Superb. It was a gorge, but a lot more as well. The Conservation Park calls it a gorge but I would call it gorgeous. As usual in these parks there are paths going everywhere, and at times it is difficult to translate the signs into good directions, but it works. So many times we have thought our decisions and their directions were not so good, but each time something better came from them.

It’s been like that in my life, and at times I have repeated bad decisions, but I am learning, (never too old) and have received rewards despite them. Once again, but more this time, we edged around mountain sides. We had made a pact, because we’re old, to always pass oncoming walkers on the inside. This meant there was a much greater chance we would die miserably in an aged care facility.

But I digress. Two koalas had originally met us at the carpark but had heard about us humans, as their greetings came from the very highest branches. They like to sleep and that is mostly what they did during our four hours of walking. Four waterfalls took us on different paths, its waters bouncing off the pools below; caves surrounded by vibrant orange rocks looked out on them, as grass trees of many shapes edged those previous paths. 

We got a little lost at one stage and asked an athletic looking young woman where we were. Thinking this question could be a sign of an elderly illness she helped us, but then said, as she went on a small diversion, that she would catch us later. The challenge was taken, and to hide this particular illness, we were never caught.

The cliff faces looked like a construction of large stone blocks leaning at precarious angles and ready at any time to deblock themselves. The gorges were close and tall, the rocks in them were colourful and diverse, while the thousands of glorious grass trees left no doubt in what country we were hiking.

As we left, two other koalas thanked us for coming, by shuffling a little, way high up in one of Heysen’s stunning gum trees.