With summer school holidays quickly approaching, there’s no better time to leave it all behind and explore the glorious Grampians region.
In June of this year, award-winning journalist and co-host of SAFM’s breakfast show, Rebecca Morse, embarked on the family road trip of a lifetime.
From animal encounters to ancient sites, we’ve shared her family’s experience below to inspire your own family adventure to The Grampians.
Bec, along with her husband and their three children, found the journey from Adelaide an easy one.
"It was a great family road trip, there was plenty to do. I think South Australians would be surprised that it is only a five-hour drive. When they think of Victoria, they think Melbourne, and it would be an eight-hour drive in the car, but we broke up the drive with lunch at Keith and then we stopped at Dimboola at the Pink Lake. By the time we had two stops it made the trip pretty easy for us and the kids."
The family first visited the Horsham Silo Art site. This depicts the little-known local story of Yanggendyinanyuk, a Wotjobaluk warrior's story of leadership, resilience and legacy.
The Silo Art Trail Road is a fantastic experience for art lovers. The trail is one of Australia’s largest outdoor galleries, stretching more than 200km from start to finish.
Following a day of exploring the Grampians rich history and culture, Bec and her family enjoyed a meal at Rooh Indian Contemporary Restaurant Bar. The restaurant is owned by a local Horsham couple with a vision to serve simple, flavoursome Indian fare using local produce.
After filling their bellies, Bec’s family settled in for a restful stay at the Comfort Inn Capital Horsham. The quiet, hotel-style en suite bedrooms offer space, comfort and convenience for families making Horsham their base for a Grampians road trip.
For those eager to sleep closer to nature, Horsham Holiday Park is a picture-perfect location. Choose from a camp site or a spacious cabin depending on your family’s size and needs. When you’re not tackling mountain hikes or dining out, enjoy a barbecue on the site’s camp kitchen, swim in the solar heated pool or even play a game of mini golf.
Day two saw Bec’s family continuing their cultural experience with a visit to Horsham’s Public Art and Heritage Trail, including the Horsham Regional Art Gallery. This was followed by a visit to the Gulgurn Manja Shelter, a rock shelter at the northern tip of the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park. The paintings here include emu tracks and handprints only found in this area.
"We saw the Norman Lindsay exhibition and I thought it was really beautiful, I was really impressed by that," she said.
"The kids really enjoyed themselves at Gulgurn Manja, it was a beautiful place to visit.”
Next on the itinerary was a visit to Rosehaven Farms, which rewards visitors with a tour of farm life and a memorable sensory experience for children of all ages.
"Rosehaven Farm was a great place to visit for families," Bec said. "We got to feed alpacas, miniature donkeys and sheep, which was a lot of fun for the kids. They loved the miniature donkeys; they want to adopt one now."
Rosehaven Farms is among many of the family-friendly activities on offer in the Grampians. Take the animal encounters up a notch at Halls Gap Zoo. Home to over 160 different species of animals, kids get up close and personal with cheetahs, giraffes, meerkats and more.
While in Halls Gap, make sure you explore in style on an e-bike with Halls Gap E-Bike Hires or a Boom Mustang Trike with Grampians Trike Tours. For kids with an adventurous side, Absolute Outdoors and Hangin’ Out in the Grampians offer rock-climbing and abseiling tailored to suit young families, from beginners to the more experienced.
Before heading back to Adelaide, Bec and her family ventured out to Barangaroo Wines for a relaxing end to their Grampians experience. This beautiful family-owned vineyard is set amongst rolling hills just twenty minutes from Horsham.
Here, visitors can taste the five vintages of Vermentino - a delicious varietal from Italy’s Liguria region - paired with seasonal tapas for a delicious light lunch or snack. We also recommend pre-ordering their famous metre long board heroing local produce and more.
"Barangaroo Wines was a real culinary highlight where we had meat along with a grazing platter," Bec said. "The staff were super friendly, talking us through all of the wine varieties."
For more family-friendly wineries in the Grampians, Fallen Giants, Pomonal Estate and Mount Langi Ghiran offer picturesque scenes of the Grampians and ample outdoor space for the kids to run around while parents relax.
Bec and her family said they would be back in the region and highly recommend the Grampians for your next family adventure.
