January 17 Port Fairy

We drove through the rugged beauty of the Grampians on our way to the coast, passing eucalyptus forests already regenerating after fire—a striking reminder of how this landscape is built to recover. At Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve, emus wandered right up to us and koalas rested quietly in the trees, completely unbothered by our presence.

By afternoon we reached Port Fairy and walked out to the lighthouse on Griffiths Island. The ocean was a vivid green-blue, the wind wild, and whitecaps everywhere. We found cuttlefish bones along the beach—small signs of a healthy ecosystem—and learned about the shearwater birds that return to the same burrows each year to raise a single chick.

A simple dinner in town and a calm evening rounded out a day full of wildlife, weather, and awe.Read more