Trekking The Grampians Peaks Trail
In a year when virtual travel became the only way to see the world, it was great to finally be able to venture out. What better place to start than our own backyard in the Grampians with No Roads Expeditions. Our adventurous group of six met in the town of Halls Gap on a beautiful morning in late November.
Our group was made of experienced trekkers and we were excited to get started. Introductions were made, an overview of our next three days, collected the yummy packed lunch that had been whipped up by the local bakery, and we were on our way.
Passing through the town's Botanical Gardens we enter the Grampians National Park. There is a moment where we pause, feeling the history and natural beauty of this magnificent place wash over us. Following the Peak Trail past natural pools, waterfalls, and amazing rock formations which are forty million years old. Onward and upward until we reach the Pinnacle, at 720 meters above sea level we have sensational views of the surrounding country.
From the Pinnacle, we continue downhill into the forest until we reach the Bugiga Hiker Camp. Walking into camp, tired but happy it was such a treat to see our tents already set up, afternoon tea on, and we had time to sit down take off our hiking boots and simply soak in our surroundings. Built and maintained by Parks Victoria the camp consists of a series of eco tent platforms, all connected by a raised boardwalk which means that the local flora and fauna aren't disturbed. 
Our guide, Adrian prepared a delicious dinner which was accompanied by local wine, great banter, and laughter.
While we were lucky to have blue skies on day one, weather conditions changed significantly overnight, all of a sudden it was winter again but our group's enthusiasm did not waiver. We were all keen to explore more of these beautiful mountains, and the blustery conditions made it feel like even more of an adventure. Like yesterday we were walking along the Peak Trail however we were astonished to see how different the surrounding sandstone was in their texture, colour, and formation. We reached the peak of Mt Rosea by late morning, from here the trail slowly descended into the forest.
The remainder of the day's walk along the Peaks Trail was under the forest canopy leading us to the Borough Huts Campground. Our home for the night was a section reserved for No Roads within this campground. Once again, our tents were in place, giving us plenty of time to relax including a dip in the local river. After a relaxed breakfast, our final day had us walking along the Bellfield Track which runs parallel with the Bellfield Lake and led back into the town of Halls Gap. Six adventurous individuals returned to town as a group of six adventurous friends. We sat down to lunch at a local restaurant sharing great food and a hunger for more adventures.
Halls Gap is a three and a half-hour drive from Melbourne, to make the most of your time away I would recommend spending the night in town prior to commencing this wonderful walk, perhaps add another night in the end as well, there really is so much to do in this incredible part of Victoria
Dot Robertson - Adventurer