The Grampians Ride

Day 1: Arrival day

Welcome to the Grampians, globetrotters, and your magnificent home for the week: Mount William Station! Driving alongside the mighty mountains, past green paddocks lined with gnarled old redgums, you’ll already be excited to jump on a horse – but first, the wonderful team at the station will set the scene.

Arriving at around 3pm, you’ll check into your beautifully-appointed rooms, then 4th generation station owner Will Abbott will lead a tour of the grounds. Strolling through the English gardens, past the cattle yards, heritage listed woolshed and bluestone stables, you’ll learn all about the history of the farm and the local area, known as Willaura.

At 6pm, you’ll meet your guides, Brad and Michaela, and get to know one another over pre-dinner drinks. Then everyone will gather in the formal dining room for a gourmet three-course menu, complemented by locally-made beverages. The head chef, Dean, will be on hand to explain the thinking and stories behind each fabulous course. Afterwards, you can stay and chat, or tumble into your plush bed.

Day 2: Grampians National Park

Today begins with a breakfast of your choice from the cafe-style menu, and a barista-made coffee or freshly brewed tea. If you can’t choose, don’t panic – this mouthwatering menu will be tempting you for the next four days!

Ready for action, you’ll head to the cattle yards to meet your new equine partner and saddle up. The first ride sets off through the homestead’s tranquil olive grove and around the grounds, past the woolshed and shearers quarters, before reaching Lake Anne. Any non-riders in the group may well be found here fishing for rainbow trout! With the Grampians towering behind, Lake Anne is a haven for birdlife, hosting an array of ducks and swans, and even the occasional eagle circling overhead.

From here, you’ll meander across sheep and cattle paddocks dotted with stately redgums towards the foothills surrounding the Grampians. At a scenic point en route, you’ll dig into a scrumptious packed lunch courtsey of the kitchen team and the trusty pack horse.

The track becomes sandy as the mountains draw closer, and you may spot the odd kangaroo popping up from the grass. Having ridden about 18 kilometres, you’ll reach the edge of Grampians National Park. The horses will spend the night in a grassy paddock here while you return to the homestead for sundowners and another remarkable three-course meal.

Day 3: Yarram Park

After breakfast this morning, you’ll be driven back to the horses and mount up to explore Yarram Park, a neighbouring station that was the setting of one of Australia’s most iconic artworks: Arthur Streeton’s ‘Land of the Golden Fleece’. Following an old, sandy track around the edge of the national park, you’ll gradually ascend the foothills, spotting emus and kangaroos through the beautiful native eucalypt forest. At a clearing overlooking the plains, you’ll dismount and see what epicurean delights the pack horse has been entrusted with today.

Back in the saddle, you’ll emerge back on the plains beside a huge seasonal lake that is a refuge for migratory birds, including the stately brolga. Riding around the sandy banks of the lake, you’ll watch the birds splashing around in the water, and enjoy a canter or two on the soft ground. Then, as the bank sweeps around, all of a sudden you’re met with an astounding view: the huge sweep of the Grampians, from Mount Sturgeon in the south to Mount William in the north, their dark mass reflected in the shimmering lake below. It’s easy to see how this place inspired an artist’s masterpiece!

Returning the horses to their paddock, you’ll head back to the station, where a massage (pre-booked at your own expense) might be on the cards before 6pm drinks in the sophisticated Green Room, and a much-anticipated three-course meal.

Day 4: Mount William and Major Mitchell Plateau

By now, you’ll have settled into the rhythm of life at Mount William: waking up to magpies singing on the lawn, languidly preparing for the day in your spacious ensuite room, sauntering out for breakfast, then hitting the open road – well, trail. Today you’ll ride across picturesque farmland, beneath massive, centuries-old redgums. The canopy gradually becomes denser until you find yourself in undulating, forested hills, riding along old fire roads listening to the dry crunch of bark beneath your horse’s hooves and the ambient sparkle of birdsong. The trail dips down into gullies and back up to the hilltops, where you’ll find a peaceful clearing for a spot of lunch.

In the afternoon, the terrain opens up, with thin-trunked gums and wattles scattered around rocky outcrops as you pick your way around the side of Mount Muirhead. Rounding a corner near the summit, all of a sudden you’ll be met with the full grandeur of Mount William and Major Mitchell Plateau, the highest peaks in the Grampians, tumbling down towards the far-away plains. Get your cameras ready – this is a view you’ll want to remember!

After soaking up this literal high point of your week, you’ll point your horse along a trail that snakes its way down the Mafeking Valley and into Grampians Estate, a fourth-generation family-owned property divided into vast swathes of bushland, sheep pastures and award-winning vineyards. The horses will stay here at the cattle yards tonight while you savour the usual opulent pleasures at Mount William Station.

Day 5: Themopolyae Loop

This morning you’ll meet the horses back at the cattle yards and ride the ‘Themopolyae Loop’. After passing through a stunning valley framed by mountains on both sides, you’ll weave your way toward Mount Sugarloaf, taking in breathtaking views and rolling hills, watering the horses at tranquil billabongs, passing paddocks and clearings amidst the thick scrub, and pausing to check out the famous Mafeking gold mine. Finally, you’ll reach the top of a spur, trotting along open meadows and weaving around boulders to be rewarded with incredible views across the Grampians and beyond. At the aptly-named Mushroom Rocks, you’ll dismount to take in the vista over lunch.

The ride continues with a thrilling zigzag down the side of the spur and some breezy trots and canters along the edge of the forest and across picture-perfect pastures dotted with lambs and kangaroos, pulling up at Grampians Estate Vineyard in the early afternoon. You’ll meet the non-riders and one of the great local winemakers, Tom Guthrie, at a table bedecked with fine silverware and artisan charcuterie, looking out onto yet another remarkable view of the mountains from right amongst the vines. While you taste some of his best drops, Tom will regale you with fascinating stories of the farm and winery you’ve just ridden through.

Feeling full and jolly, you’ll be ferried back to Mount William mid-afternoon for some R&R (perhaps a sauna session!) before celebrating with the whole crew over a casual barbeque at the bluestone stables and bar.

Day 6: Departure day

After a relaxed, continental-style breakfast, you’ll check out at 10am, say goodbye to your newfound friends and head for home, basking in the afterglow of an unforgettable country retreat.

Non-riders

Non-riding friends and family are very welcome on this holiday and will find no shortage of things to do. At Mount William Station, there is a bar, pool, piano, sauna, tennis courts, fishing lake and 6-hole golf course, not to mention some great walking tracks and peaceful verandahs and gardens in which to soak up the serenity. Further afield, the Grampians are a veritable playground for visitors of all dispositions. There are wineries, craft breweries, distilleries, world-renowned hiking trails and climbing sites, lakes in which to kayak or fish for trout, art galleries, cultural and historical centres, and plenty of good food.

Non-rider inclusions are the same as those for riding guests, minus the horse riding.