OF STONE AND STEEL

摘要

Almost four hours west of Melbourne, a series of rugged sandstone mountain ranges rises dramatically from the volcanic plains of Victoria's Western District. This geologically significant area is covered by the Grampians National Park, over 167,000 hectares of protected bushland popular among walkers and rock climbers. In the northern reaches of the park are the MacKenzie Falls, one of Victoria's largest waterfalls and the site of a newly reconstructed trail by Hansen Partnership and Parks Victoria. It was a cold day in July when I visited the site and the scars of fire were evident. Driving along Northern Grampians Road, it was clear it had been used successfully in the containment of a recent bushfire. The road marks a transection between two (now) distinct vegetation types - healthy woodlands stand on one side, while on the other a sparse rhythm of scraggly scorched eucalypts punctuates an undulating landscape of rock and ash. Arriving at the MacKenzie Falls car park, I was greeted by the eeriness of a burnt-out building and a melted public telephone that looked like something from a Dali dreamscape - a marker of the heat of the fires that tore through here. I hope it survives the clean-up.