The Grampians is a popular national park to visit, roughly three hours from Melbourne.
It's a large park meaning you would have to drive from one spot to another. If you have more than a day here are some ideas of what to do whilst you're there!
1. Mackenzie Falls
Probably the most popular and spectacular falls in the Grampians, this place exceeded expectations.
Mackenzie Falls
Waterfalls in Melbourne are often quite disappointing, a gentle trickle, but with the strong rush of water you could feel the wind blowing the water into your face at points.
Enjoying the tranquility
It's so peaceful that it is easy to sit there and get lost in the beauty of the view. The walk involves many stairs going down - which is fine, but keep in mind you will need to go up them on the way back and it will be harder.
Bird's eye of visitors at Mackenzie Falls
We visited during the Easter long weekend, so it was quite busy. There was even an icecream stand, sausage sizzle and coffee van at the entrance!
2. Fish FallsFrom the base of Mackenzie Falls, there is also an option to go off on another track to Fish Falls.
Simple views
With some time to spare we decided to give it a shot. The walk was a nice way to get a bit of exercise and enjoy the nature along the way.
An easy and peaceful trail
The falls itself are quite small and rocky. It was nice but not as magnificent as Mackenzie Falls. This journey was more about the peaceful walk and taking in the park's simple beauties.
Fish Falls
Heading back the way we came
As we stayed in Halls Gap overnight, we wanted to find somewhere to watch the sunrise.
A misty start
After some research we decided on Boroka Lookout, only about a 10-15 minute drive from Halls Gap (the main town just before the entrance to the Grampians).
When we got there we could not see a single thing. Mist, cloud, fog - all those things but nothing else. We were doubtful the sun would make a magical appearance.
Enjoying the views
Fortunately we stuck it out, since we had woken up quite early for this. And lucky we did, because as the sun broke through the clouds, it cast a spectacular golden light onto the valley and mountains below.
Beautiful mountains
It almost felt like it was straight out of a commercial. We watched the sun rise and the light become brighter and more magical with every second - it was definitely worth getting up early for!
4. The Pinnacle
The most popular hike in the park, this will take you 2-2.5 hours minimum to complete.
Grand Canyon Loop
We started from the Wonderland Carpark and decided to take the Grand Canyon loop to the side of the track. As beautiful as it was, it was extremely rocky and involved a lot of concentration.
In fact we found the whole walk to the top like this as it began to rain and everything was extra slippery.
Scrambling to the top
It was not difficult in the sense of physical ability, but just challenged your attention to detail as you tried not to slip. It got even harder at the top because a lot of the rock surfaces were flat, so you needed to find nooks and crannies to give your feet a grip.
View from the top
The view from above was amazing, but a bit eerie from the cloudy and wet weather. When you get towards the top there are two tracks you can take, and we had chosen the shorter route.
Upon asking some people, it sounded like the longer route was less rocky and had more of a dirt walking trail, so we decided to take that way back.
Living on the edge
This information seemed accurate and we found it much less stressful. There were still rocks to scramble past, but less than the other way.
We were quite proud to have completed this one in the rain!
5. Camp/Glamp
If you decide to take a day trip here, that's six hours of driving. A better alternative is to stay overnight.
We stayed at Halls Gap Caravan Park, which is an extremely convenient spot. It's not far from the driving entrance to the Grampians, but is also located across all the town shops and cafes.
Setting up the tent
We brought a tent for the night and set it up next to our car. The park was not all too chilly during the day, but as night came, it became quite icy.
You could also see many kangaroos and wildlife coming through the camp site!
Our tent!
If you're wondering what "glamping" is, it's a term referring to camping whilst still having access to main facilities. We fortunately had access to a communal kitchen, toilets and showers for the night. It's not real-in-the-woods camping, but it's great for people who don't camp often or haven't done it before!
What other places do you enjoy visiting in the Grampians?
