Australia 2009 - days 44 to 52 at Mount Arapiles, Victoria

Day 44.
We leave The Grampians and drive 80 km north east to Mt Arapiles where we base our camp in Horsham at a lovely campsite run by the YMCA nestled between the Botanical Gardens and what remains of the Wimmera River due to the drought. We set up camp, eat lunch and then head into Horsham to shop followed by a trip to Natimuk to scout out the area next to Mt. Arapiles and of course the climbs.

Our first stop is the climbing shop in town to get some beta and buy some gear. Then we scout out thealternative campsite at lakeside Natimuk which we had considered. In this photo one can see quite a spooky photo of the lake. Its dried out due to the drought but the bathing bridge is still in place.





Its dry in the Wimmera and we get a definite feel of remoteness of the outback as can be seen in these three photos.














































A panorama of Mt Arapiles.





One of the crags which has short but nice routes with access approx. 1 minute from ones vehicle. In this photo a kangaroo and Joey feed in grass in the foreground.

















Day 45.
We spend the day at the aquatic center in town which is just amazing with Olympic sized pool, heated baby pool, gym etc. We were very impressed that a remote town like Horsham would have such luxurious facilities for swimmers.

The late afternoon we head to Mt Arapiles to do a single climb on the 'Organ pipes' in this photo dad leads the climb. For details of this climb click here.


















Day 46.
We spend the day at Mt. Arapiles, its warm but windy and has a definite desert feel about it.

In this photo one can see the crag just seconds from the car.















Mum & Sofie having a break.
















Dad belaying.





















Mum climbing, one can see Sofie behind her.















Dad climbing a funny route which incorporates the plaque. Dad has put a sling through the plaque as protection.



















Dad trying to tackle quite a difficult route (grade 21). In this photo he is stuck in the cave mid-route.


















After we had finished climbing we drove to the top of Mt. Arapiles for lunch. The view over 'Little Desert' was amazing.


Day 47. Dad climbs multi-pitch with two other climbers (Dave from Wales & Jack from Australia) at The Grampians whilst mum babysits Sofie, does some washing, shops etc. For details click here.

Day 48. Sofie is 7 months old.
We drive to South Australia to visit the Goonawarra wine region to taste and buy some wine.

In this photo one can see the first estate we visit: 'Wynn Goonawarra' which is the Estate that made the area famous.











A view of the original buildings built in 1890.















The vineyards.






Day 49.
Its very hot but we find a shady spot to climb called Bushrangers bluff.

In this photo dad leads.





















Mum follows........
















......... and Sofie makes friend with another baby Cody (8 months old) whose parents were also climbers.



















Then it was time to say goodbye.




















That night we eat at the local RSL club as we had some discount vouchers.

The food was quite good and in this photo one can see dads king sized T-bone steak and mums yummy grilled barramundi fish. Sofie actually ate the mashed potato and pumpkin we had on our plates.
















The colours of our desserts attracted Sofie and in this photo she is hitting the table in her attempts to get close to dads chocolate mousse.


















Day 50.

Every morning we wake up to hundreds of Corellas flying through the camp to get close to the river. In this photo two have landed in the tree above our tent.









We climb at Mitre rock in lovely cool conditions and head out.

In this photo one can see the road sign warning motorists about the hazard of kangaroos on the roads in the area. A hungry climber has added a knife and fork to the sign.


















The view from the top of Mitre rock














Dad climbing with a salt lake in the background.



















Sofie found out that she is now officially an Australian citizen by descent. We thus found it appropriate to pop her into a romper with the Australian flag on it.


















There were a lot of flies at the crag at Mitre rock so we had to cover up with a fly net.













Day 51.
Dad spends the morning climbing multi-pitch routes at Arapiles with Geoff while mum babysits Sofie, does more washing and relaxes. In the afternoon we all go to Horsham aquatic center.

In the next three photos one can see Sofie enjoying her exercises.



















































We finally get a photo of the old possum that had visited our tent every night.


















Day 52.
Our last day at Arapiles was spent climbing at the 'Organ pipes' & visiting 'Little Desert'

Mum climbing.





















Mum & Sofie standing on one of the many salt lakes in Little Desert National Park. This lake was pink and coloured by an algae that survives even when the lake dries out.








We also went for a walk amongst what felt like a million flies. In these 2 photos mum & Sofie a all rigged up with mosquito nets.































Flies on dads back.














Little Desert National Park.













Previous posts.

Australia 2009 - days 30 to 43 at The Great Ocean Road and The Grampians

Day 30.
After arriving in Melbourne we eat breakfast at a cafe and then shop in Paddy Pallin outdoor for a sun cover for Sofie's backpack. We then head directly out of town toward Wye river on the spectacular Great Ocean Road.

In these two photos one can see the coast seen traveling west from Melbourne toward Apollo bay.



























The lighthouse at Split point.




















We arrive at our lovely campsite set up camp and later that evening we take Sofie for a stroll along the beach to watch the sunset.

In this photo one can see mum pushing Sofie along the beach in her stroller.












The last rays of sun reflecting in water puddles on beach rocks.












Day 31.
A very windy and hot day begins and we both get warnings on our mobiles regarding bushfire danger. After checking with the campsite owners we feel it is safe enough to drive along the rest of the Great Ocean Road to see the 12 apostles (now reduced to 6).

We eat lunch at the main viewing area and in the following 4 photos one can see examples of the rocky outcrops known as the 'Apostles'.























































Day 32.
We leave Wye River and head to The Grampians. The GPS leads us through some short cuts on minor roads and this is a view of one of them. Notice the baggage next to Hans. We have so much gear that every nook in the car is filled with stuff.








Day 33.
After a very windy night we spend our time relaxing all morning. In the afternoon the weather clears so we drive to Mt. Hollow to scout out possible climbs.


In this video mum is seen caring Sofie in her new Deuter Kids Comfort II backpack. Sofie seemed to thoroughly enjoy seeing the world from so high up and quickly caught on to the fact that she could pull mums hair.

Day 34.
Sunny Day Valley at Mt. Hollow is an ideal spot to climb with a baby as the access is very easy and only 5 minutes. We thus head out to climb and Sofie gets to stay in her stroller the whole time.

In this photo Sofie is fast asleep and we are about to venture into the climbing area.














....... and still sleeping while mum and dad rig up. HOWEVER Sofie's sixth sense is quite intact and she quickly sensed that something exciting was brewing and woke up after about 10 minutes. She spent the whole time very happy in her stroller and watched on while we climbed.






A video of mum climbing and Sofie in her stroller.

Dad belaying at the top of the first route we climbed.



















Sofie's second climb!!
















Mum climbing.




















For more details of these climbs click here.

Later that afternoon the rock was in the sun so we decided to see some of the other sites. Our first stop is an easy walk to see the 'Balconies' from Reid lookout.

In this photo one can see the view from the carpark area.













Mum and Sofie walking toward Reid lookout.













A small gecko on the trail.














The view from the lookout. Notice dad sitting on the rock outcrop enjoying the view.












An interesting mushroom rock outcrop we noticed on the way back to the car. Lake Wartock is seen in the background.











Our next stop was Baroka lookout which also had some amazing views of the Grampians. In this photo mum and Sofie are standing in the foreground with the amazing view behind them.









The view, notice mum sitting on the rock outcrop on the right hand side of the photos.












It was hot that evening so we decided to hop into the pool with Sofie as we had heard the park had a baby pool. however, the water was not solar heated and was far too cold for a baby. Instead she got to dip her toes.
In this photo one can see dad holding Sofie just before her toe-dip.






Day 35.
We spend the day climbing shopping and writing.

In this photo one can see a black wallaby that spent ages watching us climb at Sunny Day Valley, Mt. Hollow main wall. For details of these climbs click here.

















Day 36.
After a very late night we decide to have an easy day and decide to walk at Mackenzie falls. It was a 1.5 hour return walk on good trails but the going was steep. This gave us a better chance to try out the new backpack.

In this photo Sofie is being carried by mum but she didn't fall asleep.












We then spotted a Rosella Parakeet on the trail.













Mackenzie falls.




















Then dad had a go ......














...... finally Sofie fell asleep.




















Day 37.
Today is the end of an Australian long weekend so the campsite was suddenly transformed as 90 % of the visitors departed. We all awoke tired and decided to spend the day by the pool.


In this video one can see Sofie by the pool, she is practicing many new sounds and in this video one can hear the newest sound.

Days 38 to 41.
On these four days our rhythm was more or less as follows due to high temperatures during the daylight hours: Mornings were spent beside the resort pool keeping cool, swimming, playing with Sofie, reading etc. Our afternoons were spent either doing short walks in the area to get Sofie used to her backpack or climbing. Below are a few photos of these days for details of these climbs check out dads blog by clicking here.

Mum doing and a late evening climb at 'The Watchtower' only 3 minutes from the resort!!



















Mum climbing at Sunnyvale valley, Mt. Hollow (day 38).















On day 39 we do a 2.5 km walk to 'The pinnacles' in this photo dad has climbed to the top of an interesting rock formation.............













...........dad hanging out on another rock formation.















Mum carrying Sofie in the backpack which she certainly enjoys.












Dad checking out the amazing view of Falls Gap, Grampians and surrounds.













Mum & Sofie doing the same from the official lookout which was far less exposed.















On the way back dad carried Sofie but this time she didn't fall asleep, we think all the steps made the ride too bumpy for her.



















The view of lake Wartock behind dad and Sofie.















Days 42 and 43.
It rained and stormed on both these days and temperatures suddenly dropped to below 10 degrees which really startled us. Dad had a cold so spent his time resting and Sofie & mum did some longer walks. The first to Boronia Peak which was 8 km all round and the second on Ryan’s circuit which was 6 km. Sofie slept on both walks which was really good.

Mum & Sofie setting out for Boronia peak in rainy conditions.















Boronia Peak.












A video from the summit.

Meanwhile Dad took this picture of a parrot in flight.



















Sofie is still fascinated by everything we eat and drink. She was thus determined to get a hold of dads paper cup after he had finished drinking his cappuccino. In this photo one can see Sofie imitating her dad.







Previous posts.

Australia 2009 - days 23 to 29 at Lake St. Clair and Hobart

Day 23.
We travel inland to the beautiful area around lake St. Clair and Cradle Mountain. Unfortunately we are not able to do the long (84 km) overland walk from Cradle Mt to Lake St. Clair, this walk is a classic but much too difficult to undertake with a 6 month old baby! Instead we camp at the lovely bushland resort at Lake St. Clair.

In this photo one can see a view of the lake. It rained the night we arrived and luckily our tent held out!!












Day 24.
It also rained the next day so we spent the morning reading in our tent. In the afternoon we headed out to do some of the short walks in the area.
A number of the eucalyptus trees had been burnt out in past fires. In this photo mum is standing inside the trunk of an old burnt out eucalyptus tree.














On the first walk we came to a clearing a nice little beach with nice views of the lake as can be seen in these two photos.






























We also saw a young Echidna nosing around in the undergrowth looking for food. He didn't seem to mind us looking on and actually waddled right up to Hans as he was taking photos.









As can be seen in this photo it's called a rainforest for a reason!




















We continued walking to Platypus bay, we weren't lucky enough to spot a platypus but these shy animals can sometimes be viewed here.












On the next beach we saw the remains of a barge used in the 1930's to construct the pump house on Lake St. Clair and was found adrift after storms in the 1950's.











The last part of the walk wasn't really suitable for the stroller and in this photo dad is maneuvering up some steps.



















Mum (& Sofie) in front of large eucalyptus tree.





















When we finally arrived back at the visitors center the rain really picked up and we got quite wet. In this photo one can see the view from the center.


















Day 25.
We do a short drive past the now saved Franklin River to Nelson Falls.

In this photo one can see the falls.





















Dad do more stroller maneuvering up some steps to the Donaghue lookout.




















The view from the lookout.














........and mum and baby bunting casing big flies at the lookout.




















The view of Mt. Frenchmans Cap and two other peaks on the drive back to Lake St. Clair.












That evening this small wallaby (a Dandeong) hops right past our tent.














A lovely evening with fantastic light effects over the lake.











































Day 26.
We head back to Hobart and on the way we stop in Hamilton for a Devonshire tea at Glen Clyde house. Before we go in Sofie says hello to a very friendly goat.


















Sofie also sits in a high chair for the first time. This didn't last very long.




















Then the teas arrived. YUM. In this photo dad is enjoying his tea. Notice his little finger.


















Scones and double cream that tasted great!












Day 27.
While Hans climbs the beautiful Moai with Anna Brooks (see link here) the rest of us go shopping and eat lunch at Peppermint Bay. Regrettably we forgot the camera.

Day 28.
Our last full day in Hobart. We spend our morning relaxing and then eat a late lunch at Morilla Estate Winery in North Hobart with Auntie Gabi and Hugh & Alice. In this photo one can see Sofie licking dads spoon after his dessert!!!

















...... and here she gets a kiss from mum and dad.















After lunch we strolled through the estate gardens. Some interesting sculptures can be seen in these two photos.









































Alice and Hugh then played chess in the garden.















That evening we ate a pun dinner at the local pub and dad got to try a real counter lunch burger with 200 g of meat!!!!!! Needless to say he didn't get through it all. The burgers can be seen in this group photo.









Day 29.
Heading back to the mainland.
We spend the morning packing up our tent and Sofie gets to spend the morning with Auntie Gabrielle.

In this video one can see Gabrielle trying to teach Sofie to sit up. She is getting better but can only really sit a few seconds before losing balance.

Alice and Sofie studying each other.














Previous posts.