Day 18 and 19 - MacKenzy Falls / Halls Gap / Canyon

We start from Adelaide to MacKenzy Falls. On the way there, we find a pink salt lake at a rest stop shortly before Dimboola. It is officially known as Pink Lake on the map 😄

We also cross the second state border on our journey and arrive in the state of Victoria. Without realizing it, we have also crossed another time zone.

The MacKenzy Falls are located in the mountains in Grampians National Park, about 20km from a small town called Halls Gap. They are really amazing to see. This waterfall is one of the largest in Victoria.

Upon arriving at the parking lot, you can choose between two routes to see the waterfalls. One route leads down steep stairs along the waterfall to the lower end, while the other path leads to a viewpoint where you can see the entire waterfall.

However, you should not miss the walk down to the basin. We are lucky and the sun is shining, so we can see a rainbow in the rushing water. The view from the basin up to the waterfall is magnificent and you could spend the whole day there. When you reach the bottom of the waterfall, you can also continue along a narrow path and reach another smaller waterfall (Fishing Falls).

The path that leads to the viewpoint passes through a eucalyptus forest. This forest is a very good example of how so much life can flow from a seemingly dead tree. The forest is lush green and smells wonderful, but almost all of the tree trunks are black and charred. There must have been a fire here a long time ago.

We continue to Halls Gap. On the way there, we stop at a fantastic viewpoint (Balconies) and enjoy the view. We save the walk through the canyon for the next day, as it is already too late.

We experience Halls Gap as a very beautiful small town in the middle of the mountains and enjoy our dinner in a small shop while being surrounded by cockatoos. One of them is particularly interested in our pizza, but we manage to outsmart him. However, as soon as we are not paying attention for a second, a kookaburra swoops down onto my shoulder and steals my food from my hand.

Our campsite is also surrounded by animal companions. Besides the many birds, wild kangaroos also find their way here. We can even watch two of them boxing.

The next morning, we were supposed to head towards Melbourne. But it quickly becomes clear that we won't make it if we also want to hike through the canyon for about 3 to 4 hours and enjoy the Great Ocean Road. Since we don't want to miss the canyon, we decide to see how far we can get today.

We park at the Wonderland Car Park not far from Halls Gap and follow the signs towards the canyon on foot. After just a few minutes, the rocky paths lead us right into the canyon. But we don't just hike through the impressive, towering rock walls, we also climb up.

After a while, the ascent leads us through a narrow passage (Silent Street) up to the Pinnacle, where we are treated to an impressive view. up here, you could almost stay forever and enjoy the beautiful scenery. But after a short break, we start the descent again and continue towards the Great Ocean Road. You could easily spend several days in this mountain range 😉