Days out...

We went for a day out now that we have a car and what a great day it was! We decided to go to the Grampian mountains so drove to a town called Halls Gap (it's a little gateway town from whence you take a narrow road past Elephants Hide something-or-other and make your way into the mountains to revel in their majesty!) We stopped first at Boroka Lookout which would have been magnificent I am sure but for the fact that the mist rolled in as we arrived and blocked our view of most of the valley! Isaac was very excited by the fact that he could see the 'clouds moving in' though so it made it worthwhile anyway ("can you believe it mum, we're in the clouds!") We moved on a few miles past Wonderland(!) and made our way to Mckenzie Falls. Now before we started our tramp round the area we decided to get out the portable cooker and cook some sausages for lunch (felt I had to enter into the Australian spirit of things and cook something outdoors with which to fill our empty tummies) but before I could even say 'get those snags in the pan Bri' (you have to read that with an Australian twang to get the gist of course) a wallaby hops right up to within 20 metres of where we were sitting! Not only did that send Evie into fits of delight but there was a joey nestled (rather comfortably it seemed) in its pouch.... well that made us all smile with delight and out came the camera for a Kodak moment.....

Photos taken and sausage sandwiches consumed, we headed round to the lookout from where we would be able to see the splendour of McKenzie Falls. This was a 2km round trip which was described as 'an easy walk along the bluff', right up my street I felt, so we sauntered along looking at lots of burnt trees (there was a serious bush fire in this part of the Grampians about 18 months ago and although the leaves are back on the trees the trunks are all still blackened) and admiring a plant called Kangaroo Tail. We got to the lookout and what a splendid sight it was.... however, it was quickly noticed by at least half of our pack that there were people down at the base of the falls enjoying a much more splendid view and so a cry went up that we walk back to the car park and take the path leading us down to the base of the falls. Now, I don't want to sound like a party pooper but I had read the notice saying it was a 'strenuous track for the fit and energetic' and though only a 1.2km round trip people coming back up looked like they were about to have a cardiac arrest. I am not a fan of walking up anything and did feel an excuse coming on but gritted my teeth and said with all joy and exuberance 'OK let's do it' (words I would later come to regret). We made it down no problem and it was beautiful at the bottom with both Evie and Isaac walking round to the side of the falls and getting thoroughly soaked but then came the bit for the fit and energetic (words which could not be used to describe me!), the climb back up! Well, I must have looked just like the rest of the people I had witnessed completing the trek for I felt sure I was about to have that cardiac arrest!

 

We stopped at Halls Gap on the way back from the mountains and fortified ourselves with an ice cream (accompanied by a waffle, maple syrup and whipped cream in my case) and a play in the local play park.

Oh the joys of days out.... bring on the next one I say.