Getting up with the dawn and onto the lawn we encountered a big family of furry jumpers. It had kangaroos of many sizes, ranging from a joey in a pouch over small ones and up to the huge male leader. Tiptoeing closer we could actually stand up to one metre in front of them before they decided we were too bothersome and hopped away. They were wild kangaroos and probably the same ones we encountered last night. After we were able to part from our new furry friends, we were also bid adieu by by deers and a stag upon boarding the bus.
Today’s itinerary saw us stand on the edge – on the edge of two lookouts over the national park and its natural gloriousness. The first one was Boroka Loukout where the view was nothing short of spectacular. Clouds were lingering around far away mountains, the light was glistening on the calm lake surfaces and a breeze was only softly sweeping through the green foliage to our feet in the valley.
Then we drove down again and had a short hike to the Silverband Falls since the actual waterfall we wanted to see has been closed for a while. It was a pretty little sight and even though it hadn’t rained in a while there was water coming down and flowing away between boulders and into the green forest.
For a morning break we paid a visit to Brambuk in Halls Gap, where I delighted in a little treat for myself: lemon myrtle damper, wattle seed cream and quandong marmalade. It was pretty hard to choose since I wanted to try something with the wattle seed in it and there were several yummy looking options.
The wattle is Victoria’s state flower and its colours have become the national colours of Australia since it shines in the brightest green and yellow during its blossoming time. I had already encountered this beautiful tree in New Zealand but here it is everywhere. Said tree’s seeds was the specialty in Brambuk. It is Australia’s most common bush food throughout the country and high in protein, carbs and fibre, among other things. Also good to know is that it is suitable for diabetics and provides a lot of energy.
By the way, Brambuk is the aboriginal word for Cockatoo as well as the totem animal of the area with its five communities. On site we thus also found a museum and exhibition hall – inspired and imitating the bird in flight -, where we learned more about aboriginal culture and their still ongoing struggle of acceptance within their home continent. One of the longest paragraphs on what classifies as an Aborigine is about lack of acceptance and social struggles. Just think about it: part of what what makes an Aboriginal an Aboriginal nowadays is being discriminated. I can only shake my head in sadness.
As I already mentioned, we also stepped up to a second lookout and got an even better view. Also the walk towards it was a bit hard but definitely worth it, with interesting rock formations, quirky rocks piles covering a whole area (I wonder who took the time and effort to make all these?) and beautiful wattle forest. Of course, I couldn’t help but take silly jumping photos on the bigger rock piles.
Our last stop that day saw me matched perfectly with nature, blending into it, really. I had my recently pink dyed hair, pink jacket, pinkish necklace and stood in front of a pink lake. Who says you shouldn’t dress up while travelling? It makes for good photos and brilliant moments.
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