Mar 28, The Grampians, Bunjil's Cave, Stawell

Up early this morning to hike to The Balconies, an overlook in the Grampians. The clouds were hanging low over the mountains and there was a good view of the rock outcroppings. We drove to Boroka Lookout where we saw a couple of kangaroos who were not afraid of us, just stared.
We went to the Branbuk Cultural Centre to go to visit rock art with a guide, but there was a miscommunication and the group was already leaving. Fortunately the art was accessible by car. So we watched 2 films at the Centre. One was a dreamtime story about the creator Bunjil and the Bram-buck brothers who helped him. It explained the earth, the waters, the valleys in the mountains, why emus are the size they are and why their feathers are split and how the possum came to be. The other was a more conventional story of the geology and history of the Grampian Mountains, interesting though.
Then we drove to Bunjil's Cave, the only site where Bunjil is depicted and the only site in the area where 2 colors were used. He's there with 2 dingoes, that represent the brothers.
From there we went to Stawell (pronounced Stall). It is the home of the Stawell Gift a world famous foot race that is run on Easter. Runners from around the world compete. The info center was at the race track/hall of fame, so we were able to see the grass track and the historic grandstands.
Stawell also had a working gold mine with an observation point. Now gold mining is all about crushing the rocks finer and finer and treating that with water and
arsenic. We just saw machinery. Doesn't have the allure of the old fashioned gold mining.
We returned to The Grampians and went to Silverband Falls. It was another hike, but this time on a recently reconstructed trail. In 2007 they had bush fires that destroyed the trees that held back the soil and in 2010 they had 8 inches of rain and massive landslides. The trail followed the creek and along the creek trees and debris that had been carried downstream still piled up 10 to 12 feet. It was an incredible display of the power of the water.
We're on our way to Ballarat and have stopped at Smythesdale in a park/impromptu campground. It's a large area and campers just pull wherever and set up. Nice place for the night.
Pictures - kangaroo at Boroka Lookout, Bunjil's Cave, Stawell's Gift Racetrack, rare picture of us together at Silverband Falls, The Grampians