The Grampians Motel & The Views Restaurant

“A star ⭐️ for the special spot and its wildlife, a star ⭐️ for the host!”

This humble motel gets 3 stars for its welcoming, no-fuss no-frills approach, a star for the amazing location and wildlife, and a star just for Michael, the face of the place. This is our third year running that we have come the extra couple of km up the Fyans valley past Halls Gap town centre to… more

This humble motel gets 3 stars for its welcoming, no-fuss no-frills approach, a star for the amazing location and wildlife, and a star just for Michael, the face of the place. This is our third year running that we have come the extra couple of km up the Fyans valley past Halls Gap town centre to roost, and every night the Pinnacle and the Boofhead (it has another Euro name, but Boofhead suits it we think) fade into silhouette as we sit by the fire pit. Each morning the roos are up before us, and most days they will be joined by emu and deer along with maggies, currawong, crimson rosellas, sulphurs and superb wrens. In spring there are joeys and there are boy roos sparring to keep us entertained. It’s a half hour walk into town, or you can do a 16km loop up to Sundial Peak, along the Wonderland Range via the Pinnacle then down to Halls Gap, when the track to Sundial from Lake Bellfield reopens after the fires of last summer. We can’t praise the host Michael highly enough. He’s the proof that it’s as much who you’re staying with as it is where you’re staying. Previous hosts have been ok, not terrible but not inspiring any sense of connection either. He gets that you need to lean in a bit; when we had to change our plans at short notice in June this year he was super helpful, and we were able to move to September. We hope the owner can keep him, as he is a delightful reminder of a time before corporate chain motels, when you bought more than a roof for a night, you made a connection. It doesn’t have to be a profound relationship of course, but a little goes a long way: remembering your name, asking how your day went, helping swiftly when something isn’t right. Michael reminded me of how many places we’ve stayed in where this proprietorial pride and professional affection is missing. Reception staff are there to receive you, however dead behind the eyes they may seem, and they do what’s on the label. Why would they try harder? They’re there to do their underpaid duty, no more. I did a job like that as a student - I was powerless to help much beyond the job title anyway. But when an owner sees fit to employ someone with some managerial clout, who can welcome you like the place is theirs and your experience matters personally to them, then you feel special. You feel looked after. Granted, the motel itself is ageing and the grounds need some love. There can’t be much money in the bank, you have to guess. But it’s such a special spot, and Michael and staff made us feel so special, that we are adding this genuine 5 star review hoping more people will visit and that the place will get as well looked-after as we were made to feel there.

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“Superb location”

I chose the Grampians Motel purely and simply because I wanted a room with a bath at a reasonable price, and the superior rooms offer just that. It’s an older-style property, pretty basic in design and decor, but it was clean and I was travelling solo and spending my days hiking, and my room had ev… more

I chose the Grampians Motel purely and simply because I wanted a room with a bath at a reasonable price, and the superior rooms offer just that. It’s an older-style property, pretty basic in design and decor, but it was clean and I was travelling solo and spending my days hiking, and my room had everything I needed so no problems at all. The iron, hairdryer and basic crockery/cutlery/microwave all came in useful. There was also a toaster and kettle. The coffee machine was great, and definitely a bonus, but there were only 2 capsules and I used them on my first morning. Location is lovely (lots of wildlife) but it’s is a bit far from Halls Gap to walk if you’re heading out to eat/drink in the evening. The onsite restaurant was closed due to staff shortage when I stayed in mid-March.

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“Clean and comfortable older style room. Great location.”

The location was excellent. Staff were very friendly. I was disappointed to get there and find the restaurant was closed due to not being able to get a chef. I stayed in a standard room. It was a basic, older style motel room which has been renovated - amateurishly however it was clean and the bed… more

The location was excellent. Staff were very friendly. I was disappointed to get there and find the restaurant was closed due to not being able to get a chef. I stayed in a standard room. It was a basic, older style motel room which has been renovated - amateurishly however it was clean and the bed was very comfortable. I would suggest calling and checking what is supplied and not relying on website advertising- it is not accurate.

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