Parking
Use the Halls Gap Botanic Gardens parking area off School Road, near the town-side start and Stony Creek Bridge.
Overview
About Venus Baths Loop Walk
An easy 2.3 km circuit beside Stony Creek, walked as a closed loop rather than an out-and-back, taking about 1 hour. It rates Australian Grade 2 and starts a short stroll from the centre of Halls Gap.
Why go
- Natural sandstone pools beside Stony Creek
- Easy circuit close to Halls Gap
Heads up
- Pools can dry up
- One side has steps and uneven ground
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grampians map
Full mapElevation239–313 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
5 active Grampians alerts
- 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
- ClosureMackenzie Falls precinct closed during constructionThe 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grampians Tour Guide
Your drive to Venus Baths Loop 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
Halls Gap and Venus Baths0:00 / 0:51
“You're coming up on Halls Gap, a handy place to pair a food stop with an easy walk beside Stony Creek. The village has places to eat, a general store and fuel, all beneath a steep sandstone backdrop.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grampians Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Boronia Peak: A Quieter Summit
- The Pinnacle from Wonderland
- Chatauqua Peak and Clematis Falls
- Boroka Lookout: The Valley Below
- 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 Venus Baths Loop Walk
The routeBegin near Stony Creek Bridge at the Halls Gap Botanic Gardens and follow the creek-side path…
Begin near Stony Creek Bridge at the Halls Gap Botanic Gardens and follow the creek-side path upstream through eucalypts and ferny understorey. The walk reaches Venus Baths, a smooth sandstone shelf where the creek has carved natural pools, then returns along the opposite side of the creek to the gardens and bridge access.
PayoffThe reward is the sculpted rock shelf and deeper pools, set among boulders and running water.
The reward is the sculpted rock shelf and deeper pools, set among boulders and running water. It is a quiet, low-effort outing that suits families and anyone wanting scenery without a climb.
Difficulty and surfacesMostly flat, with compacted, paved and short bridge sections.
Mostly flat, with compacted, paved and short bridge sections. The gardens-side path is level enough for prams. The opposite approach includes steps and uneven ground, so a pram or wheeled access works best as a there-and-back on the flat side rather than the full loop.
Access and parkingPark in the Halls Gap Botanic Gardens area off School Road, where picnic and barbecue…
Park in the Halls Gap Botanic Gardens area off School Road, where picnic and barbecue facilities sit near the town-side start.
Rules and hazardsDogs and domestic pets are not allowed in the national park; assistance dog entry is covered by…
- Dogs and domestic pets are not allowed in the national park; assistance dog entry is covered by separate rules.
- No fires, camping, bicycles, horses, fishing, generators or firearms.
- Expect slippery rock, uneven ground, unstable cliffs and the chance of falling trees or limbs.
If you want moreFor a longer, harder day with big views, the Halls Gap to The Pinnacle circuit is the obvious…
For a longer, harder day with big views, the Halls Gap to The Pinnacle circuit is the obvious step up. Venus Baths is the short, low-effort water and rock-pool option.
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.
