A Drive through Grampians National Park, Australia

We wound our way through the mountain pass. I was navigator while Luke, my boyfriend, was driving. It was nearly dusk, which meant I was tasked with keeping an eye out for kangaroos. They like to come out and feed at this time and are often drawn to the lights of passing cars. We’d seen plenty of them on the side of the road on this trip. If we hit one of those things in this rental car, we could say goodbye to our hefty deposit.

Luke slowed as a he saw a kangaroo standing on the other side of the road. They are much bigger up close than I ever imagined. Even the ones we saw earlier this year at the zoo didn’t compare to these wild mountain dwelling ‘roos.

We made it to our hostel in Hall’s Gap without incident and checked into our dorm room. There was a porch outside where we sat with beers and a few of the other people in our room, and we watched a troop of kangaroos munch on grass as the sun went down.

The Grampians National Park is not only a kangaroo haven, but it’s also filled with beautiful bush walks that we took advantage of the next day. We did the pinnacle walk which, as it sounds, takes you to the pinnacle of one of the beautiful cliff sides. Due to erosion, all of the mountains in the park appear to slope to one side leaving cliff tops pointing like arrows in one direction. Standing on the pinnacle isn’t for the fainthearted. With only a small metal bar separating you from the edge it made me feel a little bit queasy.

A few daredevils ignored the signs and went for a swim, but even in the heat, the water is extremely cold.

In addition to the pinnacle walk, there are countless waterfalls to check out including Mackenzie Falls. A short walk from the parking lot down a few steep stairs (try not to think about having to walk back up them later) brings you to the perfect place to sun yourself. A few daredevils ignored the signs and went for a swim, but even in the heat, the water is extremely cold.

At the end of our second day we drove out of the Grampians following a new winding road, looking for kangaroos and hoping not to spot any.

A Drive through Grampians National Park, Australia photo by Laura Bronner.