Skip to navigation


Australia: The Grampians

The rock formation called the Balconies
The Balconies

Interestingly – at least, interestingly when compared to Warrnambool – Tuesday turned out to be a Bad Shoe Day. By accident I left my pair of incredibly smelly and rotting canvas shoes in the car park at Loch Ard Gorge, which was sentimentally tough but a good thing in retrospect, and then that night my thongs snapped1. I prayed that God would look after their little lost soles, and tried to move on.

Lost at the Pinnacle

A view over the Grampians
The views from the high points of the Grampians are simply stunning

Having said that, a funny thing happened to me in the Grampians when I went on the day-long Wonderland Tour walk the following day. I was making my merry way to the first stop on the walk – Venus Falls it was called, though the summer had reduced it to Venus Dribbles – when I came across a couple having a rest in the shade. Well, we got a-talkin', as you do when walking these tracks, and they invited me to walk with them, so I did, not having so much as talked to anyone for about a week. Up to the Pinnacle we trudged, me, Dave and Karen, eventually getting to the top – the views you wouldn't believe! – and then continuing along the trail, following the white arrows painted on the rocks.


1 This is not as rude as it sounds – 'thongs' are what Australians call flip-flops or sandals.