"A Tree Fell" in Halls Gap

Last weekend, we decided to head out to the Grampians, a sandstone mountain range about 3 hours outside of Melbourne, for some bushwalking.  We had rented the Stone Cottage just outside Halls Gap and high-tailed it out of Melbourne just after work.  Not arriving until after 9:00pm, it was dark.  Ten seconds after checking in at the main cabin, all the lights went out inside.  We felt pretty bad thinking we had kept the landlord up waiting for us.  After making the short drive to our cabin in pitch black finding the front of the cabin by the glow of the vehicle dome light, we entered to flick on the lights and ... nothing.  Luckily we packed a torch (flashlight).  Found the circuit breaker annnnnd ... nothing.  A clearly thinking individual might have woven together the tapestry of clues: sudden extinguishing of all lights in a house, complete darkness all around, "malfunctioning" light switches in the cottage ... arriving at the logical conclusion the power was out.  Reluctantly, thinking she was asleep, we called the landlord.  She indicated "A tree fell.  The power's out.  We're in the country.  Sorry."  We lit a candle and the fire for heat.

That's LT.  In long underwear, wool socks, two long
sleeve shirts, and a hoodie.  She slept in all of it.

Imagine our surprise to open the front door in the morning to this.

Roos are very suspicious of the emu.

Hehe.  She's got a joey.

That's the Halls Gap zoo which happened to be just to the right of our cottage.  

The Stone Cottage.  Risking life and limb amongst the kangaroos to capture this gem.

Conversation with a few pleasant folk in the General Store and the Information Centre in Halls Gap did in fact confirm that "a tree fell".  Said tree knocked out power to everybody.  It was a small town.