Day 39: Mount Gambier - Hamilton - Grampians National Park (Halls Gap)

Yesterday, Samuel couldn't fall asleep at all. It took him about 2 hours to finally fall asleep. I think Michi and I dozed off a few times before him. Nevertheless, we are all awake early today (7:30am).

It was quite cold last night and we used our heater for the first time. Some time ago, we never would have thought that we would need electricity for heating and not for cooling.

We have breakfast and the men get the motorhome ready for travel (filling the water tank, emptying the wastewater and toilet, turning off the gas, disconnecting the electricity). The little man is very eager to help with all the handyman work around the motorhome.

Today our journey continues eastward. We say goodbye to New South Wales and hello to Victoria. Changing states also means changing the time by half an hour. We are now 9 hours ahead of Austria.

We make a stop in Hamilton on the way and restock our food supplies at Aldi/Hofer. Most of the products are much cheaper than at Coles and Woolworths (about 30%, there are also beer and wine at great prices). We are happy to find some products that are familiar from home and buy sausages and cheese. Aldi/Hofer in Australia also has special offers like toys, lawnmowers, etc. The brands/packaging are the same as in Austria.

The landscape is once again very green and dominated by agriculture. It is mostly flat until the border of Grampians National Park. Only short sections remind us of the hilly landscape of Mühlviertel at home. We are excited for the change of scenery with the mountains of Grampians and enjoy the approximately 60 km drive from the park border to Halls Gap. Michi takes the kids to the playground and I pick up brochures/hiking maps at the information center. With such a large selection of campsites, it's hard to choose. After some back and forth, we decide on Big4 Grampians Park Gate Resort a bit outside of town. Here we have a playground and a pool. The gray clouds have cleared and we want to go for a swim again. The last time was a while ago (Ayres Rock).

However, first we are hungry and we grill kangaroo steaks at the campsite's BBQ. Unfortunately, we have to move our dinner to the camp kitchen because the flies attack us at the BBQ area. You have to be careful that these cheeky pests don't end up in your mouth with the steak. Finally, at 6:30pm, we explore the pool. Luckily, one of the two pools is heated. The temperatures here in the south are significantly cooler than in the Red Center.

Back in the camper, we then discover a few kangaroos outside of the campsite, but clearly visible from our pitch. Despite the proper farewell 'Bye bye kangaroos', Sami's falling asleep procedure takes more than 1.5 hours again today.

1st December 2016

Accommodation: Big4 Grampians Park Gate Resort (1 night 35 AUD, nice well-maintained site, very clean, beautiful pool area, great playground/pillow, birds and kangaroos at/near the site)

Weather: cloudy & sunny in the afternoon, 22 degrees Celsius

230 kilometers today, total 6,794 km