The Pinnacle lookout, Grampians National Park
One of the nifty little features of Google Maps is 'street view'. You drop a little person icon into the map and all of a sudden you get 360 views of the location and the ability to move around the map as you wish.
You can use it to wander the streets almost anywhere in the world, explore European castles, look up at the Statue of Liberty, and even... take a virtual walk to The Pinnacle from the Wonderland Carpark!
The Pinnacle is an iconic lookout in the Grampians National Park, offering breathtaking views over Halls Gap, Lake Bellfield and the surrounding mountain ranges. Depending on the day you visit you could have clear views to the distant horizon, see a gorgeous vision of fog settled in the valley below, or even look down over a rainbow.
A rainbow decorates the skies above Lake Bellfield, viewed from The Pinnacle.
The walk to The Pinnacle from the Wonderland Carpark is a 2km trek up the mountainside which passes multiple unmissable attractions along the way. Grand Canyon, Cool Chamber, Bridal Veil Falls and Silent Street are the most notable features of the walk, but the scenery and views from start to finish are just unreal.
So, street view! Before we get into the street view adventure to The Pinnacle, it's important to note three things:
- Navigating the narrow track in street view can be tricky, as in some places it is not immediately obvious which way the track actually goes.
- The street view walk to The Pinnacle, while filled with beautiful imagery, completely pales in comparison to going and experiencing the walk for yourself.
- Whoever walked this track taking these beautiful shots for Google has got one of the coolest jobs in the world!
Here we go! The walking track begins from the Wonderland Carpark, and although visitors have the (much recommended) option of walking via the spectacular Grand Canyon, street view does not offer this alternative, so drop your little street-view-guy into the map at the carpark and head straight up the track alongside it.
The start of the walking track to The Pinnacle, image from Google Maps.
As you progress along the track you will get a glimpse at some of the incredible scenery and views this walk has to offer. If you were walking this track in the hotter months of the year, you would rejoice to soon come across Cool Chamber, a cavern beneath the rocks which offers a brief reprieve from the sun. During the wetter months a stream of water babbles its way over the rocks within the cave, creating a calm and pretty atmosphere.
One of the beautiful features of the walk, Cool Chamber. Image from Google Maps.
The next attraction is Bridal Veil Falls, which unfortunately is not flowing in the Street View images (which must have been recorded during the drier months of the year). Now this alone is a convincing reason to visit The Pinnacle yourself, because during the wet season Bridal Veil Falls looks like this!
Bridal Veil Falls is simply gorgeous during the wetter months of the year.
Yes, that is a rocky cavern tucked in behind the falls, allowing visitors to climb in behind the beautiful curtain of water! The walking track crosses right over the shallow stone-lined pool and continues on towards The Pinnacle.
Incredible views pretty much dominate the entire walk, which is obvious in street view but nothing compared to the real thing.
Views across the rocky mountains, image from Google Maps.
You soon find yourself descending down into Silent Street, an unbelievably tall and narrow gorge which leads up to the last leg of the walk to The Pinnacle. This place is simply awe inspiring!
Part of the climb through the awe-inspiring Silent Street, image from Google Maps.
You ascend a narrow staircase at the far end of Silent Street before emerging on the rocky slope above, making your way up towards your destination for breathtaking views. Seriously, even the view of The Pinnacle itself is spectacular.
View of The Pinnacle lookout, image from Google Maps.
But it's got nothing on the view you get when you head up to the platform and look out over the edge!
If you're interested in undertaking the walk from the Wonderland Carpark to The Pinnacle via Google's nifty street view feature, click here! You will find yourself virtually standing at the beginning of one of the most incredible walks within the stunning Grampians National Park. Pretty neat!
Please note that if you have arrived at this page through the Facebook app, there may be some issues with the above Google Street View links displaying properly. If you experience difficulties getting the link to work properly, copy the following URL into your browser and try again: https://www.grampiansguide.com.au/blog/1/walk-to-the-pinnacle-with-google-street-view
For more information on visiting the Grampians National Park and taking the walk to The Pinnacle yourself, please see the following links.
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