School holidays in the Grampians

The Grampians have always been special to G and I.  I can recall at least three camping trips there including the memorable one where he suggested we move in together.  Another one that stays in our minds is the time we drove in late at night to meet John and Dalys, got really lost and then hit a kangaroo.  The boys loved hearing that story.



Hanging in the car park whilst G and I checked we have all the supplies.

Over the recent school holidays we finally took the boys there.  Not camping as I feel late September is a bit too unpredictable weatherwise but staying in a lovely house in Halls Gap.


Alex is a keen collector of things.  His pockets were bulging.

The walks around this area are amazing and we knew Luke would handle himself well so we just dived in.  On the first full day we walked to the Chimney Pots.  A climb that is graded hard and takes a few hours.  Luke set the pace as the leader which he managed to do whilst being really charming and making sure the path was clear for us.  Alex alternated with bringing up the rear or running ahead to show his latest treasure.
 

Rest stops to refuel and rehydrate were a must.

Having the right snacks and supplies and bringing them out just when they are fading works well to keep our two motivated.  On this trip it was my nutella pikelets.


Such an achievement to get to the top.

There were times when it looked quite unlikely whether we would get to the top and the last part is rock climbing rather than walking up trails.  Alex flagged a bit but then decided to push on which made us really proud.  One thing about kids is that even when they are struggling they never let up with the chatter.



We had our picnic lunch at the top and enjoyed the views.

Some other people arrived when we were up the top and were extremely surprised that Luke and Alex had made it.  It's not the sort of walk/climb you see a lot of little kids on.

Different day new walk at Mt Zero.

After a couple of days we were into a pattern.  Wake up too early (as usual), build up the wood fire, eat a hearty breakfast and plan the days walk.  Pack lunch, plenty of snacks and water.  Sort out the gear for the day and head off.  A lot of the more common walks were closed due to flooding earlier in the year but that ended up being a bonus because we explored areas we hadn't been to before.  We did all of the walks with almost no carrying the boys.  We did bribe them with an ice cream cone once we got back to town for any boy that walked on their own two feet.


Tough and determined, that's Alex.

Also independent and bossy... at times



All the boys love clambering over rocks



Luke in a moment of reflection.



And as usual plenty of mummy love.

So a great holiday and good to get away for a few days to break up the school holidays.  Increasingly the boys are great company enjoying walks and talking about what they are seeing and doing.

There were plenty of kangaroos around the house which was also fun for them.