We left home in Adelaide at about 9 am. We had planned to get up early but it was a very cold morning and we just couldn't get out of our warm bed, but we're on holidays and we have all day to get to Halls Gap. We drove up through Chain of Ponds which is always a great drive and we kept a lookout for kangaroos which we often see along this road, but this morning must have been too cold for them too. What a beautiful morning to be on the road, the sun glistening on the grass, and the rolling hills, through Gumeracha and Birdwood and then Coonalpyn where we stopped for a break. From Coonalpyn we kept going only stopping for a quick bite to eat until Horsham where we refuelled and then on to Halls Gap. We arrived late in the afternoon and after reorganising our booking we set ourselves up on a site near the cabins. Kirsten and Michael and their children had arrived earlier and they had gone back into Halls Gap for some pizza. By the time they got back we had our tea organised and we spent some time with them before Jeannie & David arrived.
They surprised us with their new van and tow vehicle so we had to have an inspection and we all agreed it was a great van and Ron was very keen to see David's Lexus with all the upmarket accessories.
We had booked in to Takaru Caravan Park near Lake Bellfield.
We all had a good night's sleep and woke to the early morning shrieking of the cockatoos and soon the children were all up and running around so we reluctantly got showered and dressed and we all decided to do our own thing for breakfast. It was a beautiful morning and looking towards the rocky cliffs behind the park was a really wonderful view. After breakfast we were all keen to chat as it had been 12 months since we were all together on the houseboat and the morning was spent catching up. The next ones to arrive were Donna and David and their children and it was great to see them all again as it has been a few years since we saw them at our reunion at Pichi Richi, Quorn. Not long after Luke & Simone and their children arrived and it was introductions all around as Simone had not met the others before and it had been a long time since Jeannie & David had seen Luke and their children. By the time they all got settled into their cabins, Kylie & David and their children arrived and we again were all pleased to see them again.
We now had everyone there, 12 adults in all and 10 children. The children had their scooters so they were all playing on them and were getting used to each other which was great to see them interacting. We went for a walk with them to see the kangaroos which were resting at the back of the park. There were quite a number of them just sitting and lying around and Noah was particularly interested in them and we had to remind him not to scare them and to let him know they sometimes could be aggressive but he seemed to be very careful and just wanted to stand and look at them.
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| Takaru bush camp,Grampians |
The children loved running around and visiting the kangaroos who mainly kept to the back of the park during the day.
We arranged to hire a half drum camp fire and wood so we soon had our campfire blazing away and we certainly needed it as the days were sunny but cold and the nights were extremely cold.
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| Around the campfire |
Sunday morning was another cold morning but we soon discovered the camp kitchen and headed there with our breakfast supplies. Ron got the fire going and the children were keen to help but we managed to get more smoke than flames at first. The children had so much fun toasting marshmallows and enjoyed finding some wood to put on the fire but it was a challenge keeping them safe near the fire but luckily there were no accidents. Back in the kitchen Michael was cooking bacon and eggs for the kids so Ron got the pancakes going and we soon had everyone fed.
After breakfast we (the girls) decided to go to the Market in Halls Gap, and amazingly the boys also decided to come and have a look too, so we headed off for Halls Gap and the market. After wandering around Jeannie came back with a dozen farm eggs, Kirsten & Simone had found some nice hand made hair accessories for Amelie & Taleah. We went back to camp and put the kettle on and organised some lunch as well.
Everyone was keen to do a walk but we had trouble deciding which walk to go on, so the boys got out their maps and after some discussion decided to drive to Mackenzie Falls.
We all hopped in the cars and set off, a little uneasy about seeing a police car ahead pulling over the unsuspecting, but by the time we got there they decided to wave us on so we breathed a sigh of relief, and headed on towards Mackenzie Falls.
There has been a lot of flooding in the area around Halls Gap and some roads have been closed, so we had a long drive out to Mackenzie Falls, through Zumsteins which has closed because of the damage. Apparently Zumsteins was flooded because too much water was let out of Lake Wartook dam.
The walk down the steps to the bottom of Mackenzie Falls was closed but we were able to walk to the lookout and to Broken Falls.
As our time in Halls Gap was only for the weekend we sadly had to leave on Monday morning and all agreed that we could have easily spent another week there as we only did the one walk, but of course there is always next time. |
| Noah loved watching the Kangaroos |
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| All the grandchildren having some fun |
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