We started the day by getting ready (in our dark but pleasant dorm) and awaiting pickup. It was time for our second Groovy Grape tour! This time our guide is called Altair, and originates from Kazakstan. Our fellow travellers include girls from Mexico and Finland (from the previous tours) and other travellers from Switzerland, Gernany and the UK. A slightly smaller group, we set off on the damp but civilised roads towards the Grampians.
On arrival, eight ours later, we did a short walk down some steps to the base of McKenzie Falls. These falls were impressive and it was a novelty to see a river with water in it! Next we went onto The Balconies lookout, where we saw a lake with water in it too! The lookout gave a hazy but atmospheric view over the Grampians, which are bushy to one side but quite bare on the other. This is due to the January 2014 bush fires, which tore across the face of the mountain towards the town of Halls Gap. Luckily, thanks to a mudslide three years earlier creating a barren strip above the town, the fire did not spread to the town, which we are staying in now.
On the outskirts of Halls Gap we found a group of wild kangaroos, and wandered over to have a closer look. These Kangaroos were Grey Southern ones, different to the red desert ones. Peering closely at one of the larger ones, I realised it had a joey in its pouch! The baby Kangaroo was poking its head and legs out, admiring the view. It even nibbled a bit of grass when its mother bent over to eat (although occasionally getting roughly shoved back into its pouch...). What an amazing sight to end the day with.
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