Waterfall Wanderings

MacKenzie Falls are probably the best known of the many waterfalls in the Grampians, and possibly the only one that flows all year round. Our first stop on this morning’s outing was MacKenzie Falls. We were greeted by a huge carpark – testament to the popularity of the place! There is a newly completed toilet block and the remnants of the old kiosk which was lost in the bush fires about five years ago. Ironically it is just the fireplace that remains.

We began the walk to the base of the falls. No more than a kilometre, but down hill all the way, much of it on steep slippery stairs. Slippery from rain, but also slippery from the fine mist of spray emanating from the falls.

Near the top, we stopped at the Broken Falls Lookout which cantilevers over the gorge. From there it was a steady as you go descent to the base of MacKenzie Falls. 

Once at the base of all the stairs, it’s a simple matter of crossing the creek over the huge stepping stone boulders to look across the basin of water and up the towering rock faces with the water powerfully plummeting from the top. It is pretty impressive!

After enjoying the area for a while, we began the heart pumping ascent back up the stairs. Once at the carpark, we caught our breath and decided to walk to the MacKenzie Falls lookout – which was a simple, reasonably flat walk to a look out that overlooks the whole valley. The falls look so much smaller from this spot!

We again found ourselves at the large car park which was quite crowded with vehicles. That was our cue to move on to somewhere quieter. We had a quick stop at Lake Wartook – another man made dam / lake. It was not as picturesque as Lake Bellfield in my opinion.

Next, we kept driving and found ourselves at Zumsteins picnic area. Another place with an interesting history, Walter Zumstein, a beekeeper began picnicking and camping at this spot on the MacKenzie River in 1912. He was a pioneer of the tourism industry, quickly establishing a camp ground which became a popular place to holiday for many, many years.  Walter built 3 cottages and even a swimming hole. Unfortunately the cottages were extensively damaged in the same fires that took out the kiosk up at the falls. It appears there is work going on to restore the cottages. There is plenty of signage which tells the story of Walter Zumstein and his Scottish wife. He sounds like he was not only a pioneer of the tourism industry, but he was a pioneer greeny as he used to give kids who visited a sapling which he had them plant, then if they returned they could check out the growth of their adopted tree!

We took a short walk along the riverside, as well as took in the story of the Zumsteins.

We then returned to the caravan for lunch before setting out on another waterfall adventure in the afternoon. Another short easy walk found us at Silverband Falls. Very different from MacKenzies, but picturesque in their own right. A single band of water plummets off the top of the rocky cliffs, to a stony creek bed below. We could walk on the stones right up and almost under the cascade.

Another fun day exploring the beauty of nature in the Grampians!