…is in the other Grampians, in western Victoria, Australia.
These “Grampians” – so named by Sir Thomas Mitchell in 1836 – do not greatly resemble Scotland, and their modestly-sized “Grand Canyon” looks not at all like Arizona.
That said, Australia’s Grand Canyon is beautiful in its own right, as are Australia’s Grampians, generally.
Click here if you are curious about their geology.
For many thousands of years before Mitchell “discovered” them, people had lived, walked, hunted, foraged, worshipped, danced and decorated in what they knew as Gariwerd.
In tourist town Halls Gap it can be very easy to believe that around 800,000 people now visit the Grampians National Park each year.
The Wonderland area – which includes the Grand Canyon and the Pinnacle – is just minutes away, and its car parks oft overflow.
However, if you walk more than 200 metres from the car park, you are very soon in beautiful, uncrowded places.
The loop walk through the Grand Canyon, then up to the Pinnacle and down again, is very rewarding. (you have various options, almost all of them quite easy walking, provided you wear sensible, closed footwear, and a hat. BYO water)
The views from/near the Pinnacle are spectacular.
If you have brought lunch with you, you should be able to find nearby some suitable, shade-yielding overhangs or outcrops.
If no such spots are available “on the top”, you will not have to walk very far on whatever is your downhill track, before you find somewhere lovely and shady.
All photos in this post were taken in the middle of the day on 19.11.16.
