Halls Gap and it's aboriginies

About this blog

So my times nearly up here now and i have had the most amazing time here. It was definitaly the right place to start my working visa and i have been settled in easily to the ramblings of my boss telling me i should be careful of snakes and murderers in the outback!! Pete at the Black Panther has definitely given me a good education on Austrailia even on a far scale let's see how much she'll believe!!!!. Haha yes Pete as i'm walking home in the dark and stand on eacalyptus bark and scream and jump in the aiir as i thought it was a snake. You really had me for a week or two. But i have however been lucky enough to see 2 king browns. One rather small the other big and quite confident which gave me the vibes to leave it well alone as you should with snakes anyway. He must have been about 7 ft long. He was pretty big and i shudder looking at the pictures i took. I have a big respect for these creatures. Not to be messed with. On the walk i have seen many varieties of beautiful birds and emu's and raindeer. Yes Rudolf is in the Grampians hanging around with Skipper the Kangeroo. He's protesting about the others calling him names!! haha I consider myself very lucky to have seen all the wildlife i have seen. Echidnas, Possums, Corella parrot which i handled and aided to the rescuers, many varieties of parrot, spiders!! Much more to be seen too. Today i saw the cutest spider sitting on my shoulder. He was small but brown and furry. I loved him. He had thick furry pinchers and little black beady eyes almost like a micro huntsman. So cute.But i tried to 'make a picture' as the germans say haha but he ran off. God knows where he went!!!! He was so tiny like the size of a fingernail!!

I have met so many intesresting people i don't know where to begin some of which you are aware of. I met a lovely man last night who is currently touring Oz on a motorbike after retiring and he and his wife being apart for a while for him to live a dream of his. Some people are truly amazing to have allowed him after years of marriage to leave for a month or so on his own. Incredible couple. And this guy has helped so many people on his path also. So what goes around comes around Patrick. You keep paying it forward you will be blessed in your travels. You have given me so much in a short space of time. What 2 hrs talking to me and you have given me a chance to go way further in the world i could ever have imagined doing. Thank you for your knowledge and encouragement. No matter who you are in the world hearing from a stranger how good a person you are and being encouraged in what you do and told you are brave and couragious. It really makes the difference. So i wish him a very exciting fun safe journey and wonderful reunioun with his family in oz when his wife makes it here.

The Brambuk centre was a very interesting place to visit and opened my eyes to the aboriginies and what they have had to live with and fight for. It's still not resolved between the white man and aboriginies. Some are happy to co exist and others hate the white man and to be honest i can't blame them. Did you know that they were around during the ice age and volcanic ages!!! Austrailia say they have no history and that the UK is riddled with history. But they do!! They have aboriginals. They are their history and how differently they live their lives is so interesting. If a young lad brakes the lore (aboriginal law) He is cast out and sent to wonder and can be gone for months before his return and young boys too. It's their way which works for them and very spiritual. Aborginal children were torn from their families, some children died fretting for their home. Home was their people. The policeman who no doubt was doing his duty patted his handcuffs and would say 'i'll have to use these this if you do not let us take these children now.' It was the police job to tear crying children from heart broken mothers. 'For their own good'. which continued up to the 1960's. Some not ever to return. Austrailian government thought it best to take the children away and domesticate them and teach them our eligion of christianity. and told to forget their religons. In 1937 Part white aboriginals were to be absorbed into white communities. Regardless of how they felt and what they wanted.Many lives have sadly been lost during this battle but the aboriginals rightly so have stayed strong with their beliefs and stood their ground leaving them some land still and to live their culture and beliefs alone.

Some aborginies are lost within civilization and cant' handle their alcohol and they lose their spirit and purpose for living. Many aboriginies have commited suicide if imprisoned as this isn't the Koori way to punish. Aboriginal elders quotes; 'If you're drunk and lying in the gutter you're not fullfilling your obligations as a Koori' Branbuk elders. 'Lore is not less lore, history is not less history because it is verbal and not written'. Mary Gilmore Odd days old ways 1934. Where men write memory is not stored; but where men do not write memories are full. 'We call the land our mother for she gives birth to us and nurtures us through our life', Gunditjmara people, Portland 1980.

So very sad but very true and educating facts there. It's a pity as we could learn so much from aboriginals. I have had the time of my life in Halls Gap such a small place with so many things to do if you open your eyes. I've learn't about the burn offs which happen regularly to control and encourage new growth. and the floods which tore through Halls Gap in 2006 (may have that date slightly wrong) destroying all the shops in this very small town. Also destroying a road beyond repair which has ended up in a heap on the mountain. It's hard to believe that Halls Gap used to be an ocean and if you look closely at the rocks you can see the ripples from the see and the mountain tracks are dusty sand trails. With beautiful wild flower and tiny orchids growing. A unique place with lots to see and experience for everyone. With some great restaurants for everyone to fill up and refuel for their next hike. As not everyones as crazy as me and cycles 40k's in the heat and then storms. But you only live once. ;)