The park is set up for proper camp cooking, with two outdoor (undercover) camp kitchens sitting on either side of the lake, each with electric barbecues, covered dining pavilions and communal fridges. We grilled dinner as the birds came in to roost over the water, then carried it to the fire pit seating for the evening. Just remember to pack your own plates, bowls and cooking gear.

For a night off cooking, the steady stream of takeaway traffic at New Hong Kong Chinese and Malaysian Restaurant tells you everything you need to know. We joined the queue for laksa and honey chicken to eat back at the park by the lake.

For morning coffee, Pachamama Cafe on Main Street pulls an excellent flat white and does a tasty cooked breakfast.

You do not even need to leave the park to start exploring, because Cato Lake is right on the doorstep. We wandered the lakeside path early one morning with mist still sitting on the water and counted ducks, corellas and herons before breakfast, and the new pool and outdoor sauna back at the park made the perfect afternoon wind-down.

Stawell itself wears its gold rush history proudly. Climb Big Hill for a lookout over the whole town, browse the story of the world's richest footrace at the Stawell Gift Hall of Fame, and stop at Sisters Rocks, the huge granite boulders just south of town. If you are here over Easter, the Stawell Gift carnival takes over the town, so book well ahead.

The main event is Grampians National Park, with Halls Gap around half an hour's drive from the park. We ticked off the Pinnacle walk from Sundial car park, the viewing platforms at Reed Lookout and MacKenzie Falls in a single day, and the kids can get up close to dingoes and giraffes at Halls Gap Zoo. Bunjil's Shelter, one of southern Victoria's most significant Aboriginal rock art sites, is an easy detour on the way.

Wine lovers are spoiled, with the Great Western wine region starting barely fifteen minutes down the highway. Take the daily underground cellar tour at Seppelt, where tunnels dug by gold miners now cellar sparkling shiraz, then taste through the range at Best's Great Western, family owned since 1866. Check Visit Grampians for seasonal events and itineraries around the northern Grampians.

We loved waking early to mist rising off Cato Lake with the birdlife in full voice, and if you are eyeing an Easter stay, book months ahead because the Stawell Gift carnival fills the whole town.