Grampians National Park

The Grampians National park is located in the Grampians region of Victoria, 260 km west of Melbourne.

I have visited the park mid September, just after a larger rainfall in the region. I have joined a tour organised by Newbies International. They cater to the backpacker market (age group 18-35) and offer various bus tours. In comparison to Aussie Escapades (I wrote about them in my previous post about the Great Ocean Road) the size of the group is bigger (bus vs van) and the atmosphere is thus slightly different.

Our first stop was at the Lake Bellfield which is the largest water infrastructure in Australia. It is serving as water storage of the area.

From here you can take in panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.

Our next stop was Halls Gap where we were able to observe freely roaming kangaroos.

We continued our journey towards Zumsteins Picnic Area which is located on the banks of the MacKenzie River.

One of the most popular attractions in the area are MacKenzie Falls. The Falls are one of the largest and most popular waterfalls in the Grampians.

Sadly, due to the massive downpour in the previous days, we were unable to go all the way to the bottom of the falls due to the overflow of the water. We were, however, able to see the top of them.

If you look close enough, you can spot the stairs leading all the way to the bottom (and a couple of people who jumped the fence and took the path down anyway).

Short walk away from the MacKenzie Falls you can also observe Broken Falls.

"How many today Jack?"

A man called Peter used to run a kiosk on this exact spot. He would shout "How many today Jack?" across the gorge and the bus driver would yell back the number of visitors he had on board. When the tourist arrived at the lookout spot there was enough tea waiting for them.

Grampians is definitely a great place for everyone who enjoys nature and hiking.

Jaws Of Death

You can choose between one day or multiple day trails.

If you like nature, hiking or beautiful views the Grampians is definitely something you should put on your list of things to do in Victoria. I would just advise to check the weather forecast first and plan accordingly. ;)