Easter and the Grampians

​As a lover of hiking and nature, the Grampian mountains in regional Victoria had been on my radar for a while. I visited in early April, which is supposed to be a good time as it's the fall. It was indeed extremely pleasant with sunny days and cold nights. The trails, views, and wildlife were also very enjoyable. It quickly became one of my favorite places in Australia!

In the week leading up to the Grampians trip, there was plenty afoot in Melbourne. I explored a new running destination called Royal Park. Though I had to cross a few busy streets to get there, it was a nice slice of open space in the middle of the city. It also ended up being my longest run since leaving California, a bit over 5 miles. A few days later, the Carlton Gardens reopened and I resumed my usual route that didn’t require any major crossings.

​Later I met up with Reggie at the District Docklands shopping mall. The layout reminded me of the big outdoor malls in Southern California, complete with ping pong tables, a ferris wheel, and a Costco. Unfortunately, this mall was quite dead. The ferris wheel hasn’t operated in 3 years and is a sad part of the Docklands skyline. We had lunch at a Nando’s chicken, Portuguese chicken restaurant chain with locations all over Melbourne, known for their peri-peri sauce. I tried the medium and found it to be a little spicy! Reggie warned me that many stores, even Wooly's, would be closed on Good Friday. A very helpful tip, as I didn't expect Good Friday to be such a big deal in Australia.

Afterwards I browsed at a sporting goods store, full of Australian football gear, and picked up a Carlton Blues jersey. The Blues were having a great start to the season, and I was hoping to attend a game soon. It was fun to check out the other teams’ jerseys as well. While footy has strongest ties in Victoria, there are plenty of expansion teams all over Australia. In fact, Tasmania just unveiled its first-ever AFL team, the Tasmania Devils. The jersey design, an outline of Tasmania with a capital “T,” has gotten some criticism but the initial membership sales have done extremely well.
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There was also lots of AFL team clothing at K-mart. In Australia, K-mart is something like Target in the US. Tons of departments, not a lot of depth in any one area, and branding that suggests “affordable middle class.” I found a Carlton hoodie for $25 AUD ($16 USD). The stock remaining on the rack hinted at the different teams’ popularity – sorry Hawthorne Hawks.

I successfully found a chocolate Easter Bilby at my local Wooly’s. The bilby is a long-eared, endangered native marsupial and the Australian alternative to the Easter Bunny. 

This Saturday for our Parkrun, Ben and I tried the Kirkdale Reserve course. It was a smaller event than our usual course at Princes’ Park, which meant less maneuvering through the pack was required. The course-master, wearing Easter bunny ears, explained the route: an out-and-back along the scenic Merri Creek trail. Ben and I agreed it was the best of the 3 courses we’d tried.
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We sought a post-run coffee, but a lot of places were closed over Easter weekend. We opted for a place near my apartment called Mile End Bagels. After a long bagel-less stretch, an avocado-loaded everything bagel hit the spot. Though it was a bit crispy and dry, probably from the wood-fire baking. I noticed they had an Easter special, so I ordered another bagel to-go. It was inspired by the hot-cross bun, and had a chocolate hazelnut dough and a rich cream cheese that tasted like orange.

Another day of shopping errands. I returned to the Docklands District to swap my Carlton jersey for a size that fit better. Then I headed to the CBD and picked up a few supplies for the Grampians including a gym bag. While there, I happened to see a group of actors in Roman costumes enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in front of the Bourke Street Mall.
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On Easter Sunday, I wasn’t willing to brave the brunch crowds, especially with holiday surge pricing at restaurants in Australia, so I cooked my own. My favorite brunch food is corned beef hash, but I had never prepared corned beef before. I was pretty thrilled with the result!

It happened to be a smoky day, probably from a controlled burn, so the Easter picnics in the park were set against a hazy skyline. In the evening, I had strawberry lamingtons and watched a documentary on Bon Scott, the beloved lead singer of ACDC, that happened to air on TV.

​But the real Easter egg hunt occurred on Easter Monday. I went to an escape room (my first ever) with my Canadian flatmate JL. He had done an escape room with this company and was eager for another go. The one we did together was mafia themed. It started in a diner, which led to a hidden prison cell and a poker room, eventually finishing in the mob boss’ office. In addition to the regular clues, there were actual chocolate Easter eggs hidden in the rooms! As a lover of puzzles, it was a fantastic experience. Since there were only 2 of us, we needed a few hints from the staff (communicated via TV screen) but were able to complete the whole room in time. One of the cleverest puzzles was at the poker table, which had four partially obscured cards underneath the glass. Using a loose deck of cards, we had to identify them by matching against the sections that were visible. The four matching cards spelled out the combination to a lock. JL said it was one of the best escape rooms that he’d visited.

​I was able to travel to the Grampians via public transportation. The process was a little convoluted, but surprisingly cheap. From Melbourne I took a train to Ballarat, changed to bus and went to Stawell, then took a second bus to Hall’s Gap. Round trip the whole thing cost about $12 USD. But it’s an infrequent route, so if the rainy weather in Melbourne had caused delays, I could have been stranded at one of the layovers. On a Tuesday after Easter weekend, I was the only person taking that journey. I had the eerie experience of spending 30 minutes at the beautiful and completely deserted Stawell train station, which was decommissioned in the 90’s and now only serves as a bus stop.

​Hall’s Gap was instantly recognizable as the archetypical outdoors resort town. It was in a scenic valley and had one main road with a visitor center, a general store, and a few restaurants and ice cream shops. There was a mix of accommodation, including camp sites, caravan parks, motels, and eco lodges. There were plenty of families on their Easter vacations, whose abandoned picnic tables were quickly investigated by the cockatoos.

​The afternoon was still plagued with rain showers, and the hostel check-in wasn’t available until 4:00pm, so I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. I went to the visitor center for hiking recommendations, had a cup of coffee and read The Age, and watched the birds in the picnic area. Of course, when I finally decided to walk across town towards the hostel, the rain picked up. I stopped to pity the wet kangaroos in the Recreation Reserve, who looked very unhappy.

​The hostel was quiet when I arrived in the lobby, clad in waterproof gear but still rather wet. Even though the room wasn’t ready, the owner kindly lit a fireplace in the lounge so I could dry my bags and wait in comfort. Not long after, a Welsh backpacker arrived. I learned his name was Morgan, he was on a working holiday, and had a potential lead on a job in Hall’s Gap.

​The YHA Grampians hostel was modern, spacious, and nicely laid out. There was a large dining area, a duplex kitchen separated by pantry cubbies, and two lounges. These common areas were separated from the rooms by a long corridor with glass windows looking into the courtyard. At one point, I spotted a large kangaroo in this courtyard, trying to scratch an itch on its back It was one of the most ideal hostels I’ve encountered! And it was a key part of the trip, because I stayed there for all 4 nights.

For dinner, I had packed myself a shelf stable meal kit in Melbourne. I prepared this meal of pasta and red sauce in the lively but not overcrowded kitchen. There, I met a teacher from New Hampshire who was also on a year-long trip around the world, and had been many places including Antarctica. Our dinner table also included a few Spaniards – the Grampians drew an international crowd.

The room itself only had 3 beds, a refreshingly low density. I had arrived first and claimed the bed without a bunk above. My second roommate arrived, a middle-aged American named Christophe who was talkative but down to earth. And as luck would have it, Morgan became the third roommate. The three of us got along well and stayed up talking even after lights out, like a sleepover.
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Three full days in the Grampians. Three hikes starting in Hall’s Gap. The first was to Chataqua Peak, which had views down the valley towards the reservoir. The second was to the Pinnacle Lookout, the flagship hike on the west side of the valley. The third was to Boronia Peak, opposite Pinnacle Lookout on the east side of the valley. Though the scenery was similar, the journeys up and down were quite different.

Chataqua Peak

Chataqua Peak started out as a straightforward hike, slowly increasing in elevation as it skirted along the ridges. But the final stage to the peak itself was more like rock climbing than hiking. Blue arrows indicated the bouldering route. I almost couldn’t believe one that was pointing up and to the left, with no obvious way forward. The summit was like walking along the sharp edge of a giant rock blade. The stones were rounded and packed into orderly rows, and a slightly pinkish gray. I thought of my corned beef Easter brunch. The views were excellent in every direction. I could see Hall’s Gap below, like a miniature replica of a town, and took some photos through my binoculars. While at the summit, a little boy approached me. After a cautious moment, he dropped the cutest little “G’day” in a French accent, and scurried off to his family.

Little yellow area indicating the way forward.

On the way back down, I stopped by a waterfall site that’s normally dry, in hopes the recent rain had brought it back to life. It was just a trickle, and fellow hikers joked it was a “waterfall for ants.” The trail ended at the Recreation Reserve, the sports field where I had seen the wet kangaroos. Today the kangaroos were dry, and there was a flock of humans admiring them. One lady had a bag and was feeding them. On this day, for whatever reason, I was inspired to intervene. I tried to explain that feeding wild animals can change their behavior, and even though they’re cute, we need to respect them. The lady claimed she got the food from the local zoo (which I believed) and the zookeeper told her it was okay to feed the wild kangaroos in the park (total BS). She was pretty adamant. Usually people can be shamed into stopping, but not this person. Several onlookers were supportive of my effort, but I couldn’t do anything more, and walked away. Turned out there was an enormous sign about this exact topic right behind us. Some people!

​Later on, I went for a twilight walk to see wildlife in town. Hall’s Gap surprised me with its abundance of animals. There were kangaroos by the general store, kangaroos by the playground, kangaroos in the park. Though widespread through the area, the focal point was the Recreation Reserve. It seemingly had a different animal every morning – kangaroos, emus, even a group of deer. It was only a block from the hostel, and along this tree-lined corridor there were tons of birds. Kookaburras were easily seen in the trees and flew surprisingly close to me. There were also sulfur crested cockatoos, magpies, currawongs, honeyeaters, and crimson rosellas.

​The hostel was a lot less crowded that night, but still ended up being social. I ran into the American teacher again, Angela, who was headed back to Melbourne and then onto Oman. I found out that Morgan had successfully got the job and was making his debut as a waiter at the Kookaburra Hotel. After dark, Cristophe (the other American) unexpectedly showed up at the room’s patio door, despite checking out in the morning. He tried to get my permission to stay an extra night without a booking (the staff had already gone home) which I didn’t support.

Pinnacle Lookout

​The ascent to the Pinnacle Lookout followed a creek upstream and had regular views of peaceful rock pools like the Venus Baths. The trail had some fun features, like metal staircases, wooden bridges, and navigating across rock fields. I worked up a good sweat, completely soaking through my shirt, but there were some even more ambitious athletes around – rock climbers and trail runners. The path entered a shady trench called Silent Street, which narrowed to shoulder width during the final staircase. The lookout itself was a manmade viewing platform with rails, not for the faint of heart. I preferred to admire the panorama from a rocky outcrop, where dropping my phone would not be an irreversible situation. I chatted with a friendly hippie-hiker who had just come from Confest, an alternative lifestyle event in NSW. She sounded a bird call to locate her boyfriend, who had wandered off.

​The descent via the Wonderland Trail followed a completely different route, which kept things interesting. It was less crowded, and I got a good view of a large lizard on a sunny rock before it sequestered itself into a shady crevice. The air was fresh with the scent of eucalyptus, and dancing butterflies with patterns I had never seen before.

​Over dinner, I met a wonderful Australian couple, Nola and Graham. They had driven from Kiama, a coastal town south of Sydney, and were headed to Adelaide. It turned out that Nola had worked for Medtronic for a few years, out of the Sydney office. Graham was a carpenter and used to work at the Sydney Botanical Gardens, where I had seen the NYE fireworks. He had funny stories about drunk partiers getting stuck in trees and helping with the relocation of the gardens’ fruit bat colony. They said I looked like Roger Federer, which I’m now really starting to believe having heard it a few times. When I ran into Graham over breakfast the next morning, he jokingly called me “Roger!”

Boronia Peak

​Boronia Peak’s online reviews had claimed it was not much effort for the views you get. I took this to mean it was an easy hike with decent views. What they meant was a difficult hike with stunning views. It started out innocently, with a flat creek-side trail with dozens of kangaroos and no other people. Then it started climbing and didn’t stop. Reaching the summit involved scaling a few boulders, but it was worthwhile. There were 360-degree views, encompassing both the Grampians and the plains of regional Victoria. Using my binoculars, I spotted a field full of emus not far from the town.

​Instead of going directly back to the hostel, I took a side trail that was recommended by the visitor center. It turned out to go through the field of emus – as I had secretly hoped when adding the extra mileage. There were around 20 of them, grazing in the field, lifting their long necks in between rounds. One was on the path directly ahead and didn’t meander away as I approached. It had a stern, surly look in its eye, and seemed aware of my presence, so I gave it space. In a 1:1 fight with that massive bird, I wasn’t confident I’d walk away in one piece. I gingerly passed after it wandered a safe distance.

​I had another dinner with Graham and Nola, and afterwards we watched a National Rugby League game in the lounge. They were rooting for the Illawara Dragons, who were defeated by the Newcastle Knights. The were kind and explained some of the gameplay so I could follow along. While the body contact was like American football, the gameplay was considerably faster, with no down time between downs (called tackles). There were major rainstorms on the East Coast, and the playing field was a giant slip-n-slide. Players were skidding off the field and crashing into the boundary walls with epic splashes of water. Still, there was a sizeable crowd. One of the fans was wearing a snorkel mask, and when the camera found him, lifted his foot to reveal a diving fin. A rugby fan himself, Morgan returned from his shift and joined us in the lounge. Graham and Nola complimented him on his waiting, as they happened to dine at the Kookaburra on Wednesday, which was Morgan’s first day. Morgan humbly brushed it off, which was even funnier knowing that he had exaggerated his hospitality experience to get the job.

Alas, my time in the Grampians had come to a close. I reversed the elaborate journey. As it was a Saturday, the bus heading from Stawell towards Melbourne was completely full with regional Victorians heading into the city. I squeezed into a crowded tram, an unpleasant but familiar end to the journey.
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It’s hard for me to think of a more perfect nature getaway than my time in the Grampians. There were fun and challenging hikes with great views, a social hostel with enough multi-day guests to make friends, and a whole menagerie of cute Australian animals. I could sleep in, catch up on journaling, and make simple but healthy meals. The evenings were pleasantly cool, perfect for sweatpants and a hoodie. Having a car would have opened up a plethora of options to see more of the Grampians, but I was content with my walking-oriented format. On a different trip, I think the area could be appreciated in one day (via the Pinnacle Lookout). In my case, having 4 nights provided a wonderful opportunity to live a bit slower and truly immerse in this natural wonderland.