Australia

In December, 2024 Grace and I visited Australia to attend the 80th birthday bash for my good friend Dexter Irvine. While this may seem like a long way to go for a birthday party we made the excuse that we could celebrate my 80th as well. But in reality this was mainly for Grace as this was her first time Down Under. We flew to Sydney for a long weekend, then to Melbourne for the birthday lunch. From Melbourne we joined a one-day tour of Philip Island to see the fairy penguins. We then rented a car and drove the famous Great Ocean Road to Kangaroo Island with stops in the coastal towns of Lorne and Robe. We then drove back to Melbourne, overshooting it to spend a couple of nights in Wilson's Prom before flying back to the US from Melbourne. We stayed in Airbnb rentals along the entire route with a couple of exceptions.

Sydney

Our Airbnb was located in the King’s Cross region of Sydney which made access to the Opera House within walking distance. Along the way we wandered through the Royal Botanical Garden.

Opera House panorama

In the Royal Botanic Garden

Two Sydney icons in one view.

Sulpher-crested cockatoos are always fun to watch.

At the Royal Botanic Garden

Friendly seagull posing against the Harbor Bridge

Entertaining the tourists

Aboriginal street performer

At the Sydney Fish Market

El Alamein Fountain in King’s Cross area, near our Airbnb

Melbourne

The main order of business in Melbourne, was to attend the 80th birthday bash for Dexter Irvine, a good friend and colleague from Monash University. I had the pleasure of hosting Dexter for an extended sabbatical leave in Madison in the mid 80s.

Dexter (second from L) and family

With Rob Shepherd who worked at the Bionic Ear Institute in Melbourne. He once had the fantastic generosity to come to Madison from Melbourne for 2 days to show us how to do a cochlear implant surgery.

With an old friend David Moore (far right) who was Dexter’s first graduate student and whom we visited when he was at Oxford University in the U.K.

Yarambooee

We wandered downtown to the Federal Square after the luncheon and were fortunate to witness an aboriginal ceremony with dancing, music and didgeredoo performance. The performance depicted two aboriginal groups meeting each other and featured an extended and haunting didgeredoo performance.

The performance began by the river and was broadcast to the crowd at Federal Square on a large video screen.

Flinder’s Street Station

Flinder’s Street Station all dressed up for the holidays

Philip Island

We took a day tour from Melbourne to Philip Island to see the fairy penguins. The all-day tour included lunch at a winery and a visit to the Koala Conservation Reserve.

Koala high in the tree

Wallabee

Coastal scenery at Philip Island while waiting for the penguins

Fairy penguins

The penguins spend the day out at sea fishing and return to their burrows on the island at nightfall. Because they are very vulnerable during the long walk from the water to their dens, they want to do it when it is dark.

The first penguins to poke their heads out of the water assess if it is dark enough to make the dash. Some decide to go for it while others head back to the sea to wait for more darkness.

Great Ocean Road

Lorne

Our Airbnb in Lorne was unusual: a converted shipping container. It was located only about a mile outside the town center but it seemed to be far out in the bush, miles into the outback. It had two large sliding doors that opened to a shaded veranda that contained the kitchen. There were no curtains on the windows or doors but it didn’t seem like anybody except wildlife were around.

The round structure to the left is the shower and the outhouse is not visible.

Friendly sulpher-crested cockatoo looking for a handout.

Kennett River Bridge

Our Airbnb host told us about a great place to see koalas in the wild: at the Kennett Bridge crossing on the Great River Road. It’s free and we saw 5 or 6 of them scattered throughout a small area that you could easily access by foot. Unlike all the other koalas I’ve seen in the wild, these were, perhaps by chance, all awake and active.

Koala high up in the tree

Twelve Apostles

A mandatory stopping point on the Great Ocean Road is the Twelve Apostles, or however many of them there are now.

The 12 apostles, or what’s left of them.

Just in case

Robe

We spent two nights at the small ocean town of Robe. It is apparently a popular resort town in the summer but it was pretty quiet when we were there.

The aptly named Long Beach near Robe

Kangaroo Island

I had been to Kangaroo Island once before in 2007 but there have been two bad bushfires on the island, in 2007 and 2020. The one in 2020 was especially destructive, burning over half of the island and killing about 80% of the koalas. Fortunately there were no bush fires this time and the island on the surface seems to have recovered though there was noticeably fewer wildlife.

Passengers on the ferry to Kangaroo Island

One evening we were having dinner at Amadio's Restaurant in Kingscote, I noticed an odd lump in the tree across the street. On closer examination, it was a koala sleeping in the tree on the main street!! After dinner it was still asleep in the tree so we took a short walk around. About 40 minutes later when we came back it was gone! I was hoping to get a shot of the koala ambling on the sidewalk but missed my chance.

Koala on a tree on main street in Kingscote.

Fortunately we were not there at Christmas Day or on a day of catatrophic fire danger…

Cape Du Couedic Lightstation

Sea lion in flight Down Under

Remarkable Rocks

I expected to see many kangaroos in the wild on the island but surprisingly we did not see a single one for almost 2 days. Finally, I asked around and was told to drive up to Stokes Bay on the northern shore. Sure enough, there were many kangaroos off the road just before the town.

Animated GIF of kangaroo locomotion.

Nhill

We stayed overnight on the drive from Kangaroo Island to Wilson’s Prom at a small town with an interesting name Nhill, which means “mist rising over water” in the local aboriginal language. It is in the Western Highway about halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne. After dinner we went for a walk around Nhill Lake and came across this pair of corella lovebirds that entertained us for a half hour.

Wilson’s Prom

Our last stop before returning to the US was a couple of nights at Wilson’s Prom, well-known for its wildlife. We stayed in the Black Cockatoo Cottages (our best accommodations on this trip!) in Yanakie about 11 miles from the park entrance. We drove from Nhill to Yanakie on Sunday and began looking for a place for dinner late Sunday afternoon only to discover that most of the small town cafes were closed. Luckily we came upon the Loch and Key in the small village of Loch which turned out to be a very pleasant country inn with delicious food.

Boxing ‘roos

Wombat

Emu

Black cockatoo

Black cockatoo

Sand bubbler crab