After a peaceful nights sleep we awoke Thursday morning to find a group of kangaroos had decided to join us for breakfast, one with a joey in pouch.
After our breaky we were off again, this time to the beautiful MacKenzie Falls. Though not in full flight due to the drought it was still amazing to see. I believe you could also have a swim at the base of the falls too.
One thing to note is how different the scenery was compared to what it was about a year or so ago. Devestating bushfires had run through the area and the re-growth was now coming through. This allowed us to see the actual lay of the land rather than just trees, which was a perspective we were not expecting.
There was also photographs at the shop at the path's enterence with some photos of very interesting rock formations with captions advising to explore more rather than stick to the tourist path. For anyone who enjoys a good hike this would be a great experience.
Our next stop was Reid Lookout and the Balconies, which had beautiful panoramic views of the vally area. On our way there we managed to run into a very friendly echidna type creature (someone was very creative!!). We also were surprised by the presence of rock wallabies. Surprised by the fact that you don't know they are there until they hop away because they are frightend of you... this actually gives you a bit of a shock also.
Our final lookout stop was Barooka Lookout. We had great valley views and you were able to see Hall's Gap from here also, way down below.
From here we high tailed it via Stawell through Ararat to Ballarat to vist Sovereign Hill (click here).
Sovereign Hill (click here) is a town that takes you back to the 1850's during the gold rush period in Ballarat. It depicts Ballarat's first 10 years after the discovery of gold. All the staff are dressed in perriod costume and act out how the times were during the gold rush period. You may find yourself being part of a "scene" so be careful who you are talking to!!
You are able to take tours through a replica quartz mine, pan for gold, see AUD$80,000.00 worth gold being moulded into a gold bar and coach rides among other activities. We both found out what our current weight in gold was too. I'm worth $2,130,193.96 and Sal is worth $1,268,804.05.
The highlight of the day was definatley the sound and light show "Blood on the Southern Cross" (click here). It depicts the Eureka Rebellion on the Ballarat goldfields where the miners rose against the establishment due to miss treatment and unfair working conditions. It was where the first oath was sworn to a flag not bearing the English coat of arms but the Southern Cross only. The show allows your imagination to decide how this battle was played out with a bit of help from the display.. this is a must see!!
From here the Ambassador was now pointed north back to our home in Sydney.
In summary, the trip was a highlight in our list of travels we have done. I cannot recommend highly enough the scenery and people who we met on the way, this trip is definatley a "thing to do before you die". For us, we found 5 days was maybe not enough time and you could easily spend two weeks doing the same trip.
Hope you enjoyed the blog, wish you were here...
