would
have loved to sample one of these historic bottles!
Both
wineries are known for their amazing shiraz and dry, sparkling shiraz wines.
Drinking a sparkling red is an Aussie Christmas tradition and one that we were
happy to enjoy in December!
So
whether you enjoy the great outdoors like we do or simply like strolling
through small towns, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy in the Grampians
region!
Have you been to the Grampians? What do
you enjoy most about hiking?
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Once
you arrive in Kadıköy, you can enjoy a pleasant walk along the Bosphorus
shoreline or head straight to the pedestrian-friendly market area. Guess where
I usually ended up?
