Our list of things to do in the Grampians National Park became limited after only being able to spend 24 hours in this beautiful Park. However, we would class the walks and lookouts we did visit some of the best the Grampians has to offer.
So we decided to write these things to do in the Grampians National Park for people who are on a tight time frame like us. But we have also included a few extras we didn’t get around to keep the more adventurous readers entertained. We hope that this 1 day Grampians Itinerary will allow you to plan your visit better.
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📍 Where is the Grampians National Park
🚌 Day Tour
🎟️ Entrance fee
✔️ Things to do
🚶♂️ Discover more
Image from Visit Grampians
Where Is The Grampians National Park, Victoria 📍
One of the best things about The Grampians is its proximity to Melbourne City. A quick scenic 3-hour drive from Melbourne CBD, you will end up in this beautiful National Park.
First of all, we should let you know The Grampians are huge!! At over 1600 km2 you could spend weeks exploring this wilderness. Hiking different mountains, checking out all the viewpoints, and trying out all the best accommodations and restaurants. For this reason, our guide will focus on the outdoor actives and exploring the landscape.
A Map Of The Grampians National Park 🗺️
We hit the National park border around 11 am and continued driving for around 30 mins through this stunning landscape of bush with mountains jetty out all over. We were heading for a town called Halls Gap, as from our research this seemed to be the most central town for what we had planned.
To help you get a better understanding of The Grampians we have included this map.
Image from Visit Grampians.com.au
Image from Visit Grampians.co.au
How To Get To The Grampians National Park 🚗
Unless you are lucky enough to live on the doorstep of a National Park the likelihood is that you will be driving to it. For us, this is all part of the day out and the drive to Grampians National Park is amazing. If you are coming from Melbourne it will be a long day out. We were fortunate enough to have our campsite and drove to the edge of the park the night before and stopped off at a free campsite, before entering the park early morning.
If the 6-hour round journey doesn’t seem your things, or you have no access to a vehicle then we highly recommend booking a Grampains day tour.
Grampians National Park Day Tour And Itinerary From Melbourne 🚌
A very popular way to see the Grampians is by taking a day tour from Melbourne city. You can enjoy a return transfer to your accommodation and not worry about any of the driving which means sit back and relax and take in the views, or just have a cheeky nap.
Whichever you decide a Grampians day tour is well worth the money. We recommend booking your tour with Klook. On their website or app, they give you a full break down of what’s included, a rough time frame to the day’s itinerary, and always have great offers so you can save some money on your tour.
Klook Grampians National Park Day Tour
Best Time To Visit The Grampians National Park ☀️
If you are not familiar with the Australian weather, we can confirm it is not always hot like most people believe, especially in the state of Victoria. This state and most frequently around Melbourne is known for having four seasons in one day, what we are trying to say is be prepared.
To give yourself a fighting chance of getting clear skies for amazing sunsets and warm walking weather, we recommend visiting between:
November and April
These are the spring and summer months where the days are longer warmer and drier.
Grampians National Park is popular with tourists as well as locals, in the school holidays the park is very busy and booking campsites in advance is recommended.
Grampians Entrance Fee 🎟️
Unlike the other states in Australia, Victoria does not charge an entrances fee to enter its National Parks.
That’s right it’s FREE.
However in most National Parks throughout Victoria, you will have to pay a small fee to camp there. Unless you head to Wilsons Promontory, in which case the camping fee is big, but well worth it.
Things To Do In Grampians National Park ⛰️
After completing the Great Ocean Road, we headed north towards the Grampians National Park. We were on a tight schedule, so we only had a day in the Grampians. We ended up doing a lot of research online trying to work out how to optimize our 24 hours. After reading lots of blogs, speaking to locals, and checking out the Grampians visitor’s centre in Halls Gap, we ended up with a list. In our opinion, this is the best way to spend A Day In The Grampians.
Stop 1:
Halls Gap The Grampians
Our Grampians National Park Itinerary starts in Halls Gap. We found that Halls Gap is a great place to start your day for a few reasons. This is where the visitors centre is, we were able to collect all the maps of the national park that we needed. There are also lots of places to eat and a small supermarket so you can grab some essentials for your day of exploring as you won’t be returning here until the evening.
Stop 2:
The Pinnacle Walk and Lookout
This is possibly the most iconic walking trail and lookout in our Grampians National Park Itinerary. We started this walk at around midday. You have 3 options when taking this trail.
First, you can park your vehicle near Halls Gap Caravan Park as this is where the trail starts and take the walking trail from the village. This is the longest and hardest of the trails at 9.6 km long and around a 5-hour return trip. Due to only have a day in the Grampians we didn’t take this track.
Secondly, you can drive to the Wanderland Car Park halfway up the mountain. This trail is less challenging and at only 2.1 km and a 1 hour 30-minute return trip, this is the quickest route.
Thirdly which was the route we opted to take, was driving to the Sundial Car Park. This took us around 10 minutes to get to from Halls Gap and was a lot quieter than the other car parks we had passed. This track is 2.1 km and will take you around 2 hours to complete. It includes some rock hopping and climbing. We highly recommend wearing comfortable and sturdy shoes.
After the Grampians head to Melbournes famous Brighton Bathing Boxes
Stop 3:
Place To Eat In The Grampians National Park
It is now around 2 pm and after our first hike, we are pretty Hungary. Before we set off in the morning, we popped into the supermarket and bought some basics so we could have a picnic whilst out hiking. This helped us keep to our schedule as we didn’t need to drive back down to Halls Gap for lunch. We would highly recommend doing this is your are also in the short time frame.
Alternatively, if you do have more time there are a number of lovely cafes and restaurants to stop at.
Stop 4:
The Grampians National Park Boroka Lookout
After lunch at around 3:30 pm we decided to head to Boroka Lookout. This lookout is located around 15 km’s from Halls Gap or a 10-minute drive uphill from the Sundial Car Park. Baroka lookout is great for people who are on a short time frame as the car park a few hundred meters from the lookout. There are two lookouts here both with amazing views over Halls Gap and Lake Bellfield.
If you have more time we would highly recommend coming here for sunrise. Due to its positioning, it is one of the best places to see it in the National Park. Whilst we were here Milly spotted a goat roaming around on the edge of the cliffs. Unsure if it was wild or not but let us know if you manage to spot it too!!
The address for Boroka Lookout is Mt Difficult Rd, Halls Gap VIC 3381.
Stop 5:
Reeds Lookout and The Balconies Grampians
We saved Reeds lookout and The Balconies for last. The reason being is that it is the only lookout that captured the sunset over The Grampians National Park. We arrived here around 4:30 pm left the car in the car park which is opposite Reeds lookout.
This view is out of this world, a full panoramic looking out over Victoria Valley. We took a few shots here before following the 2 km trail to The Balconies. This is another very popular spot especially at sunset so we wanted to make sure we arrived before anyone else. With a beer in hand, we completed the trail which is pretty flat all the way and arrived to find we had it all to ourselves.
The Balconies are famous for the shots people get whilst standing on the edge of the small rocky outcrops. There are now signs and a few barriers stating you should go on them. If you choose to ignore the sign please take care as its a long drop below.
We sat and watched the sunset behind the mountain ranges heading back to the van before it got dark.
The address of the car park is 126 Grampians Rd, Halls Gap VIC 3381
For a full list of walks, waterfalls and lookouts in the Grampians, we recommend checking out the official Victoria National Parks website.
Want to explore more of Melbourne’s Street Art? Click Here
Camping In The Grampians National Park ⛺
As we were staying in our camper van it made sense for us to camp. The Grampians is a National Park you have to pay to stay at the campsites within it. However, there is one FREE campsite which is located on the edge of the park which happens to be close to Halls Gap. This is called the Plantation Campground. We decided to stay here as it was heading in the right direction to continue our road trip.
We highly recommend this free camp spot which is located at the base of the mountains. There are new drop toilets that been built and plenty of camping spots to choose from. The Free Camp is located at the end of a 7 km gravel road which in most parts was in very good condition. The only issue we had here as we woke up to a flat tire. You can read more about our story in our Van Life Journey.
The address of the Free Campsite is Plantation Mount Zero Road, Halls Gap, Victoria.
Grampians Australia Caravan Parks
There are campgrounds throughout the Grampians, but these are National Park camping ground. Many of these campsites do not have water or electricity, if you are looking for a site with a few more amenities then you need to head to the caravan parks in Halls Gap. You have a few choices all similar in price, with similar amenities. Both get very busy in the school holidays which is when we visited and was unable to get a site in either park.
The Halls Gap Caravan Park and Camping ground is the most central in the town close to supermarket and bakery.
Whereas the Big 4 NRMA Halls Gap Holiday Park is more on the edge of town but does provide some of the best amenities around.
Grampians Accommodation 🏨
When it goes to accommodation in the Grampians there is a lot on offer. We have chosen some of our favourites and broken it down into three sections to cater to different budgets and group sizes.
Luxury $$$
Mid-range $$
Budget $
Discovering More Of The Grampians National Park 🚶♂️
The next day we woke up early changed our tire and rushed down a bowl of cereal, before hitting the road again. We had been planning this trip to The Grampians for over a year from when we were last in Australia. Planning this trip we never expected it to be such a flying visit and looking back, there is so much more to explore and do in this beautiful national park.
For more information about the Grampians National Park Australia, check out the official Victoria Parks Website.
Next Stop South Australia.
Pin Our Things To Do In The Grampians Itinerary For Later!
What Camera Gear Do We Use
- Main Camera: Panasonic G80
- Go To Lens: Panasonic 12-60mm
- Tripod: Manfrotto Adventure Tripod
- Camera Bag: Manfrotto Backpack
- Underwater Camera: GoPro Hero 8
- Drone: DJI Mavic Pro 2
- Power Bank: Anker Power Bank
- Hardrive: WD 1TB hard drive
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