183.-187th Day 17.03. - 21.03. Grampians National Park

Sunday 17.03.
In the dark at 5 am we got up in the car, packed our backpacks quickly and wanted to start driving. Armed with headlamps, Babse was scared for the first time by a big huntsman spider on the car door. In the dark night, we walked up the nearby hiking trail to the summit and after 1.5 hours we reached the summit. Once there, we felt really close to nature. Experiencing complete darkness, perceiving every sound and shortly afterwards being able to admire the first brightness, the sun rays and the sunrise together in solitude, that was spectacular.

A beautiful event. With freshly made coffee and porridge for breakfast at sunrise on the mountain peak, what could be better.

In the morning we went to an information center and got information about hiking trails. When we lay down in the meadow for a while, we were amazed when suddenly a deer stood next to us, the first wild deer in Australia. We then continued to a campsite and decided to hike the Grampians Peak Trail, a 3-day long trail. This takes 3 days, 37km and 2 overnight stays. In the evening, we also prepared our backpacks so that we are well equipped. Babse: 13kg, Christian: 16kg

Monday 18.03. - Wednesday 20.03.
The hike started in the afternoon, after we had deposited a 10l canister of drinking water at the second night camp. We started hiking and passed the Venus Baths, which are probably nice for bathing when there is a lot of water.

But since it had rained very little in the past few months, everything was relatively dry. The weight of the backpacks didn't feel that heavy and so we made good progress. 8km were planned for the first day, up to the Bugiga Hikerscamp.

On the way there we saw several hikers who were walking in steep terrain without a sun hat/cap, with only a small water bottle in 30°C and wearing flip-flops. We rightly shook our heads at that. We also met Sabi and Florian Gschwind, a couple from Augsburg, who had gotten a little lost. We gave them something to drink and accompanied them up the mountain and to their car. After a good conversation and topics, Babse, Sabi, Flo and I drank Goon, the cheap Tetra Pak wine, at their car. Babse and I walked the remaining kilometer and arrived at the camp, and we were both amazed. This camp is completely new, with privacy and cozy furnishings.

You also have a wonderful view. So we set up the tent, chatted with Australian neighbors and had rice with tuna and sauce for dinner.
The next day, we were the first ones ready for hiking and we set off at 8:30 am. On to the summit of Mount Rosea at 1009m above sea level. After a lunch break with hot noodle soup, we walked 8km downhill and reached Camp Borough Huts.

Shortly before the camp, we saw a snake from a bridge, my first poisonous snake in Australia. It was a Red Bellied Black Snake, in the top 10 of poisonous snakes and beautiful to look at with a length of about 2m.
We then met Carol & Cecile, two French women, and Siri, a Dutch woman, with whom we had a good conversation. We also worried about a German couple who we met on the way back. However, the two of them also arrived at the camp before sunset and we had fun around the campfire and talked about everything.
The next morning, the two of us left after the three other girls who were doing the same trail. But after about an hour, we caught up and the five of us completed the last 10km of the total 14km together. The shared path is much easier to complete, and since we all had the same goal, it was really pleasant. When we arrived at the car at noon, we said goodbye to each other and Babse and I treated ourselves to a good lunch and a long warm shower at a campsite. We drove back to the visitor center and checked out, letting them know that we had safely returned from the hike. In the evening, many kangaroos and wallabies came to the nearby playground and grazed peacefully.

Thursday 21.03.

Early in the morning, we went to the Brambuk Visitor Centre, where we took part in an Aboriginal tour. In addition to the two of us, there were two older women from northern Germany. Paul, our guide with Aboriginal ancestors, explained a lot to us about his ancestors, showed us one of their highest god's refuge and demonstrated various tools to us. We also saw several emus and learned that emu mothers party again after laying eggs and that the men take care of the children.

At noon, we had a good meal and we received a 'Bush Tucker' course, little tips and tricks for eating in the bush. Afterwards, I played the didgeridoo with Paul and we all got to throw boomerangs, which worked really well.

Since we hadn't paid yet and didn't want to be freeloaders, we had to give away another $380 and then quickly made our way out of the Grampians.

We visited MacKenzie Falls and then hit the road towards SA, South Australia, and towards Adelaide. We made a stop at a pink lake, as it was a salt lake with lots of algae.

Very beautiful to look at and with a spontaneous nude photo and packed salt, we continued to the border. There is a small rest area and we slept very well after dinner and a few beers.