Grampians Recovery Run by MGCCGeelong 16-18 May

Grampians Recovery Run by MGCCGeelong 16-18 May

Ten cars set off on Friday 16th May for a two night trip to the Grampians Region that is recovering from repeat bushfires.

The trip up was via Buninyong for morning tea and Ararat for lunch. The group opted for scatter accommodation around the Hall's Gap area to share the support as widely as possible.

Dinner on the first night was a great affair at Barney's Restaurant which occupies a converted Shearing Shed in Pomonal. The building was warm, the food very good peppered by great conversations that are typical of the club.

The trip for most of us back into Hall's Gap along a dark, damp and 'kangarood' road was undertaken cautiously!! In the Halls Gap environment there are literally thousands of kangaroos, some emus and even some deer. Perhaps they are seeking the odd green shoots not available in the surrounding parched countryside.

After a scatter breakfast most of us gathered for the MGCCGeelong World Golf Tournament held at the most challenging layout I have ever experienced!! Other than one of our number scoring an eagle and another an albatross the scores would make an opening batsman happy!!

The afternoon saw many travel out to Mackenzie's Falls and onto Zumsteins in light drizzle. There were parts of the forest that had escapes the ravages of the fires and other sections where the blackened trunks were sprouting new growth. 

For dinner, in the continued spirit of spreading our support, different facilities were chosen. The best choice was undoubtable the Spirit of Punjab that not only served excellent food but utilized a robot waiter that even said 'thank you' when the food was transferred to the table.

Sunday was again a quiet morning before gathering for an 11:00 departure via Dunkeld. The road travelling south allowed us to get a better impression of the extent and intensity of the fires with most of the vast forest now in recovery mode and little undergrowth still in existence. A quick stop at the Dunkeld Bakery that has operated from the same premises since 1887, before heading onto Skipton for lunch and final goodbyes. Finding a venue was a challenge as others had closed but proved very successful.

We can report that the Grampians had many visitors but many businesses were still struggling to reopen due to staff shortages. The stress is not restricted to the tourist area as the farming country we drove through on the Great Western and later the Hamilton Highway are desperate for rain.