Memorable travel moments: Hinchinbrook Island

January 27, 2015.Reading time 1 minute.

“From paradise to paradise I go sweeping; collecting rocks & views; owning nothing but what I feel.” Alice Walker

Hinchinbrook Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and is Australia’s largest island national park. I travelled there with my friend Mary and we had a wonderful escape from our usual 9 to 5 lives – hiking the 32-kilometre Thorsborne Trail through unspoiled wilderness.

The hiking was amazing, but the most memorable part of the trip was our lazy rest day at Zoe Falls. We took a dip in the refreshing pool, bathed under the waterfall, hiked to the top of the falls for incredible views of the beach and ocean, and occasionally pinched ourselves to make sure it was all real. This was our version of paradise and we didn’t have to share it with hundreds of people, because we’d carried heavy packs through swamps to get here. It was one of the most wonderful days of my life.

If you’d like to see more photographs from Hinchinbrook Island, click here.

Farewell 2013

December 31, 2013.Reading time 7 minutes.

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

On New Year’s Eve I tend to reflect on the last 12 months (that have flown by way too quickly). Then I make some half-hearted resolutions to welcome the New Year. My main thought last year was to make sure I kept writing this weekly blog, which I managed quite well. The exception was during my overseas travels when I didn’t have easy access to a computer. Clearly, I’m not up to date with the latest technology – and probably never will be – so it’s lucky I’m not a frontline journalist 😉

But I do get a lot of enjoyment from sharing my travel stories, even if it’s only a handful of people who take the time to read them. I love each and every comment; just knowing that my words occasionally move people or inspire them. For me, there is nothing better.

Wilsons Promontory: Tidal River to Squeaky Beach

December 3, 2013.Reading time 4 minutes.

“This is my carefree, this is my freedom – this is MY HAPPY.” Coco J.Ginger

Squeaky Beach

A couple of days ago, on the first day of the Australian summer, my brother and I took a Canadian friend on a lightning trip to Wilsons Promontory – so he could see a place that is very close to our hearts before he heads home. So, for this week’s blog, I’ve decided to take a break from US National Parks to share some photographs that I took a bit closer to home.

I think we (my family) must be creatures of habit because whenever we take overseas visitors to The Prom we always do the same two walks. We hike up Mt Oberon for the incredible views across the ocean, the peninsula and offshore islands. And then, if time permits, we hike from Tidal River to Squeaky Beach to get up close and personal to one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches.

But then, I guess, why wouldn’t we, when these places are so amazing?

Zion National Park: Angels Landing

October 30, 2013.Reading time 5 minutes.

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” John Muir

Angels Landing hike is in Zion National Park, Utah. It’s billed as one of the top two attractions in the park – and I’m not arguing, because it was the most spectacular hike that I did on my recent trip to the US.

The trail begins at the Grotto, meandering alongside the Virgin River in lower Zion Canyon. But it doesn’t stay flat for long, gradually getting steeper and steeper. This is a strenuous hike (5m/8km return) and, in summer, it’s likely to be hot. We were lucky to get started by 9am, which meant the trail was partially shaded on the way up. But, by the time we headed back down, the trail was completely exposed to the sun (and the 40-degrees-Celsius heat).

After about half an hour of walking, the cliffs loomed above us, seemingly impassable, but we could see people dotted along the trail. It’s truly remarkable that the National Parks Service were able to build a trail on these cliffs.

We followed a series of steep switchbacks and it was equally incredible looking up at the trail ahead or back down along the path we’d followed. Vertigo anyone! The view into lower Zion Canyon was also worth pausing for, and a chance to catch a breath.

Zion National Park: Emerald Pools

October 22, 2013.Reading time 4 minutes.

“All this is the music of waters.” John Wesley Powell, 1895

Zion National Park is stunning. Towering mountains rise majestically to the sky. The sculptured cliffs are multi-coloured; formed over many thousands of years by layers of mud, lime, sand and ash. It’s a desert landscape, but the canyon has been shaped by the Virgin River that winds its way through the valley. Of all the national parks I’ve visited in the US, this is my favourite. I was awestruck, just like the Morman pioneers and an early Methodist minister who gave some of the peaks biblical names – Angels Landing, the Great White Throne and The Three Patriarchs.

Tasman National Park: Cape Pillar

August 13, 2013.Reading time 6 minutes.

“All that glitters is not gold. All who wander are not lost.” William Shakespeare

The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service have, for some time, been working on an ambitious project known as the Three Capes Track. This multi-day coastal trek will take in the towering sea cliffs of the Tasman Peninsula, including Cape Raoul, Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy, and will have a boat leg across Port Arthur Bay, and finish at Fortescue Bay.

My friend Mary and I were keen to explore the Tasman Peninsula while it was relatively unknown and somewhat wild, so we set off on a New Year’s weekend (a couple of years ago). On day one, we walked from Fortescue Camping Ground to Retakunna Creek via Cape Pillar Track. It was a short walk, taking us about three-and-a-half hours, climbing gradually across Consolation Hill and Tornado Ridge. The final half an hour was downhill to our beautifully located campsite, our base for two nights.

Tasman National Park: Fortescue Bay

August 6, 2013.Reading time 5 minutes.

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” Aristotle

The Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania, Australia, has some great bushwalking and I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the area four times. Once was a visit to the historical site of Port Arthur – and I can recommend the ghost tour – but, every other time, it’s been to go hiking. The Tasman Coastal Trail, which is one of Tasmania’s Great Walks, hugs the coast from Waterfall Bay to Fortescue Bay, and then out to Cape Hauy and Cape Pillar. It’s a spectacular walk that features some of Australia’s highest cliffs, including dolerite towers known as the ‘Candlestick’ and the ‘Totem Pole’.

My first hiking foray was just a lightning day trip, so we checked out short walks to the Blowhole, Tasman Arch, Devils Kitchen and the beginning of a walk to Waterfall Bay. On the second occasion, we donned packs and set off on a three-day-loop from Fortescue Bay to Cape Pillar return (which I’ll feature in my next blog). And, on the third occasion, we set up camp at Fortescue Bay and did two short, but incredibly beautiful, hikes – to Bivouac Bay and Cape Hauy.

Places

June 18, 2013.Reading time 2 minutes.

“You’re off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way.” Dr Seuss

Sunflower, France

Grebbestad, Sweden

Great Wall of China, China

Routeburn Track, New Zealand

Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia

My first overseas trip as an adult was on a three-month architecture study tour of Europe with RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). Although I wasn’t an architectural student, the tour was open to friends and family, and I decided to go. I’d actually completed the first year of a Bachelor of Education in Art and Craft, but didn’t really know what I wanted to do in terms of a career. I wasn’t all that keen on becoming a teacher, but I loved art. In that first year at college, I studied a variety of subjects and discovered a love for photography. That, combined with the study tour, is ultimately what set me on course to pursue photography, writing and editing… and more travel than I ever imagined was possible when I was 19 years old.

When I think about all the places I’ve been since then, I feel incredibly lucky. Some countries/experiences were on my ‘bucket list’ for a long time, such as Peru and hiking the Inca Trail. Others I visited after making a spur of the moment decision, such as participating in a Charity Challenge to trek on the Great Wall of China (to raise money for the Cancer Council). In this blog, I’d like to share 100 images of some of the places/landmarks/wildlife that I’ve been fortunate to see in the last 28 years.

Multi-day walks at Wilsons Promontory

June 11, 2013.Reading time 8 minutes.

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain – and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light…. ~Robert Frost

I love that quote from Robert Frost, particularly in relation to the two multi-day hikes I’ve done at Wilsons Promontory. Both were on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June, two years in a row, in the middle of the Australian winter. The first hike we ‘walked out in rain’, and the second hike we walked ‘back in rain’. But on both occasions we also had sunshine. It was wonderful to get away from the city lights, to gaze at the stars during dark chilly nights, and enjoy the fresh ocean breeze while trekking along the coast.

East Prom coastal circuit via Sealers Cove, Refuge Cove and Little Waterloo Bay

The thing that I loved most about this weekend was our perseverance. It was raining on our drive to Wilsons Promontory and the weather didn’t look promising. But we donned our raincoats and set off anyway, confident in our wet weather gear, and hopeful that the sun would emerge at some stage. On the first night, just after we’d taken shelter in our tent, the heavens opened to torrential rain. A few hikers were caught out and they were forced to hike out the next day because everything got wet. But we were safe and snug in our warm sleeping bags, and the next two days ended up being perfect with blue skies and sunshine. It’s often the way for us. We seem to attract the rain but then, if we carry on undeterred, we find ourselves in the most spectacular places enjoying nature’s beauty.

Short walks at Wilsons Promontory

June 4, 2013.Reading time 4 minutes.

“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” Henry David Thoreau

Wilsons Promontory National Park has plenty of short walks; taking in forests, sand dunes, pristine beaches, mountains, and lookouts with incredible views. I’ve been visiting this national park for many years and still haven’t explored every trail. But, here are three of my favourite short walks at The Prom.

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Tag: backpacking