The Grampians

With the Tasmania adventure over it was time to get back to work – well, my partner had to fly back to work while I still had a few days left to explore.

After a quick visit to Sydney by plane – I had to renew my passport at the Swiss Embassy – I got ready to explore the Grampians on the way back to Adelaide.

It was my first visit of the Grampians, and I was very impressed of the beauty; a bit sad it was mid-summer and most waterfalls bone dry.

The first afternoon I spent exploring the Central Grampians and the Wonderland. I drove to Mackenzie Falls from where you can do several walks – short and some longer ones. I went to the lookout and then hiked down to the actual falls. I followed the Mackenzie River for a bit but didn’t walk all the way to Zumsteins. It looks like a beautiful easy walk doable with little kids too.

Further down the road I stopped at the Balconies and the Boroka Lookout before parking up at the Wonderland Carpark.

I did the walk to the Pinnacle via Grand Canyon. This hike feels much longer than the advertised 4.5km return – other hikers I spoke to, agree on that.

Absolutely recommend doing this walk, it takes you through canyons, along caves and interesting rock formations. It’s a constant incline but easy to walk with rock-steps wherever you need one. The Bridal Veil Falls are seasonal and dry when I was there. The Silent Street is pretty cool, you climb down into a narrow canyon and seem to be underground – you can see the sky all the time though.

At the end of the hike you get to a cliff end – The Pinnacle – from where you have a brilliant view over the surrounding flat land and neighbouring hills and forests. After a way faster pace back (all downhill 😉 ) it was time to head back to camp in Halls Gap.

More info about the Grampians Peaks Trail: Grampians Peaks Trail (parks.vic.gov.au)

The next morning, I parked right outside the caravan park near the school and walked the Chatauqua Peak Loop. The hike takes you past the Bullaces Glen before you reach the saddle track junction. From there you scramble, climb and walk on the ridge of the mountain, out to the peak. The view up there is breathtaking.

You have to get back to the saddle track junction and then the walk takes you down the other side of the hill, past the Clematis Falls (seasonal and dry as well) back to Halls Gap.

From the same car park I walked to Venus Baths – a very beautiful spot with pools and rocks to lie in the sun. In spring when there is more water, it will be a dream spot for a lazy afternoon. Perfect for families with little kids too, as the walk is flat and not too long and very rewarding with room between the rocks and pools not to deep for the kids to roam free.

After lunch I drove north towards the highway. I stopped at Lake Lonsdale for a look – it was the only free camp that was open after the fires, there are plenty more they will re-open as soon as they are cleared. From there I made my way to Roses Gap and did the Beehive Falls walk. It’s only a 1.5km and the falls were not flowing. You can imagine them though, they must be incredible in spring after the winter rain. The walk is nice and the climb past the falls is literally vertical but interesting with fossils in the boulders and lots of lizards. It looked like you can continue on, but will involve a lot of rock climbing.

From Roses Gap start two other, longer hikes: Briggs Bluff 6.5km and Mt Difficult 9km.

Further north, I climbed Mt Zero – 2.5km return with a steady incline and some scrambling up the hill with a few confusing waypoints. The view from the top is rewarding and you can see that far that I decided against climbing another of the shorter walks as I wouldn’t get to see much more. There are plenty of hiking opportunities from this car park, see the map in the photos.

Ackle Bend, a free camp south of Dimboola, near the Little Desert National Park, was my home for the night. I got a spot right on the river and had it all to myself.

The following day I drove all the way to Adelaide, where I collected our caravan at my partners sister and settled in at Moana Beach Caravan Park. Moana is a nice spot, its about 30min drive from the city centre but has lots of suburbs close by. It is right on the beach, and you can see the sun setting over the water. There is a walk/cycle path that takes you along the Esplanade – I only rode to Christies Beach but you can continue further on from there.

On the weekend aunt and uncle of my partner took me to Belair National Park after lunch.  Belair National Park is situated in the Adelaide Hills and South Australia’s oldest (second oldest in whole Australia) National Park, established in 1891.

It is a popular picnic spot since over 100 years. That’s the reason the railway goes through the National Park. Back in the day there was a stop in the national park where people from down in the city could get off for the Sunday picnic. Nowadays the train doesn’t stop in the National Park anymore, but the railway is still used. Probably the only National Park I’ve ever seen having a railway right through it.

There is also the Old Government House, built as a summer residence in 1860. Further along I got to walk through the Echo Tunnel, which was built to let the creek run under the railway when there was a lot of rain. Today it is used by hikers when the creek is dry and leads to two waterfalls. For me it’s hard to imagine that there would be water running through the tunnel or waterfalls going, it was so dry that day that every wind gust blew dust all over the place.

The following weekend I caught up with my partners sister and we had a girls night out at the Ivybrook winery. Sitting on the lawn, listening to the tunes of a solo performer, and sharing a pizza. Absolutely fantastic.

The next day she showed me the coastline of Adelaide and then we went to explore Port Elliot which I haven’t visited before. We went for a stroll along the shore. The Harbourmasters walking trail starts at a park where there are some historical remains on display. One was the Harbour Masters Cottage – the Harbour Master was responsible for ship movement in the harbour from 1852 to 1861, Port Elliots port was closed in 1864.

After a family dinner when my partner was back, the two of us took off to explore Yorke Peninsula.

Explored in Feb 2025, written April 2025