TripRoundUnder

As a south Australian, I feel almost obligated to talk rubbish about Victoria, but… I’ve got to say, the Grampians are pretty amazing! 

After consulting wiki camps (feel free to sponsor us), we found a free camp called Plantation Campground, located about 5km out of halls gap. For a free camp in/around a national park, this was pretty good with a bush shower being a nice although slightly cold surprise! This really felt like the proper beginning of our trip as we were now fully self sufficient and found our own spot for the night. It was a good feeling and besides some buzzy Fs (flies), things were off to a good start. 

The next day after a cheeky little ice cream in Halls Gap, we got the rundown on good hiking trails and set off on a drive to firstly check out Boroka lookout which gave a cracking view of the north Grampians and surrounding area. We then drove further in and parked at Zumsteins carpark and got ready for a walk. We had been told that Fish Falls had guaranteed water and was stunning to see and swim in and that the slightly more popular McKenzie Falls, although beautiful, was not a place to go and swim, as the locals feel it is too dangerous. Fish falls indeed was a great first adventure for Steve as he went on a swimming and climbing mission to get the most out of the falls, much to Laurens slight questioning! No fish were seen however, so unsure about the accuracy of the name. After a good dip and some slight worry about chafing, we walked the 2km upstream to McKenzie Falls. Lauren proceeded to keep Steve on edge by pretending there were snakes in front, much to his displeasure. She claims this is to prepare for the real thing. He disagrees. Can you tell who is writing this? McKenzie Falls were also stunning and very much worth the walk.

Our second day held in store the slightly more serious Pinnacle Peak loop walk and we were ready and raring. We decided to take the lesser taken approach and go on the right side of the map below on the way up instead of the more common left side first. We recommend this as the other side would have been a pretty steep challenge on the way up and the views overlooking Halls Gal were pretty spectacular on our side. The view from the top was awe inspiring and well worth the pretty steep terrain with the jagged edges of the Grampians contrasting with the green flora being a great sight. We were glad the people weren’t lying when they were telling us that it was worth it! The trek back down was a little more treacherous and Steve’s ankles decided some rolling was in order. 

Overall, we wished we had more time to properly explore the Grampians and we will definitely be back!