Climbing, abseiling, kayaking, mountain biking, bushwalking, Nick Squires shows why Victoria’s Grampians mountain range isn’t just a pretty face.

With its serrated ridges, blanket of bushland and spectacular rock formations, Victoria’s Grampians is the ideal outdoor adventure playground. This enormous national park covers 167,000 hectares and is a three-hour drive from Melbourne. It caters for everyone, from leisurely sightseers to the most extreme adrenaline junkies. You can walk, climb, abseil or mountain bike ride to your heart’s content. Hike for days in remote ranges, or take a 10-minute stroll to a cliff-top lookout.

There are also wineries, galleries and a growing number of smart, well-designed guesthouses if you’re looking for something less adventurous.

Named after a Scottish range of hills by the explorer Thomas Mitchell in 1836, the 400-million-year-old mountains rise up dramatically from the surrounding Wimmera Plain like a giant natural fortress. “A noble range of mountains, presenting as bold and picturesque an outline as every painter imagined,” Mitchell wrote admiringly.

The Grampians are also a showcase for Australian wildlife. The area is home to kangaroos, koalas, emus and a huge range of birdlife. The landscape is as varied as the fauna: while the north is dry and arid, the south is wetter and greener. Within a few kilometres, you can go from wind-scoured alpine heathland to moist fern gullies, stringy-bark forest or sandstone boulder country. In spring and summer, the region is renowned for its wild flowers.

Climbing and abseiling

The Grampians are rated as one of the top rock climbing areas on the planet, with about 7,000 individual climbing routes. Climbers come from all over the world to tackle challenging cliff faces, giant boulders and sandstone pinnacles.

One of the most popular climbs is Hollow Mountain in the north-east of the park. A huge natural amphitheatre with walls streaked in black and orange tiger stripes, it offers climbs of varying difficulty from those for first-timers to some of the hardest in Australia.
You don’t need any prior experience to attempt some of the easier climbs. “We’ve had four-year-olds and 84-year-olds,” says Jonno Almond, from Grampians Adventure Services. “It pushes people’s comfort zones and teaches them trust in themselves, in the equipment and in other people.”

Once you’ve reached the top, you can abseil back down again – some of the abseils are more than 40 metres high. It sounds terrifying but it is entirely safe

“In 16 years we’ve taken thousands of people climbing and abseiling and the worst injury we’ve had is a bruised shin,” said Jonno. “The most dangerous part of rock climbing is the drive to the mountain.”

Grampians Adventure Services offers full- and half-day climbing trips, including the popular Zero to Hero course. For details call (03) 5356 4556.

Bushwalking

A dazzling array of well-marked bush trails covering more than 100 kilometres crisscross the Grampians. The most popular and accessible area is around Halls Gap, with several bushwalks branching off into the surrounding Mt Difficult and Wonderland Ranges.

From the Halls Gap campsite you can hike to Mackeys Peak (1km), Venus Baths (2km) or The Pinnacle (10km), one of the Grampians’ most popular lookouts. From the car park at Reed Lookout, there is a short walk to the Grampians’ most famous natural feature: the twin jaws of the Balconies.

Another popular walk takes you down 255 steps to Mackenzie Falls, where white water thunders down a slick black rock face into a deep pool surrounded by lush ferns. From here the walk along the river to Zumstein is 3.5 kilometres. For the reasonably fit, there is a spectacular 3.5-kilometre walk to Mount William, the highest point in the park, that starts from the Mount William Road car park.
4WD ecotours

If seeing the Grampians on foot seems a bit too strenuous, a tour by four-wheel drive is the next best thing. Grampians Personalised Tours and Adventures, based in Halls Gap, run specialised tours that can take you off the beaten track and deep into the heart of the national park to reveal some of its less well-known areas. But this is no bush-bashing safari. Owner and guide Noel Nicholls emphasises a careful approach with minimal impact on the environment. Noel, who formerly spent nearly a decade in the RAAF as a weapons system expert, knows the Grampians intimately.
“There are drives and walks here to keep you busy for weeks,” he says. “There’s a wonderful spiritual element to the Grampians. You can sit on a rock and almost feel the energy coming into your body. It helps people unwind.”

Depending on the time of year, a typical half-day trip might take visitors on dirt roads down into the Victoria Valley, past Wallaby Rocks, Moora wetlands and Burrong Falls and return through rocky slope known as the Elephant’s Hide.

Noel also takes visitors on night-time spotlighting trips in the bush, pointing out rarely seen native creatures like an owl, sugar glider, feather-tailed glider.

Grampians Personalised Tours and Adventures runs full-day and half-day tours. Phone: (03) 5356 4654

Kayaking

Paddling a kayak or canoe is one of the best ways to experience the peace and solitude of the Grampians. The placid waters of the region’s three big lakes – Bellfield, Wartook and Moora Moora – are suitable for novice and experienced kayakers alike.

Gently paddling close to the shore enables you to observe the region’s array of animals and birds in their natural habitat.
Adventure companies based in Halls Gap offer instruction for beginners and the trips last from one hour to a whole day. If you don’t mind getting wet, they will teach you how to do an “Eskimo roll” – capsizing and flipping the kayak upright with a deft flick of the paddle.

Mountain biking

Boulder-strewn tracks, stream crossings and dirt roads provide some of the best mountain-biking in Australia. If you’re into peddle power, bring your own bike, hire one in Halls Gap or take a tour. Guides can show you some of the best-kept secrets of the Grampians, from waterfalls to dramatic escarpments.

“We can take people on gentle two-hour rides on flat ground, or full-day trips where we cover up to 50 kilometres,” says Marty Schoo, from Grampians Adventure Services.

But if the thought of labouring up all those hills leaves you in a cold sweat, go for the downhill mountain biking tour. An adventure company will drive you to the top of the mountain and you can then cruise back down, with stops at cliff-top viewing points like Reed’s and Lakeview Lookouts.