Parking
Zumsteins Picnic Area and Historical Site on Northern Grampians Road; the walk starts and finishes at the picnic-area carpark. Public toilets are available.
Overview
About Fish Falls Walk
Why go
- Terraced cascades over the MacKenzie River
- Mostly gentle river corridor
Heads up
- Rocky, slippery footing and water crossings
- Limited shade
The main drawback is the surface. If you want a smooth, easy stroll, the rocky and slippery patches will feel like work, and families with small children should factor that in. If you want more, the Mackenzie River Walk continues from Zumsteins as a longer 7 km return route toward Mackenzie Falls with more demanding crossings, rock hopping and scrambling. That is a separate, harder day out rather than an extension you should assume you will tack on.
Parkwolf’s verdictWorth knowing before you choose itMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Grampians map
Full mapElevation238–285 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
5 active Grampians alerts
- ClosureMackenzie Falls precinct closed during constructionMentions Mackenzie Falls, referenced in this guideThe Mackenzie Falls (Migunang wirab) Precinct has no vehicle or visitor access during major construction works expected to finish by the end of 2026.Official details
- ClosureBushfire-damaged walks and picnic area remain closedThe Fortress, Red Gum, Billimina, Chimney Pots and Brownings Loop walks, plus Mafeking Picnic Area, remain closed because of track or site damage from the 2024/25 summer bushfires.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grampians Tour Guide
Your drive to Fish Falls Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grampians National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Zumsteins: Cottages, River and Fish Falls0:00 / 1:05
“You're coming up on Zumsteins, where a short riverside walk takes you through the remains of an old holiday retreat. The historic loop is only about 250 metres, so allow 15 to 30 minutes to wander and read the signs.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grampians Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Wallaby in the Undergrowth
- A New Way Through the Gorge
- MacKenzie Falls: Choose Your Walk
- The Ducklings That Jump from Trees
- 233 audio storiesacross Grampians’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Short-beaked Echidna, Powerful Owl, Wedge-tailed Eagle, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 81 trails, 62 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Fish Falls Walk
The walkThis is an out-and-back from Zumsteins Picnic Area and Historical Site, and the distance quoted…
This is an out-and-back from Zumsteins Picnic Area and Historical Site, and the distance quoted is the full return trip: about 4.8 km with roughly 2.4 km each way. You follow the MacKenzie River upstream, then turn around and walk back the way you came.
What you see along the wayThe track threads through young eucalypt bushland beside the river, passing tranquil waterholes…
The track threads through young eucalypt bushland beside the river, passing tranquil waterholes and rocky escarpments before reaching Fish Falls, where the water drops through a series of terraced cascades over about 60 metres of rock into a pool at the base. Wedge-tailed eagles are sometimes seen overhead. It is a rewarding payoff for a short walk, and the river corridor itself is half the appeal rather than just the destination.
Difficulty and footingCall it moderate.
Call it moderate. The grade is gently undulating with only modest rolling relief, so the effort comes from the surface rather than the climbing. Expect rocky, uneven ground, some steeper pitches, rock hopping, and sections that get slippery near the water. Sturdy walking shoes with decent grip make a real difference. Reasonable fitness helps, and it is worth allowing 2 to 3 hours return so you are not rushing the trickier footing.
Water crossings and safetyThere are rock and water crossings along the route, and the river can run fast with submerged…
There are rock and water crossings along the route, and the river can run fast with submerged rocks and slick edges. The pool at Fish Falls is not a supervised or safe swimming spot, so treat it as somewhere to look at rather than get into. Keep back from wet rock at the falls and near crossings.
Practical detailsZumsteins has a carpark and a public toilet, and the walk starts and finishes there.
Zumsteins has a carpark and a public toilet, and the walk starts and finishes there. Dogs are not permitted in the national park, so leave pets at home; assistance dogs are covered by separate rules.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Grampians
157 sightingsShort-beaked EchidnaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
37 sightingsPowerful OwlMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
59 sightingsWedge-tailed EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
24 sightingsEastern Brown SnakeMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
10 sightingsTiger SnakeMost seen around noonSighting map
29 sightingsRed-bellied Black SnakeMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grampians. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
