Saturday 22 October 2011

HALLS GAP FLOOR SHOW

Halls Gap Floor Show
The entire A Van gathering descended on the Halls Gap Pub for dinner one night. It was worth it for the floor show.
We sat in the pub’s main dining area looking through an entire wall of glass at a billabong, green paddocks, gum trees, towering rocks of the Grampians and a herd of grazing grey kangaroos. It was not quite dusk when the floor show began. A herd of black cattle emerged from the trees – enter stage left –  slowly grazing but steadily advancing.
One or two kangaroos lifted their heads, stood up and one by one began to retreat round the billabong to our right. One braver than the others, stood its ground and lunged at the approaching cattle. There was a scuffle and the kangaroo hopped defiantly through the entire herd followed by two or three others. They stopped at the tail of the herd and went back to eating.
The cattle continued to graze, moving steadily round the billabong with the main body of the kangaroos moving backwards ahead of them, also still grazing. It was like a carefully choreographed performance, slow and deliberate. Round the billabong in a ritualistic sort of dance until the cattle reached the place where they had entered the scene. Here they headed for home – exit stage left – and the kangaroos went back to grazing where we had first seen them. It was as though it had never happened.
We too went back to eating and the meal was excellent.

2 comments:

  1. A good thing you were not eating Chinese as it would seem within a short period of time like your meal had never happened also! Sounds just amazing Veronica! Can see it in my mind, reminds me a bit of seeing The Lion King a few years ago ... without the atmosphere ...

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  2. Hi Sandy, Yes, it was such a simple thing but absolutely fascinating - and no bloodshed. Now there's a lesson. Thanks for your comment. xx V

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