10 FEBRUARY 2016: HALLS GAP

Next stop, the Grampians and Halls Gap.
We weren't sure just what we would find here, as in many ways it was an easy detour before we hit the Great Ocean Road, but it turned out to be one of the places we enjoyed the most on this Victorian trip and a stop - over we would have lengthened if we had known.

Will  all our luggage fit?

With a bit of re-arranging.

The 167,219 hectare  Grampians National Park (also known as Gariwerd),  260 kms. west of Melbourne, is a series of 5 sandstone mountain ranges.

Lake Bellfield: 

First stop, about 5kms. south of Halls Gap, a man-made reservoir dating from 1969.

Then on to Halls Gap, the most central town to the Grampians. The first settler was Charles Browning Hall who set out in search of a suitable grazing run in 1841. By following aboriginal tracks he came upon the gap which now bears his name. From here a number of walking trails begin.

Silverband Falls:

Early European visitors named these falls Silverband because of its narrow stream of water.

Fire:

Halls Gap was ravaged by fire in 2006 and only narrowly escaped a repeat in 2014 because of a wind change. 

Evidence of fire damage.

Brambuk:

Aboriginal people have always known the Grampians as Gariwerd. It is  a special and very spiritual place because of  the dreaming stories of Aboriginal people ( particularly the Djab Wurrung and the Jardwadjali, the traditional peoples of this area) and the abundance of food, water and shelter it provides. 

In the early 1980s Aboriginal communities came together with the idea to have a place where their unique culture could be preserved and promoted, and a place that created work opportunities for their peoples. Brambuk, 100% Aboriginal owned and operated, opened its doors in 1990.

The building is shaped in the form of a cockatoo in flight, the totem animal of the Djab Wurrung and the Jardwadjali.

There are a number of Scenic Lookouts, this one giving spectacular views of Lake Bellfield.

'Roos up close:

Where to go for dinner? It was a no-brainer once we heard about the free added-extra nightly entertainment available at the Views restaurant!

The kangaroos come right up to the restaurant windows at the prospect of bread......... and this cheeky cockatoo decided to steal a tasty snack.

McKenzie Falls:

Victoria's largest waterfall and one of a handful that flows year-round, these falls reach heights of 20 to 25 metres and is 20 metres wide.

We took the shorter walk to it!