Bay of Fires

Posted on by
The spectacular view from the Bay of Fires beach

The spectacular view from the Bay of Fires beach

Following my day on the Tasman Peninsula I made a stop at Triabunna, hoping to make it to Maria Island. I didn’t realize I was meant to book the ferry to the island in advance, so I wasn’t able to go. However, I did meet some hilarious and hospitable fisherman in the tiny town and I spent a day playing pool and hanging out on their fishing boat. It’s cliche, but that’s the best thing about travel… you never know who you’ll meet or where the road will take you.

After spending some time in Triabunna, I made my way further north to the Bay of Fires, which is consistently ranked among the best beaches in the world. It’s a quiet place with free camping spots and nearly endless walking opportunities. There are fairy penguins and wallabies and loads of other creatures to see, in addition to the striking red rocks along the beach. Contrary to common assumption, the bay is not actually named for these red rocks but for the fires that the European settlers saw the aboriginals making along the coastline.

Continue reading →

The Tasman Peninsula

Posted on by
A view of Wineglass Bay from the lookout

A view of Wineglass Bay from the lookout on Tasman Peninsula

After finished up my teaching contract in Darwin I headed to Tasmania for a 17 day road trip. It was an absolutely stunning state and I met the kindest people, ate the most delicious local food (oysters, cheese, beer and wine, chocolate, salmon, beef…), and saw an abundance of animals. There are dozens of short hiking trails which I used as the foundation to plan my trip. I flew into Hobart and essentially made a big counter-clockwise circle, making my first major stop the Tasman Peninsula.

Most famous for Port Arthur (which I didn’t have time to see), the peninsula is also home to amazing cliffscapes and the postcard-worthy Wineglass Bay.

Continue reading →

Scuba Diving Ningaloo Reef: Asho’s Gap

Posted on by
Reef sharks at the Asho's Gap cleaning station, Ningaloo Reef

Reef sharks at the Asho’s Gap cleaning station, Ningaloo Reef

The second dive of the day was Asho’s Gap, which is famous for a giant shark cleaning station. It didn’t disappoint, as we saw about a dozen reef sharks swimming around. Again, visibility wasn’t amazing so the pictures didn’t turn out, but you can get a good idea. In addition, I saw more turtles, a very cool razorfish and a gigantic school of bannerfish.

Continue reading →

Scuba Diving Ningaloo Reef: The Canyon

Posted on by
A turtle at The Canyon, Ningaloo Reef

A turtle at The Canyon, Ningaloo Reef

I did a one day dive trip with Ningaloo Reef Dive and got a bit closer to the spectacular west coast corals and sea creatures. The highlight was definitely the hard coral structures, but I also saw two turtles, a gorgeous trumpet fish and a nudibranch. Unfortunately the visibility was uncharacteristically low, at about 7 meters, so I didn’t get so many amazing shots. Here’s a sampling.

Continue reading →

Snorkeling in Coral Bay

Posted on by
A hard coral at Coral Bay

A hard coral at Coral Bay

For Christmas  break I headed to the west coast of Australia for a week. I was meant to go on a road trip stopping at all the major sites between Perth and Exmouth, but due to a hangover-induced oversight I lost my driver’s license at the Darwin airport. After a couple of hours of pure panic at the Perth airport, I realized I could get a bus up to Coral Bay and actually have a pretty good trip regardless of the lack of rental car.

So, after a 15 hour bus trip I arrived at the tiny town (pop. 190) in WA and settled into the friendly Ningaloo Club hostel. The next day the staff directed me to the best snorkeling spot, which happens to be just a few meters off the beach. It’s one of the few places in the world where you can literally walk into a coral reef. Absolutely stunning.

Continue reading →