on end . The other observation was the sight of great peaks in the south west . I rode on .
I was now in territory that hadn ’ t seen white or European people at the time of Mitchell ’ s expedition . He had gone against his orders to return home after confirming beliefs about Australia ’ s Murray-Darling River system and had continued south west following a trail of mountains and hills . I ’ d aimed my bike at Kara Kara or the St Arnaud Range to discover it is one of south east Australia ’ s most unique forests , relatively untouched and the box-ironbark forest is much the same as it was when Mitchell passed through . At this point I could see the Grampians on the horizon and immediately headed for them . The strange saw-tooth like series of peaks forms one of the states mountainous highlights , in many ways more so than the Victorian Alps , rising out of the flat land , as many peaks do in this part of the world .
I camped close to the mountains , sad to leave the following morning , for the area is regarded as one of Australia ’ s indigenous highlights , with numerous sites boasting rock art created by the local Jardwadjali and Djab wurrung Aboriginal peoples and dating back thousands of years .
I would soon find myself returning to the awe of this area …
TRAVERSE 43