A kangaroo considers its next move in Halls Gap, Australia, on July 25, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
If you’re Down Under and want to see kangaroos hopping about in the wild, Halls Gap, a small tourist town surrounded by Grampians National Park, in the southern Australia state of Victoria, is worth a visit.
Reasonably large kangaroos seem to go where they want in this community of 500 human residents. The docile beasts are preoccupied with feeding on vegetation and happily graze in front of hotels, shops and restaurants.
Hold out your hand and they sniff about for some free food.
Nearby pastures are filled with the gentle creatures and a few others, including emus and sheep. There are also plenty of cockatoos in the trees.
It’s a more wholesome scene than some of other parts of Australia, where the most common sort of kangaroo you’ll see is roadkill.
Once you’ve feasted your eyes on marsupials, you might consider a hike up to the Pinnacle Lookout — an impressive rock feature jutting from a stony peak above Halls Gap.
Halls Gap is a great starting point for hikes at Grampians National Park in the Australian state of Victoria. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
You can climb from the valley floor or drive halfway and start walking. From a roadside parking lot, it’s about a 90-minute scramble up a rocky trail to reach the summit.
In mid-winter it was cold enough for a sweater. In summer, hot temperatures are dangerous in Australia, so make sure to take extra water.
Some of the rock formations on the climb are otherworldly.
There’s a section that passes through a tunnel-like structure before a steep climb to reach the top where hikers get an impressive view of surrounding mountains.
The rocky ledge overlooking Halls Gap has no guard rails, other than on the lookout itself, so watch your footing.
When you step back from the edge it’s easy to get disoriented and take the wrong trail down, so make sure you go back the way that you came up.
Post hike, there are several restaurants and coffee shops as well as a bakery at Halls Gap, where you can replenish your energy. If you want to tell the kangaroos about your day, they’ll be hopping around nearby.
The view from Pinnacle Lookout above Halls Gap, Australia, on July 25, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
On the QT
Directions: Halls Gap can be reached via the Western Highway and Grampians Road. The drive will take more than three hours from Melbourne and more than five hours from Adelaide.
Times: You’ll be able to spot kangaroos around the town 24/7.
Costs: Hiking is free.
Food: The Halls Gap Bakery is open daily, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Information: www.visitgrampians.com.au/discover-the-region/northern-grampians/halls-gap
