Halls Gap Hiking

Once we were reunited we had a fun weekend at Halls Gap to look forward to. Halls Gap is a summer holiday destination in the Grampians National Park and resembles something very similar to a 1950s American resort mixed in with some Aussie charm. Its masterpiece however is that it boasts miles and miles of scenic hiking as well as some unbelievable wildlife encounters. We were not dissapointed.

First off on the 3 hour drive there we stopped off in the old Gold Rush town of Ararat hoping to have a tour of the Aradale Mental Asylum in the town which is has been close for 2 decades but is where 13,000 people, both patients and staff alike, met their end. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, the Asylum was closed for tours on that day however and so instead we got Milkshake and cadried on the car journey.

Finally we arrived at the lovely cottage we were staying in and after a quick check for spiders (apparently some of the biggest and deadliest spiders are inhabitants of Halls Gap) to calm someones nerves, we went out to spot some wildlife. It didn’t take long at all, in fact, right outside in the field round the back of the cottage there were a group of Kangaroos right there getting some shade under the trees. They are amazing things, we saw a lot of them over the next couple of days but the appeal and excitement over them never faded, the way they hop and crawl around is fantastic as well as there human like expressions. It has to be said however, one Kangaroo almost did startle us both and make us lose our ice creams when it jumped out of a bush a metre from us! Indeed, after the Kangaroo, we even spotted an Emu walking casually down the street.

The next day we woke early and slapped some suncream on and went hiking up the whats know as ‘The Pinnacle’ a rocky ridge poking out of the forests some 700m above the town itself. The views from the summit were incredible and we could see for miles, however, a combination of the 30 degree heat and 9km hike took it out of us and we gladly jumped into the cool pool back down in the town when we got back right after an ice cream.

The next day, a slightly more relaxing, flatter, and easier hike awaited us, going past somewhere called Fish Falls and then coming out at Mackenzie Falls. This stunning waterfall cascaded down a sheer rock face into a lovely turquoise plunge pool below surrounded by boulders and forests. It was  sheer bliss. However, we reluctantly pulled ourselves away and back to the cottage for a nice cold beverage and some dinner. What we did not expect however is to meet 10 Yellow Crested Cockatoo’s sitting on our table outside when we just had one eating soms bread to begin with. The whole gang turned up and they without doubt the coolest birds I have ever seen. They clutched the bread with their claws and ate it like a human would eat a banana, not to mention the fact that they were so gentle and thankful when we fed them, taking the food out of our hands with great care. I loved them and was sad to leave them the next day as well as the ‘Roos, but it was time to move on to Sydney after what was an absolutely incredible

Will 😊