What are the best things to do in the Grampians, Victoria?

The best things to do in the Grampians, Victoria, include visiting Silverband Falls, seeing Aboriginal rock art at the Ngamadjidj Shelter and hiking the Pinnacle Walk near Halls Gap.

The Grampians region, north-west of Melbourne in Victoria, is one of the most enjoyable places to explore in Australia. It offers a great combination of nature, culture and food and drink.

Grampians tours from Melbourne

It’s perfectly possible to do the Grampians as a day tour from Melbourne. Autopia Tours, for example, offers a Grampians day tour for $140. This trip includes the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the Balconies Lookout and Jaws of Death, plus either the Reeds or Boroka Lookout and MacKenzie Falls or Silverband Falls. There’s also guided bushwalking and wildlife encounters with kangaroos and emus.

That’s a pretty good highlights reel. But you’ll get much more out of the Grampians if you stay there and spend a couple of days exploring.

Things to do in the Grampians, Victoria: Halls Gap

There are several towns around the Grampians that can make a reasonable base, including Dunkeld, Stawell, Ararat, Horsham and Dadswell Bridge. But wildlife-packed Halls Gap is the prettiest option, within easy reach of many Grampians attractions.

The Melbourne to Halls Gap drive takes just under three hours. You can visit the Halls Gap Zoo while you’re here, but there are so many kangaroos bounding around in Halls Gap that this seems relatively pointless. The Grampians is one of the best places to see wildlife in Victoria.

Things to do in the Grampians: Venus Baths and Splitters Falls

Several Grampians attractions can be visited in an easy loop from Halls Gap. Head west along the Mount Victory Road, and you’ll pass the Halls Gap Botanical Gardens, Chatauqua Peak and the Venus Baths. The Venus Baths are a series of rock pools and rock slides in Stoney Creek. They’re hugely appealing on a sunny day, and easy to walk to.

A little further along Stoney Creek, and just off the Mount Victory Road, is Splitters Falls. This seasonal waterfall is at its best in spring, when surrounded by wildflowers, but can be dry in summer. The easiest way to get there is the 700 metre walk from the Wonderland car park.

Pinnacle Walk in the Grampians

The Wonderland car park is also the starting place for the Pinnacle Walk. The 4km return walk aims for the Pinnacle, one of the best lookouts in the Grampians.

But on the way it passes Bridal Veil Falls, the rocky gorge known as the Grand Canyon and Silent Street. Breathe in for the latter – Silent Street is a narrow gorge, where the walls rise high either side of you as you walk through.

Things to do in the Grampians: Silverband Falls and Lake Bellfield

If you branch off the Mount Victory Road onto Silverband Road, you’ll pass the trailhead for the Mount Rosea Track. This difficult, rock-hopping 8.9km track is renowned for its wildflowers, and offers fab views of the Serra and Mount William Ranges.

Silverband Road is named after Silverband Falls, an unusual thin waterfall that streams down the rockface in a narrow band. It looks like a horse’s tail or long hair tied back in a pony tail, and the water disappears back into the rock rather than creating a plunge pool.

On the way back into Halls Gap, you’ll pass Lake Bellfield and the fiendishly tough Grampians Adventure Golf, which also hosts an art gallery.

Grampians lookouts and wineries

You don’t have to venture out too much further to take in some of the Grampians’ other top attractions. The Boroka Lookout is a stunner, taking in the rumpled landscape, plus Halls Gap and Lake Bellfield in the valley. You can drive up to that one, and Clematis Falls is nearby.

Head east towards Lake Fyans and you’ll pass two Grampians wineries – the Fallen Giants Vineyard and Pomonal Estate. Both are open to visitors for wine-tasting.

Things to do in the Grampians: The Balconies & Fish Falls

But the real hitlist comes travelling north-west along the Mount Victory Road. The Balconies and the Reed Lookout provide marvellous views, while Broken Falls, Fish Falls and MacKenzie Falls all congregate near the Zumsteins Picnic Area.

Keep going, and you’ll find yourself on the Northern Grampians Road. This eventually joins the Western Highway and the fast route from Adelaide to Melbourne.

Aboriginal rock art in the Grampians

The tough Mount Stapylton Loop Walk is a favourite for experienced hikers in the northern Grampians, but you’ll also find two key Aboriginal sites nearby. The Gulgurn Manja Shelter and Ngamadjidj Shelter were important resting places for local Aboriginal groups. They host fairly extensive rock art.

The Indigenous culture is perhaps the most underexplored aspect of the Grampians region, which is traditionally known as Gariwerd. There are several rock art sites within the Grampians National Park. The national park website has a detailed list.

But the best introduction to Aboriginal culture in the Grampians comes at the Brambuk Cultural Centre. This interpretive centre, full of displays on Indigenous beliefs and customs, is just south of Halls Gap.

Things to do in the Grampians: Mount Abrupt and Mount Sturgeon

Sights don’t cluster quite so close together in the southern Grampians, but there are several good walks near Dunkeld. Mount Abrupt and Mount Sturgeon are the star attractions here for those who want to give their boots a good workout. Other will be more interested in the Royal Mail Hotel, the nationally renowned pinnacle of the Grampians food and drink scene.

Just south of Dunkeld is Penhurst, where you can visit the lookout at the top of Mount Rouse. You can also discover why the area is one big lava field at the Volcanoes Discovery Centre.

West of Dunkeld is Hamilton, gateway to Wannon Falls and Nigretta Falls just off the Glenelg Highway.