8.1.19 Grampians: McKenzie Falls & Halls Gap: Here Venus bathed

8.1.19

Sleep in until 9:00 am, because today I don't have to drive as much. Just about 70m to the left of my hotel is the "Harvest", a nice, eco-friendly breakfast restaurant. So they have great cereal and delicious coffee here, but not necessarily at a bargain price. But you can sit inside or outside and it's nice and quiet. So I enjoy this relaxed morning and don't leave until 11am. The destination is the McKenzie Falls. I'm not necessarily a fan of waterfalls, but if I'm here, I have to check it out. The alternative would be a few hikes and today it's supposed to be brutally hot - no thanks. So I drive about 20km from Halls Gap through the forests on Zumstein Road (what a name!) to the parking lot at McKenzie Falls. It's almost full and I'm glad to find a parking spot in the blazing sun. There's a paved path here that's easy to walk. Alternatively, you can walk down (and back up) 260 steps to see the falls from below and up close. The warning signs never end, that you shouldn't do that if you're not fit, you should definitely bring water, and definitely not attempt the descent if you have any health problems. Why? There's no cellphone network here and if something happens to someone, it will take a person who can make the climb and then get help - which can take up to 1.5 hours until the arrival of paramedics - possibly too long to help someone with a circulatory collapse or a serious injury in time. So I stay at the top and look at the falls from a few perspectives from above, and once again wonder how many old and significantly overweight people are making the descent. Some are standing in the blazing sun on the steps and are obviously busy climbing back up with their grandchildren. That looks worrying in many cases and I don't want to witness a human tragedy. It's already 32°C up here, probably 40°C down there.

The car is overheating and I'm glad to have air conditioning here. Since my item for today is checked off, I drive a bit aimlessly further along Zumstein Road and want to see what Zumstein looks like. What a desolation I drive through here. Zumstein consists of 3 houses. Endless aridity all around me. I see a larger lizard on the side of the road and follow this seemingly endless straight road further north. Where is the next house around here?

In Horsham, about 60km past McKenzie Falls, I reach civilization again. The city has about 17,000 inhabitants and is the eleventh largest city in the state of Victoria. I treat myself to a milkshake and a lemon meringue and then drive back to Halls Gap via the A8 - on the eastern edge of the Grampians.

The kangaroos are busy feeding again. But I grab my jacket, change from sandals to hiking boots, and walk to the so-called Venus Baths. A grandiosely enchanted hiking trail along great vegetation, the gurgling Stony Creek, and huge rock formations hanging over me leads to a terrain where the creek flows over several rocks and fills various pools. Unfortunately, there's a slightly larger family here with screaming children. So a few pictures and then complete the circular path. The path of about 2.5km is overall easy, but sometimes quite uneven, so I'm glad I'm wearing my boots. After about an hour, I'm back in Halls Gap and since today the hot spot of the place is open, I treat myself to a great dinner. During this trip, I haven't really cared about good food and there haven't been many nice restaurants anyway. So today it's going to be different. The Kookaburra Hotel on the next corner has a restaurant that is very well-known - also because it apparently has a great selection of beer ;-).

Blackened barramundi with scampi and a large beer - what a feast!