Grampians

 After leaving Port Elliot we headed inland to the Grampians National Parks. It is one of my favorite parks I’ve been to so I was really excited to get to spend a bit more time there. We did a bunch of walks I wasn’t able to visit the first time around. 

The Grampians are interesting, they are surrounded by long flat landscape, with barely perceptible rolling hills. Most of the surrounding lands are agricultural with huge grassy pastures for hours in all directions, but then seemingly out of nowhere, there Grampians burst out of the ground. The nearly 1000m granite mountains tower over the surrounding lands. The roads go from long, straight and wide to hairpin turns around cliffs seemingly barely wide enough for 2 cars. Waterfalls spring from the rocks with more water than seems right coming from out of the top of these mountains. The grampians surround a dam-lake with the town of Halle Gap situated below the dam. From the top of the mountains you can overlook the town watching the cockatoos flying far below. 

We stayed in Halls Gap in a beautiful little cabin. It was a bit funny, as it seemed to be themed like a Swiss cabin from the 80s. New looking fixtures were clearly dated, everything was a light stained wood, and there were pictures of deer and bunnies on the walls. Quite odd in a country where deer and bunnies are a detrimental invasive species. 

Behind our cabin a large mob of kangaroos and emus fed in the open fertile grass. They were none too bothered by us and other guests watching them happily feed. Overall it was a relaxing stay, and a place I will happily return again.