We saw out 2020 full of relief, and more than happy to say goodbye and good riddance.  Be careful what you wish for … since then we’ve had a dizzying merry go round of hotel quarantine breaches resulting in snap border closures – pretty much decimating the domestic tourism and aviation industries, as we are all too nervous about booking flights and accommodation outside our own state.  Then there was January 6 – which will go down in infamy as the day Trump’s misguided, idiotic supporters stormed the Capitol.  We could only watch on in abject disbelief.

Since then things have calmed down a little, but the covid breaches continue, and clearly hotel quarantine is no longer keeping the newer, more infectious strains contained. On the plus side, vaccines are on the way, and everyone here should be jabbed by October, all being well. I thought the announcement of a successful vaccine would have me doing cartwheels and shouting from the rooftops, but there is still so much uncertainty that I’ve lost the ability to get excited about anything. It seems like every time you relax and take a deep breath, something else happens which plunges you back into anxiety.

Still, Victoria has avoided any further lockdowns, orienteering has continued uninterrupted, we are getting pretty good attendances, and now we have Sunday Sprints to look forward to (even better for me, as I don’t organise them!) I’ve been to a few really fun events in the Tuesday series, like Royal Park, Kensington and Albert Park.  Really complex maps that require complete focus, providing an excellent distraction.

So with no real hope of travel overseas in 2021 – if it happens it will be very limited – we are taking the chance to visit places in Victoria that we haven’t been to, or to revisit family holiday spots which we can only visualise through the faded lens of a Super 8 camera. We have hopes of getting to NSW and South Australia, but even thinking about crossing state borders seems edgy and fraught with risk.

Next on the list after Metung, was the Grampians.  The idea arose from fond memories of spectacular walks, waterfalls and wildlife from childhood, and a quick stop en route to Adelaide back in 2010 which led to those “we must come back here one day” comments that you make, then never do anything about. So here we are, staying in a “deluxe” cabin in Halls Gap. Ian came here on a school camp; one of his first hiking experiences. We’ll detour to the Great Ocean Road on our way home.

It’s been a while since we cabined – scarred by recurring nightmares featuring Lake Hume (shudder) and Tongariro (silent primal scream followed by gentle rocking in the foetal position. Strangely both featured incidents with bathroom doors.  But this cabin, while not new, is large, spacious and comfortable – although Ian is about to hurl the dysfunctional can opener in the bin.  Luckily he has superior Teutonic engineering at his disposal on one of his numerous Swiss Army knives, so he has fended off dessert deprivation.

The other downside of cabining is that absolutely everyone wants the internet straight after dinner, so the available wifi gets sucked into a vacuum, doled out 1 trickling kilobyte at a time.  So no photos today – not enough data to upload them.

Our late afternoon arrival was followed by an exploratory stroll around the immediate vicinity. Like moths to a flame, we were drawn to a large rocky outcrop nearby, which we clambered up.  So many places to hide controls … orienteers can never resist boulders of any sort.

There is a high and very pointy mountain which we can see through the cabin window. A mob of wallabies are grazing nearby. Our biggest dilemma is which walking trail to take in the morning. Or the afternoon. Ah, the serenity …

Photos: click to enlarge. All taken within a short walk from our cabin in Halls Gap, late afternoon.