The rain had gone overnight, but it remained cloudy and overcast for most of the day, and quite cool. I had a bite to eat at the cafe in Halls Gap, and set off on a very steep 5km up into the Serra mountain range.
Halfway up the climb, the Wonderland area featured exposed rock formations and deep canyons:
At the top, a short track led to a lookout giving panoramic view over Halls Gap and Lake Bellfield:
The Elephants Hide rock formation is a good example of the cuesta landform:
Back down via the steep descent, another short track led to the Silverband falls:
Although it was only a trickle now, back in early 2011 heavy rainfall had caused torrential water flow down Dairy Creek, washing away the bridge over the access path to the falls; the wreckage is still present and can be seen in this photo:
The route then turned south back towards Dunkeld along the Grampians Tourist Road, which follows Fyans Creek to the Great Dividing Range then descends along the Wannon River Valley - 60kms of gently undulating road with the mountains forming a constant backdrop.
Just before 1700 I arrived back in Dunkeld. I had an good meal in the 4 star Royal Mail Hotel, where I was stunned to see a log fire burning in the bar. It's still summer here for heaven's sake! Although it certainly is a lot cooler than it was last week, autumn will be here soon no doubt.
Distance today 83kms, total so far 915kms.
Here's a link to the updated map
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