Introducing Mick & Shazza

We have never quite experienced quite the same reception as we did upon reaching the caravan park in the Grampians, a majestic mountain range in West Victoria. Hordes of kids, on bikes and on foot, ran after our van in a frenzied happiness that at first confused us and mostly scared us, as the youngsters banged the side of the van in unrestrained glee. Our reception clearly had more to do with Astro Boy than us. We came to a stop and I opened the side door, exposing our bed, to reprimand the blond boy who had so adamantly chased us. Before I could say anything, I heard, "Is this where you sleep? It looks comfortable," and a blond head all but jumps into the bed--a charmer in the making. Within moments, two dads came to claim the rabble rousers and within minutes the fate of our Grampians adventure was sealed.

After a discussion of Astro Boy, national parks and the validity of some past due pasta, Marc, Lyndel, Stoph and Rach acted as our hosts for the last hours of 2008 and the first of 2009. We could barely drink and eat all the beer, wine, scotch, and cake on offer, not to mention the hot Milo (cocoa)--my first in what promises to be a long standing habit. We had chosen to spend the New Year in nature, away from the crowds and the drinks, but somehow the party found us and it was somewhere in those last hours of 2008 that we unknowingly gained Aussie credibility.

The Grampians themselves are a place to be consumed--from the lookouts over lakes, towns and ranges to the abundant walks through rocky ascents, the nature is first class. A 2006 fire ravaged much of the area and the scars are still evident, but the town was packed with families. Many, like our new friends, set up shop year after year to celebrate the holidays. We hiked through the Grand Canyon and out to the Pinnacle, we stood at the foot of McKenzie Falls, and we pulled ourselves up to the summit of Mt. William, but the nature is not all that Halls Gap boast. It is a wonderland of sugar and treats--fresh fudge, stuffed back potatoes, ice cream scoops bigger than my fist. Heaven, indeed.

On our last night Stoph presented us with two bottles of wine and our new names. As Oded is often hard to pronounce for non-Hebrew speakers, Oded mnay times introduces himself as James, an army nickname that stuck. To save Oded this hassle in the future, Marc and Stoph gave Oded a true Aussie name, one that will never be mistaken or mispronounced--Mick. And where would Mick be without his gal pal Shazza? We left the Grampians after two days of being well cared for and properly entertained on all levels and reentered the world with our new identities--Mick and Shazza.

To see photos of the Grampians, please click me