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  • Karen Hechinger

Australia 2025

A 47-day adventure by Karen Read more
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  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    Sites from the trail - this is banksiaThe ship itself is the Albany Whaling MuseumThe southernmost peninsula in Albany curls in a semicircle to form Frenchman Bay on one side1This area is called "the Gap" - south coast of AlbanyThis is NO JOKE. Mike would have been knocked on his butt, (had he not started out there)1The force with which the air shoots through the blowhole is downright intimidatingElephant's Cove. Is this the elephant?

    27. South coast - Albany & Denmark

    September 21 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Before heading back to Perth for our flight to Melbourne, we toodled around the coasts of Albany & then William Bay NP in Denmark. If you like rocky coastline with rough and rugged surf, this is the place for you. Each location was more beautiful than the last.

    We stumbled onto a "blowhole", an ocean cave that makes its way landward and upward, creating an outlet for waves rushing in. We did not experience any water (probably based on the tide?) but the roar and power of the wind gusting through was downright intimidating. Kinda cool.    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    G.O.R. highlights (ignore the inland Colac section - nothing to see there)Port Campbell Beach from the shore. Very windyPort Campbell Beach from abovePort Campbell BeachLondon Bridge has fallen downCold & windyThe RazorbackGorge named after the Loch Ard clipper ship that crashed here2 of 54 people survived the crashThe most well-known attraction on the GORNot a very attractive viewing point. (No, I don't mean you Mike! haha)We just weren't that impressed with this one attractionOur early evening trek in Otways Park to track down a platypusThe forest walk at dusk was delightfully quiet save various bird calls from the treesThis is the type of lagoon where we might find our preyThe platypus emerged for only seconds - this is the best shot I could getOn the way back Mike avoided the echidna crossing the roadWe enjoyed the next day's drive out of the rainforest & back to the GORLeaving Otways ForestWe stopped for a few nature hikes on the way back to MelbourneBroccoli tree?Heading back along the shorelineWe stopped for a stroll at a Kennett River hiking area in search of a wild koalaAnd found him

    28. The Great Ocean Road

    September 24 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s most iconic coastal drives, stretching 240 kilometers along Victoria’s rugged south-west coastline from Torquay to Allansford.

    Although it is a popular day trip from Melbourne, we decided to rent a car & take the route at our leisure. We enjoyed the dramatic cliffs, pristine beaches, and charming seaside towns along the coast.
    Some of the highlights include:

     The 12 Apostles in Port Campbell
    A series of limestone sea stacks rising from the ocean. Funnily, there were never twelve stacks, only nine, and now seven remain due to natural erosion. Is the name just a marketing gimmick to foster interest? We saw so many stunning rock formations - this did not rank among the best for sheer physical beauty.

     Loch Ard Gorge
    A gorge of towering cliffs around a secluded beach, this area was named after the clipper ship Loch Ard that crashed in 1878

     London Bridge in Port Campbell
    A bridge made by natural rock formation, the center of which collapsed unexpectedly in 1990, thus yielding the phrase London Bridge is Falling Down.

     Kennett River
    We took a walk along one of the nature trails here where it was advertised that we might see a koala in the wild - which we did! It was sleeping - not surprising as the leaves they eat supply insufficient nutrition to them, thus resulting in 20 hours of sleep per day.

    At one point we detoured off the coast to spend the night in Otways rainforest. Our research said Lake Elizabeth in the park might provide the rare opportunity to see platypus, which usually come out at dawn or dusk, so, after all day in the car, we braved another hour to track down the Lake Elizabeth trail & search for the holy grail. And we were rewarded for our efforts. My pic is not the greatest, but we saw it and felt surprisingly elated.

    The 2 days of driving felt so long, but the breathtaking beauty of the experience was worth it.    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    Catching the Australian Rules Football men's final match at Kicks Sports Bar, Melbourne
    The Geelong Cats vs. the Brisbane Lions. These people are SERIOUS about their football.Halftime score - even!This halftime stat doesn't reflect the runaway second half. Final score 122-75 BrisbaneView of Melbourne from our hotel room1View from our hotelSome neat architectureTaking the tram to a local women's AFL match (Aust Rules Football)Women's AFL match - Essedon vs. North MelbournePre-match warm-upsAnd we're off!Halftime song & dance - the crowd gets into it!41-51 in the 4th quarter - close matchA few shots of the harbor in Melbourne

    29. Melbourne & ARF

    September 27 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Melbourne is a bustling city of 5.35 million people, and capital of the state of Victoria. We returned our rental car here after our Great Ocean Road trip & spent a few days doing what the locals do - watching Australian Rules Football (ARF).

    We caught the national men's final match, Geelong vs. Brisbane, at a local sports bar - what a blast! The tie score at halftime (first time since 1909 that this happened) gave no indication of the runaway second half with a final score of 147-75 to Brisbane.

    Although it looked like mayhem in the beginning, Mike and I had picked up some of the rules of the game after having tracked down a live ladies match in north Melbourne. The local fans were out in droves and very passionate about the game. Super fun experience!    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    Freycinet NP, here we come
    Wineglass Bay hiking trailPac-man rockWineglass BayA "saddle seat" resting place along the trail"French bistro" band - love the accordion!Our cozy tavern in Hobart is getting busierGoofing off in BichenoStopping along the coast on our drive northLots of cute coastal walking pathsBay of FiresDodging the raindrops at Bay of FiresLichens (made of algae & fungus) give the rocks their orange colorThank goodness for rain gear!

    30. Tasmania - Freycinet NP

    September 29 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    Our 1 hour 15 minute flight from Melbourne to Hobart, capital of Tasmania, somehow occupied the whole day. We got to the airport early (due to hotel check-out times) but weren't allowed to check in (even though it was completely self-serve), more than 2 hours before our flight. Once checked, we made our way to the lounge (also unattended - we had to track someone down to let us in), to find mediocre offerings and a delayed flight. Although we boarded only about 20 minutes late, we sat on the tarmac for another 45 minutes before taking off.

    Our rental car was off-site to the airport - fortunately we found our shuttle driver without too much fuss, though, since the driver was a one-man show also checking in renters & doling out cars, that whole process took another hour.

    But, we're here in Tassie - Yay! Our hotel was comfy & there was a cozy bar around the corner with a 3 man band playing accordion-based French Bistro style music. An unexpected but pleasant diversion from normal pub music.

    The next day we began our loop around Tasmania with a 1.5 hour drive to Freycinet National Park on the east coast where we did a very popular hike out to Wineglass Bay. We stayed that evening in Bicheno, then headed further up the coast to St. Helen's, where we toodled around the rocks and piers at the Bay of Fires.

    The names of these places are starting to amuse me. Does it attract more tourists to label a semi-circular beach cove "Wineglass Bay", or to label orange lichen-ridden rocks "Bay of Fires"?    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    Cataract Gorge, Launceston Tasmania
    We got sucked in by the advertisement "world's longest single span chairlift"......the chair was pretty unimpressive......but gave us some nice viewsThe park was prettyThis place is "peacock city central"Look at me - I'm so beautiful!Mike was impressed that this one male bird (colorful chest) had four women in his haremOne male trying to attract the female - but the other male is stalking her as wellLove the wallabies roaming aroundThe little penguins are nocturnal - one of the locals had a special light to help us see themSo cute!It was after 8P & very dark - these pix were the best we could do

    31. Tasmania-Cataract Gorge & Penguins!

    October 1 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Travelling from east towards Cradle Mountain, we stopped for a night in Launceston, a small town with not much going on other than its local Cataract Gorge attraction. Although I've seen far more impressive gorges, the park was pretty to walk through and the peacocks (October is the end of mating season) were hilarious.

    Later we travelled up to the north coast to the tiny town of Burnie, which offered a "little penguin" viewing platform. Its been cold here - we bundled up and went in search of penguins in the wild at 8PM when the area opened up, and were rewarded instantly upon arriving. It was hard to take pix - very dark and we didn't really have the recommended pink or red viewing lights, but managed to see them with lights from some of the local volunteers.

    We've been so lucky so far to see most of the animals in the wild that we have been trying to track down. Roos, wallabies, crocs, penguins, platypus. Tomorrow, we're off to Cradle Mountain to seek out wombats.    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    Off to Cradle Mountain
    The shuttle buses are the only vehicles allowed in the parkThis is no joke - the only thing we didn't have was sun. It was a very cold & windy day w rain& snowThe Overland Track is reputed to have wombats roaming the fieldsOverland trackDodging the raindrops in cold weather. No gloves - my fingers were frozen trying to take the picWombat!!!We were so excited to see them!They're often hard to see because unless they're moving, they look like a big tuft of grassAlthough they look a little like miniature bears, they are a marsupialThe tasmanian devilA few devils in their penQuollAn eastern quoll

    32. Tasmania - Cradle Mountain & Wombats

    October 2 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 39 °F

    Cradle Mountain is located in the central highlands of Tasmania, in Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park. It has a sub-polar ocean climate, with its average temperatures in October range from 35 - 51 degrees F. The 6-day hike to the summit is a very popular amongst hikers, but warnings about the drastic and quickly changing weather conditions are posted all over.

    Mike & I unfortunately encountered some of this bad weather on the day we visited, and although we only planned to do several short hikes, we had to cut our day short due to freezing temps, and rain that turned to hail & snow.

    We did, however, achieve our goal of seeing wombats in the wild. The wombat is a fluffy marsupial that resembles a very small bear, but is actually more related to a koala (which, btw, is not a bear). We had seen them at Caversham Park in Perth, but only held on the laps of staff members there, and we were thrilled to catch them in their natural habitat.

    In cutting our visit short, we also had time to visit the tasmanian devil park (right next door to Cradle Mtn) where we saw the devils and quolls.

    After we got back to the hotel & warmed up, we questioned whether we had "wimped out" regarding leaving the park early, only to read in the news later about a young couple on the Overland Trail (the trail we were on) needing to be rescued due to their inability to handle the severe weather, and another tourist who had died the week prior due to hyperthermia. OK. I don't feel bad about leaving early at all.    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    View of the capital city of Hobart, from Mt Wellington summit
    Another view from the summitFelt that way today!I climbed up to the highest point for a pic - had to hold on to stay upright!This is where I was standing in the last picOn the way down the mountainHeading back down to HobartRandom breathalizer tests. M likes his happy juice, but is a conscientious & non-drinking driverThe Saturday Salamenca markets are world -classFrom the green adjacent to the marketsThe local bagpipe band entertained us a bit2First thing we see on the hop-on hop-off bus is a political demonstrationFree Palestine!A guy on our bus gave them a furious finger gesture & wagged his behind out the window at themFrom the busCatching some rugby on the tele before our flight to Sydney tomorrow

    33. Tas-Hobart-Mt Wellington & Markets

    October 4 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    With a day and 1/2 to left before departing Tasmania, we left the midlands and headed 2.5 hours south to Mount Wellington, a towering natural landmark that rises 1,271 meters (4,170 feet) above sea level, forming a dramatic backdrop to the capital city of Hobart.

    Officially dual-named kunanyi / Mount Wellington, the summit is accessible by a scenic 22 km drive from Hobart’s CBD where stunning panoramic views of the city & various harbors awaited us.

    We were once again caught unaware of the drastic temperature difference between the sea-level city and the mountain peak. It was so windy & cold that we grabbed our pix and rushed into the sheltered observation deck for respite. I braved the weather one last time by climbing up to one of the peak points, then we bolted to the car, fired up the heat & headed down to town.

    The next day we visited the vibrantly active Saturday Salamenca markets. I think this is the largest pop-up market I've seen, sporting crafts & gifts, snacks, food & drinks, clothing & artwork. A fun morning.

    Tomorrow, we head to Sydney. Bye-bye Tas, we really liked it here!    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    Looke closely at the tulips. What's your preference - Red, white or rose?

    34. Tasmania - Botanical Gardens

    October 5 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    With a 2:30 flight, we needed to drop our rental car by around noon to catch a shuttle to the airport. The left us with about 2 hours to kill after our 10A checkout, so we decided to swing around to the Royal Botanical Gardens for a few hours.

    We got there by 10, and it was delightfully quiet our first hour there. I've been to various gardens before, and tend to overdue it on the pix. No difference here. I took pix of everything. You may want to skip this post.    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    I daresay the note the hotel left me was far more welcome than the note the airline left Mike

    35. Welcome to Sydney-or not?

    October 5 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    The first picture on this posts pretty much tells the story of today.

    We arrived at the airport at 12:30 for our 2:30 flight to find that it had been cancelled. No, not due to the gusting winds that almost knocked us off our feet, but rather to some flight crew issues.

    Long story short, I frantically searched for travel options on my phone while we queued up to get in-person assistance. With nothing to be found on-line we mentally prepared ourselves for sleeping at the airport that night, and were quite pleasantly surprised when they still had room on the 7:30P flight that evening. Yes, a tedious 6 hours to kill at the airport, but given the alternative, we were grateful to be arriving in Sydney same day.

    AND, we were greeted by the hotel receptionist with a free bottle of wine to thank us for choosing the hotel for a 5 night stay. Yay!

    So, just a little about Sydney: with a population of 5.5 million people, Sydney is the most populous city in Australia, and the capital of the New South Wales territory. Originally a British penal colon, its current status is a vibrant, modern city known for its lively harbor, magnificent beaches, and diverse cuisine. We're so happy to wind up our trip here and have high expectations for our grand finale.    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    Footbridge over Darling Harbour
    Darling HarbourDarling Harbour from the footbridgeDarling Harbour from the south side - so much activityOn the opposite pier - Madame Tussauds, and the Wildlife & Sealife venuesCarousel for the kidsSeating for one pleaseCentral station - looking for our ride to Cogee Beach for our coastal walkThanks for the heads-up - better get back before 5:30Cogee Beach - start of our coastal walkCogee Beach1Passing numerous small beaches & coves as we wound our way north up the coastCemeteryBondi Beach with its famous infinity pool

    36. Sydney-Darling Harbor & Bondi

    October 6 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Our first morning after the previous night's late arrival to Sydney, I was still dozing when I heard Mike slip out the door, and thought to myself "why is he going out in the middle of the night?" A quick glance at my phone confirmed it was 10AM. Yikes! Apparently, our room darkening curtains work VERY well.

    Ever the excellent travelling partner, he returned with a cup of coffee for me & we started our exploration of the city with a stroll through Darling Harbor (west side of Sydney), which offers interesting architecture, attractions like the Maritime Museum, Madame Tussaurds, restaurants & cafes, active water ferries and a huge & diverse park area for the kids, featuring a carousel, baby pool, monkey bars, & swings, all in seemingly great demand.

    After grabbing a bite, we headed to Central Station to catch the light rail (a tram) north to a bus station that took us to Cogee Beach, where we started the roughly 6km coastal walk to Bondi Beach. This is a very popular walk for locals & tourists alike, made busier by the fact that it was Australian Labor Day. After freezing out butts off in parts of Tasmania, we sweated in the hot 80 degree sun on our walk. It was a pretty day and we enjoyed stretching our legs and viewing the coastline.    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    Quiet streets in the city as we walked from our hotel to the train station at 5:45A
    Jamison Valley in the Blue MountainsScenic World Railway at Blue MountainsIts hard to see the angle we were onSteepest passenger railway in the worldSome of the easier walking tracks around the Blue MountainsMany of the trails were steps and stairsThis is the famous " Three Sisters"Three SistersThe valley is named Jamison ValleyMike likes the galah birdScenic SkywayKatoomba Falls at Blue MountainForgot to mention Dinosaur World was part of our ticket. We goofed around as we passed itBack in the city, we stopped at the Australian Hotel......to grab refreshments......and to share a "coat of arms pizza" - emu & kangaroo

    37. The Blue Mountains

    October 8 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 54 °F

    With a footprint of about 662k+ acres, Blue Mountains National Park is located 80 km west of Sydney and is easily accessible to Sydney based tourists via a 2 hour train ride and 20 minute walk.

    When previously deciding how best to view the park, we took advice from some of the youtube travel videos, and chose to buy tickets to Scenic World, which boasts a few major features, including Scenic Railway: world's steepest passenger railway, Scenic Skyway: cable car travelling across the gorge with views of Katoomba Falls, Scenic Cableway: a cable car transporting you down 650ft to the Jamison Valley floor and forest. Sounds like a great way to gain access and see all the major attractions of the park, right?

    Total bust. What a waste of $. ($40 US ea). The rides were very short, and, in my opinion, kind of lame, with limited visibility due to dirty safety windows & screens. Turns out we could have easily accessed views to all of the major attractions by just hiking around the park (which we did anyway). Maybe its entertaining for people with kids or less mobile adults, but we were not impressed.

    As far as the park itself goes, the Jamison Valley, Katoomba Falls, and famous Three Sisters rock formation were all nice, but I've honestly seen better. To give credit though, I understand that there were other less touristy parts of the park that we may have enjoyed more, but we're tourists with limited time so we chose to see the highlights.

    A nice hiking/walking day anyway.    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    Fish market - both prepared and fresh to purchase & cookSea urchinI'm tempted to try it, but it looks kinda grossMikes shrimp & scallop skewerYummy!My sashimi sampler platterI can not eat this pieceSwitching gears - on the ferry from Sydney Harbour to Manly BeachLeaving the harbor behind25 minute ride to ManlyThis is it - Manly Beach. Maybe the windy weather is keeping people awaySoutheast corner of ManlyLookout spot at Manly - Sydney skyline in the distanceAddams Family trees?1Out to Fairfax Point in Manly - we heard people were spotting whales hereThey're hard to video - they come & go so fast1But we got a few!

    38. Fish Market & Manly Beach

    October 9 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Two other sites that we visited around the outer edges of Sydney were the Darling Harbour Fish Market, and Manly Beach.

    We weren't sure what to expect at the fish market - would it be a show, like in Seattle? Not quite, but it was huge, crowded, and had lots of delicious looking prepared delicacies. I grabbed a sashimi sampler platter with salmon, octopus, tuna, & scallop, while Mile grabbed a skewer of shrimp & scallops. We tried eating outside, but an aerial attack by the birds sent us scurrying back inside. Food was yummy & fun! (I'll pass in the octopus next time - way too chewy).

    Our other destination outside the city was Manly Beach, probably the second most well-known beach after Bondi. We took the ferry to the beach and the bus to a lookout point where we were told others had spotted whales! You - they were there! Another successful animal (mammal) sighting!    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAustralia 2025Traveler
    The famous Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House
    If you travel here, definitely stop at the Shangri-la rooftop bar for amazing harbor viewsSydney Harbor BridgeAnd the opera house on the edge of the pierCruise ship dockingSydney Harbour from the rooftop bar of the Shangri-laJust west of the harbor - the views just go on & on2Let's shop for gifts for our friends! Kangaroo scrotum, anyone?Lots of pedestrian friendly parks & sports - pick-up soccer hereStreet closed for ping pong and cornhole and......pickleball practiceCircular Quay (pronounced key) is the final tram stop at the HarbourCute cafes & terraces aboundReminders at all transportation venues on using your cc or opal (public transportation) cardThe Queen Victoria Building for upscale shoppingSydney is not exempt from having a homeless populationSydney Tower - observation deck at 250 metersArt installation called "Forgotten Songs". Refers to chirping birdsHyde ParkIts a modern & progressive townNot sure how modern this is though - hahaThese little narrow walking paths seem to be everywhere.Look who I ran into! They loved it when I ran up to them & started singing their theme songSydney Harbour - ground level

    39. Sydney & Sydney Harbour

    October 9 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    What an amazing city!

    Sydney is located on the east coast, 178 miles northeast of Australia's capital Canberra, and 565 miles south of Brisbane (aka Gold Coast area). It is the most populous city in Australia, and the capital of the state of New South Wales. Sydney's population of roughly 5.5 million represents approximately 20% of the country's total population.

    Per Wikipedia, at the 2021 census, the most common ancestries were:

    English (21.8%)
    Australian (20.4%)[N 2]
    Chinese (11.6%)
    Irish (7.2%)
    Scottish (5.6%)
    Indian (4.9%)
    Italian (4.3%)
    Lebanese (3.5%)

    I found this surprising, as my personal visual experience would tell me it is far more Asian based than the facts noted above.

    The city is remarkably easy to get around in. There is little need for a car, in fact, the cost of parking is supposedly exorbitant, and I would imagine navigating your way around all of the pedestrian tourists might be a challenge. The combination of frequently running ferries, trains, and light rail (trams) around and throughout the city, along with an efficient "tap-on, tap-off" credit card payment system for each of these types of transportation, make it a walker's paradise.

    We loved almost everything about Sydney. There was a plethora of eclectic cafes, restaurants, bars, hotels, business areas, shopping, and museums as well as parks and pedestrian areas filled with adult sports and children on swings. Around every corner was a different "modern day Norman Rockwell" scene.

     Our hotel was in an excellent location in the CBD (cental business district), down the block from the Queen Victoria shopping building, with easy access to groceries, bottle shop (that's what they call liquor stores here), the tram, the train, Darling Harbor & its ferries. We could be in Sydney Harbour in 15 minutes. We did a walking tour of the city (Mike also did a separate tour of an older community that is part of Sydney called The Rocks), and we spent a lot of time wandering around. This might be the most inviting, inspiring & navigable city I've ever been in.    Read more

    Trip end
    October 10, 2025
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