Hiking with Kangaroos at Warrandyte State Park

Warrandyte State Park is a lovely little state park to the east of Melbourne. It's still close enough to the city to have sort of a suburban-rural feel (housing developments interspersed with farms). It's the site of the first gold discovery in 1851, which ushered in a massive population boom that put Melbourne squarely on the map. Nowadays, it's just a tranquil green space with some nice walking tracks along the Yarra River.

I went as part of a large hiking group, and we did about a 5k walk. It was a bit rushed, and the sound of car engines and lawnmowers kind of ruined the otherwise nature-y ambiance, but it was still enjoyable. I especially liked all the kangaroos hanging out in the park. Sometimes you forget you're living in Australia until you go out to one of these nearby parks and you see kangaroos chilling.

Here are some pics. Sorry if the image quality is crap -- I took these photos with my point-and-shoot waterproof Nikon, which is kind of a useless camera.

Weekend Camping trip to the Grampians

Grampians National Park is about a 4-hour drive from Melbourne's CBD (downtown area). I headed there on a weekend camping trip with a couple of friends a few weeks ago.

The Grampians are pretty in a rugged, rocky sort of way. To me, the scenery isn't as spectacular as in other parts of Victoria (like the Great Ocean Road or Wilson's Prom), but it's definitely really nice. Hall's Gap, the main town, is quite pretty, with a few shops and restaurants, and a creek running next to it, and that's about it.

What's really special about Halls Gap is that there's tons of kangaroos here. This was the place I saw (and got to pet!) my first-ever wild kangaroo in Australia! At dusk, they all come out and graze on people's front lawns and along the main road through town. They're completely used to people. Pretty cool.

On this trip, we mostly stuck to the northern part of the national park and did a few short walks: the walk to beautiful McKenzie Falls, probably the highlight of the whole park; the walk to the Balconies, a sandstone rock formation that looks like two ledges; and the little walk through the woods to pretty Silverband Falls.

Here are some pictures.

Cool clouds in the sky above our campground:


Gum trees at our campground:


The lake just behind our campground:


Forest on the way to Silverbend Falls:


The top of McKenzie Falls:


Windsurfing beach at the lake behind our campground:


Silverbend Falls:


Creek through the town of Halls Gap:


Halls Gap's main street. And only street.


Pretty clouds above gum trees:


Reflection over the lake behind our campground:


Halls Gap:


I think this building was in Ararat, a city on the way to the Grampians:


Mountain backdrop for the town of Halls Gap:


Shops and cafes in Halls Gap:


Beautiful McKenzie Falls:


Our campground:


Flood damage on the trail to Silverbend Falls:


More flood damage:


View near McKenzie Falls:


McKenzie Falls:


McKenzie Falls:


Cool clouds:


Sunset over the Grampians:


Sunset near the Balconies lookout:


Looking back at a lake at sunset:


Rock piles:


SO MANY ROCK PILES!!!!! CREEPY!!!


Red dirt path through the trees:


The Balconies, a famous set of sandstone ridges:


Looking back toward the sunset:


Crazy fuzzy flowers in Stawell:


Wildflowers near the Stawell wetlands walk:


Close-up of one of the Stawell wildflowers:


Stawell wetlands walk: