We went hiking in the Grampians

The Grampions, this amazing spot in the middle of Victoria that so many people told us to stop by and check out. So we did. We departed Warrnambool in the morning and drove all the way to Halls Gap, driving along country roads in one go. Once we arrived it was midday, we stopped into the visitors center to find out what we could do whilst there and then went to lunch. And lunch was in fact us unloading a large amount of our car into the park, including our cooker, and cooking up a delicious feast. It was really hot that day so our delicious park feast didn’t last very long. We packed everything back into the car and headed for the free camping area we would stay that night.

On the way we stopped in at one of the hiking tracks, Picaninny, and decided to give it a go. We lathered up in sun cream and donned some hats, but we kept on our thongs (flip flops or slippers for those who have dirty minds) and Birkenstocks. Definitely taking hiking very seriously…

And really we should have taken the other hikers coming down in serious boots, and the amount of rocks and red dirt as a sign our shoes were maybe not the best choice. But they also weren’t the worst because we had no problems. Mostly just a bit of discomfort from the guys, after all thongs are just a bit of rubber, and for me well I was annoyed because my Birkenstocks got dirt in them. Problems these days right…

But back to the hike. What was supposed to be an hour return if I remember correctly, turned out to actually be at least an hour just up (we had Alex with us) and then slightly less than an hour down.

It was well worth it though. We were hot, a little sweaty and dusty but who cares when your in the bush right?!

As you can see the view over the Grampions was spectacular.

The climb down for all of us, especially my fiancé, was nice and quick. We then went in search of a few more lookouts, which again were pretty beautiful to see!

Afterwards off we went to our camp. We drove for quite some time down a dirt road, where we lost phone signal and all we knew was eventually we had to turn right at some point.

It was the afternoon so there was plenty of light, but still to begin with its not much to go on. Never the less I am just setting the story scene and we arrived fine.

The free caravan park was amazing and massive. There were two sections, we ended up entering the main one, driving in circles a few times till we found the best spot. We had shade from a tree for our table and chairs, as well as our roof top tent. And then there was some grass for Wouter to set up his tent. This campsite even had showers if you can believe it?! Now not normal showers but ones where you filled a bucket from the tap they had set up, hung it from a hook in a metal contraption and well from there you get the idea.

We never had the chance to actually try the showers out, simply because it was warm it was always in use. And don’t think we didn’t try, I drank so much water just to be able to visit the toilet often enough to see if the shower was free #committed. By the time I noticed it was a possibility, it was dark and a little cold given we were in the middle of nowhere, so a cold shower would not have been ideal. Baby wipes to the rescue, am I right?!

So no showers for us, but an amazing campgrounds where we played music, games and cooked a delicious meal from memory. Again definitely a nice introduction to bush/free camping for Wouter.

The next morning we were up quite early. You see it was a hiking day, which meant an early rise before the sun to ensure our gear was packed up before it got too hot or we got too warm and decided not to go.

Lucky enough we were quick in packing everything away, 6 months of it will do that to you. And whilst we were packing up a group of kangaroos decided to come say hi, jump through our area and then disappear. It was pretty cool!

The hike we were attempting that day was the Pinnacle. It was said it would take from 45 minutes to an hour to get up. We assumed we would be able to do it in just over an hour and so we set off to challenge ourselves.

Right away we were slightly taken by how steep it was. Essentially we were hiking on mountain side that didn’t have much of a side too it, or anywhere very flat. But not to worry, we slowly made our way up all together, bit by bit, yes asking most people we passed along the way how far it would be, but also stopping at iconic spots like Grand Canyon and Silent Street along the way. Yes these are spots on the hike that once you’ve seen them you would understand the names.

And even though we had started early that day, it was damn hot! And to think once we reached the top after just over an hour (YASSSSS) it was not even 8am….

But it was well worth it, after all it’s a pretty spectacular view and spot to take in the Grampians.

It was quite busy once we arrived at the lookout. They have this rock that juts out and rails have been placed along the edges so you can walk out and feel as if you hanging over the massive mountain you just climbed, over the valley. That sound super inviting to someone who is quite afraid of heights right?! Well Alex being the amazing man he is, convinced me that I needed to just come out there, even for a minute to see the view. So I did it, the view was amazing, but once we took our picture, well I was back on slight ‘safer’ ground to me capture from other angles.

After a short admiring view we set off back down the hill.

Once we reached the bottom and our car it was around 9 and when we calculated our time, it had only taken us just over 2 hours. Woohoo to us!

But now what, after all we were kinda exhausted…

Well why not drive to another iconic spot and check it out. MacKenzie Falls was our next stop. By this time of day it was even hotter and the places had gotten busier. But we hiked down the 200 something steps down to a stunning waterfall. And in the heat it seemed to be the best place to be. People were swimming, even though there were ‘do not swim’ signs and enjoying themselves a lot. If we’d known we would have joined, but instead be cooled off by just watching the waterfall.

And then we climbed up all those stairs again. Wouter and I gave Alex a good 5 minute head start. We caught up to him pretty quick, but also we are strange and enjoy climbing uphill so it’s ok my love.

Once at the top we wondered what we should do for the rest of the day. We had seen all the places we’d been informed about and it was what 10am maybe…

Well there is only one thing to do, drive to another location on your roadtrip journey. And in our case drive a little further and then you will arrive at Hahndorf just outside of Adelaide.

Yay a long drive ahead. Definitely good music was heard and we made quite a few stops on the way, including the VIC/SA border. However I was not jumping for joy (although literally I did jump for a photo…) as expected when crossing a border, especially since it would be our last state to visit. We had not realised that SA was also quite strict on fruit and veg, and as such we still had groceries for a few days in our fridge, very fresh stuff at that.

Reluctantly we emptied the fridge of all the veggies, me attempting to eat a whole capsicum and box of tomatoes whilst doing it. And then we posed for pictures at the sign, because well what do you do when your silly enough to not consider this. And to also pack enough food for the drive to Adelaide, but not actually be able to take it. We learnt our lesson……

As you can see my Alex was not so bothered about throwing away the veggies as much as I was.

Advertisement