Grampians NP, Victoria Australia

The Grampians are magical... with lots of wild flowers, a beat short walk to "venus baths" - a series of rock pools, minutes from the campground at Halls Gap.  There are also boulders to do bouldering on here, and I set up a top rope and self belayed up a short section.  Very good quality granite, nice slabs for long multi pitch climbs...  must come back and do "elephants hide" which is a huge slab at 20 to 30 degrees above Venus baths. Gets hot in Summer, but good shade under trees. 

Did 2 weeks here in December 2017 before catching the ferry to Tasmania. 

Testing out hiking gear and such.  Did a 2 day walk, Up to the top of Mt Rosea 1000m (carrying 5l of water up) , then Southward and a last camp above Halls Gap township, overlooking The Granite slab "elephant's hide".

Good views from mt Rosea. The new tent was tested out as there were some strong gusts and a little rain. No condensation issues, despite being single wall.

This is a Rab Latok mountain 2 tent, single layer "Event" fabric - a more breathable version of Gore-Tex.  Designed for alpine and antarctic conditions - high winds, snow...
weighs 1.83 kg,  enough room for 2 sleeping mats. Got it because I like sleeping on mountain tops and saddles, where the views are awesome. And later for winter backcountry skiing and such. 

Easy to pitch in wind as has no fly. Takes a bit of practice as you get into the tent, put the poles inside, arc them and slot them into the corners. I have now added velcro and a mossie net on the front door and rear vent.  

All in all, the Gramps is one of my favourite National Parks.  The knobbly rocks and pools are quite magical. An hour or so North West is mt Arapiles, an isolated mini monolith of rock, world-famous for rock climbing, mainly "trad", or unbolted. Lots of routes, some beginners multi-pitch routes. And a cheap NP campground.  I've climbed there before (see this blog using the search facility). 

The pictures are all low-res as I was testing a new light camera. (click on a photo for larger version). 

Mt Rosea camp. 

 Elephants Hide granite slab and gorge.