Where to stay in the Grampians
Sep 23rd, 2010, 06:55 AM
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Where to stay in the Grampians
Any suggestions of where to stay in the Grampians/Hells Gap and how far back to the Melbourne Airport?????? We are not big hikers, just mountain lovers, and it sounds really beautiful.
Sep 24th, 2010, 01:30 AM
#3
Hi, if you email [email protected] and give them the name of your thread, they will be able to change the tag to Australia.
The Grampians and Halls Gap are beautiful and there are lots of easy walks as well as longer ones. You are almost certain to also see some Australian wildlife such as kangaroos and emus. We have seen koalas there too but have not visited in a number of years. There is a lot of accommodation in Halls Gap ranging from camping or cabins in caravan parks to holiday houses and hotels. Hopefully someone who has visited more recently can give you some specific ideas or you could check on www.tripadvisor.com just put Halls Gap into the search area.
Kay
The Grampians and Halls Gap are beautiful and there are lots of easy walks as well as longer ones. You are almost certain to also see some Australian wildlife such as kangaroos and emus. We have seen koalas there too but have not visited in a number of years. There is a lot of accommodation in Halls Gap ranging from camping or cabins in caravan parks to holiday houses and hotels. Hopefully someone who has visited more recently can give you some specific ideas or you could check on www.tripadvisor.com just put Halls Gap into the search area.
Kay
Sep 24th, 2010, 05:05 AM
#4
I've attached an excerpt from my trip report, "The GREAT Ocean Road." Can't recall how long it took to drive back to Melbourne. It was an easy drive--but a little difficult to find the airport exit and we got lost following our GPS' directions. So give yourself extra time.
Hall's Gap was soooo beautiful. Hope you have a wonderful trip.
************************************************** ***********
We’d seen some amazing coastal scenery and now it was time to head to the mountains. Next stop: Hall’s Gap in the Grampians—estimated to be a four hour drive—but we were learning that if there were scenic lookouts or places to hike, we’d have to double our estimates ;-). The fog made driving a bit tense and our GPS took us on a route that had my stomach clenching.
We drove at least an hour on a “2-lane” road that was barely large enough for one car. It was reminiscent of Ireland’s worse country lanes—but in Ireland I wouldn’t have been going 110 km/hours (around 70 MPH). When that road ended I was relieved to say the least. I hadn’t killed anything—including us.
We stopped to do about a thirty minute walk on the Piccaninny trail and got some great shots of a wallaby. The scenery was quite different from anything we’d seen up to this point. More like brush—with lots of “kangaroo tail” plants. Beautiful!
We continued on to the Grampians where we stayed at the Kookaburra Motel. It was a cute, inexpensive, little basic motel run by a sweet, older couple. I fear I traumatized them when I insisted that DP and I would prefer one queen bed—but they were friendly and it wasn’t a problem once they grasped the situation. Our patio overlooked a field where kangaroos grazed and hopped by. Cockatoos did a little dance, begging for food—and I was in bliss. The views of the mountains were so beautiful and I was feeling profoundly grateful as we ate our breakfast looking at that scenery.
We drove to all the “must-see” lookout points in the Grampians. The Boroka Lookout was breathtaking. The Balconies was also beautiful. We enjoyed a walk to MacKenzie Falls—pretty, but it couldn’t compare with Erskine Falls that we’d seen a few days earlier. But it’s a beautiful area for nature lovers.
The following day was cool and cloudy and we hiked several hours. The scenery was unique and unearthly and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We figured that after that intense hike we’d earned a treat—so we had a delicious pizza and shared a massive Greek salad at the Black Panther restaurant.
Our wonderful holiday was coming to an end and we’d be flying out of Melbourne to Sydney. It rained off and on during the drive back to Melbourne and the last hour was a nonstop, blinding, torrential downpour.
Hall's Gap was soooo beautiful. Hope you have a wonderful trip.
************************************************** ***********
We’d seen some amazing coastal scenery and now it was time to head to the mountains. Next stop: Hall’s Gap in the Grampians—estimated to be a four hour drive—but we were learning that if there were scenic lookouts or places to hike, we’d have to double our estimates ;-). The fog made driving a bit tense and our GPS took us on a route that had my stomach clenching.
We drove at least an hour on a “2-lane” road that was barely large enough for one car. It was reminiscent of Ireland’s worse country lanes—but in Ireland I wouldn’t have been going 110 km/hours (around 70 MPH). When that road ended I was relieved to say the least. I hadn’t killed anything—including us.
We stopped to do about a thirty minute walk on the Piccaninny trail and got some great shots of a wallaby. The scenery was quite different from anything we’d seen up to this point. More like brush—with lots of “kangaroo tail” plants. Beautiful!
We continued on to the Grampians where we stayed at the Kookaburra Motel. It was a cute, inexpensive, little basic motel run by a sweet, older couple. I fear I traumatized them when I insisted that DP and I would prefer one queen bed—but they were friendly and it wasn’t a problem once they grasped the situation. Our patio overlooked a field where kangaroos grazed and hopped by. Cockatoos did a little dance, begging for food—and I was in bliss. The views of the mountains were so beautiful and I was feeling profoundly grateful as we ate our breakfast looking at that scenery.
We drove to all the “must-see” lookout points in the Grampians. The Boroka Lookout was breathtaking. The Balconies was also beautiful. We enjoyed a walk to MacKenzie Falls—pretty, but it couldn’t compare with Erskine Falls that we’d seen a few days earlier. But it’s a beautiful area for nature lovers.
The following day was cool and cloudy and we hiked several hours. The scenery was unique and unearthly and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We figured that after that intense hike we’d earned a treat—so we had a delicious pizza and shared a massive Greek salad at the Black Panther restaurant.
Our wonderful holiday was coming to an end and we’d be flying out of Melbourne to Sydney. It rained off and on during the drive back to Melbourne and the last hour was a nonstop, blinding, torrential downpour.
Sep 26th, 2010, 09:33 PM
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Songdoc, thanks for the reply-you were the inspiration from your trip report to go this adventure and I will report back here in December. We leave in a month. We are staying one night at the Great Ocean Eco Lodge at Cape Otway, then will continue to the Grampians. No plans for three days, so will stay at some of your favorites.
Kay-thanks for the suggestions and how to fix the tag.
Kay-thanks for the suggestions and how to fix the tag.
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