the grampians- part 1

john at the pinnacle- wonderland loop

the grampians are a mountain range in the western part of victoria (our 3^rd state!), which are very popular amongst rock climbers, absailers and outdoor enthusiasts (such as ourselves). we made our way here directly from mt gambier, got some maps and started planning.

we were warned about the weather- it was getting hotter. the first time in 3 weeks that we’d have actual australian-hot summer weather and it has to be when we head into the mountains. ugh. what, you say? doesn’t the weather get cooler in the mountains? alas, ‘tis not so in australia (not so far, anyhow). generally if it’s 38 degrees in the city, it’s going to be something like 43 in the mountains. again, ugh.

mackenzies falls

we woke early and started our day at mackenzies falls. we took the trail to the lookout point and spotted a small kangaroo (a mountain kangaroo i think!). the falls were nice to look at, but we wanted to get closer. so down we went to the base of the falls. i think they must have had an “incident” at the falls at some point, because there is a lot of signage for the 2nd walk (to the base) implying that it is “steep and strenuous and you may have difficulty getting back up”. it’s only about 250 steps, with a few flat bits. i’m assuming someone made it down and was buggered trying to get back up. i think it puts a lot of people off explore the base of the falls, which is unfortunate because the view from the bottom is stunning.

we then went off to start our first proper hike in the grampians- the wonderland loop. we did the circuit a bit differently then everyone else, starting at the halfway point, and looping around. In hindsight, it was a good decision, because the way we went down was significantly more intense then the way we went up.  

grand canyon

we started our hike by heading through the grand canyon (and we didn’t even have to teleport to nevada…) before making our way to the pinnacle- a rocky outcrop at the top of the mountain. the views from the pinnacle were amazing- you could see for miles! thankfully there was a guardrail at the peak, because the wind had picked up and i’m certain i would’ve blown away. we then meandered down the ridge of the mountain. the weather had certainly picked up by then and we were freakin’ hot! luckily, the venus baths were our next stop point. stripping down, we jumped into the lovely rock pools, (with a bit of a yelp. the water was cold!), with a dozen other hikers doing the same thing. after the refreshing dip, we started our way back via the stittering falls- a small waterfall but accessible for wetting ones head (as john did) before finally returning to betty, waiting patiently in the carpark.

view from the pinnacle

we became aware of the intensity of the heat when we got back to Betty. there was a note from the park rangers, stuck to the windshield of all the cars, stating the “this car is parked in a fire risk area. driver has been warned” (at first we were glad it wasn't a ticket. then we weren't glad at all. bush fire = worse then parking ticket!). the heat and high winds that had come up so suddenly placed the grampians on total fire ban- a shame really, because this is the first area that has campsites with fire pits.

we walked back over to the venus baths at the end of the day to cool off before we settled into a campsite for the night. we rang in the New Year rather early (i was tired) and unremarkably. some very drunk (bogans) across from us insisted on playing their (crappy) music incredibly loudly which was rather annoying. but it settled shortly after midnight, thankfully.

happy new year!

xo