Saturday 28^th January, 2012

In the early morning we started with litres of water, food and my walking sticks. We drove to the Wonderland Carpark. There we started the hike to the Pinnacles. There were many lizards taking a sunbath. Our way led through a small gorge with the name Grand Canyon, then passed the Bridal Veil Fall. Only we saw neither a bridal veil nor a waterfall. Higher up we passed the Silent Street, where you only should hear your own steps. I agree with the travel guide: you hear only yourself and no animal sounds. At the top we had a beautiful view over Halls Gap, the surrounding mountain range and into the plain. There were many other people on that track. But the shoes of some of them were shocking: flip-flops are definitively not the right choice for a rocky hike. When going back we chose another route, but somehow with Konrad as guide we short-cut it through a gap in the rocks to the original track. Back at the carpark we took another track to a waterfall. I think except of us nobody was interested in that fall, because we were alone on that track. Finally we found a nice fall, but unfortunately with very little water. But no wonder, it is summer and then water is rare in Australia. Sometimes we also heard and saw parrots on that track. Next stop was Boroka Lookout. Here you see over Halls Gap and its surrounding from another side. As it now was about noon, we continued to the Reed Lookout. From here you see to the west into the Victoria Vally. The temperature was nice 32° C and we still had some energy left, so we walked to the Balconies. This is the most famous motif for taking pictures in the Grampians National Park. It is forbidden to stand on these rock noses as they could break, but there are always some who cannot resist, just to get the ultimate picture. We could resist, but had to wait until I could make a picture which was free of people. With tired legs we made a stroll through Halls Gap to finish the afternoon. The town is very long, but the main part is very small. It is similar to Davos, but much smaller. Also here they are living mainly from tourism.