After another sleep in we rode the bikes to McKenzie Falls, a short distance down a dirt road. There was a fairly steep walk down to the base of the falls, which was an effort after our hike yesterday. We stayed at this camp spot for the day, and Olive seemed to be acting up a bit maybe being a little unsettled back on the road? Clare headed out on a bike ride to get away from it all, but ended up going the wrong way and not finding the promised lake. Rob met a single traveler from NZ, on only her third night of an indefinite trip, who had been inspired to undertake the grey nomad lifestyle after working with cancer patients. Her lesson learnt was to live for today. We have dubbed Olive the Chair Nazi as she so insistently makes Mum sit in ‘mums chair’ and screams if anyone else sits in it. Same goes for using the right bowl, the right water bottle and even the right stubby holder. Watch out Sharon, not sure if you will be able to touch anything!!

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We left late again after sleeping in. Across the road from our camp spot, was ‘Sisters Rocks’ – graffiti covered boulders just outside Stawell. We then went into Stawell for the only thing of interest to us – the Stawell Gift Hall of Fame Museum. Alas it was closed for renovations. We continued on 25km to Halls Gap, the gateway to the Grampians National Park. After collecting all the info we needed from the National Park Office, we decided to tick off the top 5 things to do in the Grampians. First was The Wonderland, an aptly named area of the park. A walking track passed through Victoria’s Grand Canyon, Bungle Bungle-like rock formations, along a narrow rock chasm called Silent Street then onto the Pinnacle, a lookout perched atop the highest peak overhanging a huge cliff. Not for the feint hearted – or those carrying a now 11.5kg toddler on their back! The Views were well worth the 2hr hike. Our hiking fitness has dropped off while resting in Melbourne, and we both felt exhausted. Next were great views from Boroka and Reed Lookouts, the Balconies, then onto our campsite at Smith’s Mill near McKenzie Falls, where we took an early evening stroll to explore the old mill site at dusk.

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We were slow to get up and pack up, getting used to our old routine again. It was a hot day forecast, and we were heading to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, a recreated gold mining town. As touristy as it is, it was a great experience. The whole town is set up to seem so real, with people dressed in period costume, play-acting all day. Some of the highlights were gold panning, gold pouring, and interacting with some old timers. Olive loved the draught horses that continually passed us taking people for a carriage ride around the town. We left the historic town around 2pm, with plans to get to the Grampians by evening. We changed plans as we drove along – as we are known to do – and stopped for a rest at Ararat and had a quick look around town, then found a place to stay just outside of Stawell.

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Today we continue our journey, heading west towards Perth. We decided not to include Tassie on this round Australia trip as we had a holiday there a couple of years ago. We have been at Pam and John’s for just short of a month, and during that time Olive has continued to learn and develop. It was a hot day, summer has finally arrived in time for us to move on. We busied ourselves in the morning with last minute things. We finally got all packed and ready to go at 2pm. Olive was well aware that this was the last goodbye for quite a while, and was very upset as we drove away. We stopped at Leanne’s to drop off a few more things in storage, and said goodbye to her. We drove to Ballarat, just 1.5 hours away, but it seemed a long way for us today. All we could think of was finding a caravan park with a pool to cool off. It was such a warm night that we kept the back door open and used our rear tent for the second time of the trip.

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We all had a morning full of appointments. Rob had to see the dentist about some fillings, Clare took Olive for a late 18 mth checkup, and mum took her car in for a service. We juggled our time and cars to get everyone where they needed to be, and back for lunch. After much deliberation we ended up going to a café at the local shopping centre, where we shouted Pam and John lunch for being such generous hosts. The menu was great, and we were happy with our selections. In the afternoon, Leanne brought the kids over for a final sleep over, the last chance for the girls to play together before we leave again tomorrow.

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The job we had been putting off since arriving in Melbourne – cleaning the van – was started and finished today. Uncle Johnny and Bernie came to dinner and to see us while in town. We ended up watching a 20/20 cricket match Aus v RSA on TV. We also stayed up late chatting to Pam as this is one of our last nights at their house.

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Today was a day to restock and shop. We bought a gift for mum and dad/Pam and John, as a thankyou for letting us inhabit their house for as long as we have. Mum and dad went to a wedding for Rob’s cousin’s daughter Ashlee in the city. So we had the place to ourselves. We felt a little freedom upon us, we cooked a favourite meal, watched TV programs that we wanted, and put our feet up on the lounge (just joking Pam!).

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