Parents Down Under

My parents were our first visitors in Australia! January/February is the northern hemisphere's July/August equivalent, which makes it convenient to trade winter for summer. After a long journey from the U.S. East Coast, they arrived Friday morning in early February.  In an attempt to thwart jet lag, we lunched at the Park Hotel. On the walk back, my mom enjoyed perusing the local grocery stores. 

On Saturday, I introduced my parents to Melbourne's public transit system. We took the train into town and explored the South Bank, strolling through various parks and gardens. They enjoyed the history museum inside the Shrine of Remembrance. German lunch at Hop Haus, and special welcome dinner at Smith and Daughters.

On Sunday, the four of us used a carshare to drive east to the Dandenong Ranges. From the Coles Ridge car park, we hiked the Eastern Sherbrooke Forest Walk--a 6.7-km loop popular for birding. The lyrebird is a large songbird known for its elaborate tail and its excellent mimicry, capable of imitating almost any sound. We were fortunate to cross paths with a wallaby!

 

 

On the way back, we stopped for a tasting at Yarra Valley's Morgans Winery and Distillery. During my parents' trip, we experienced two mini heat waves with 38 degree days; still a welcome change from the Northern Hemisphere's winter.

During the week, my parents were on their own while Tom and I worked. Highlights include several trips to the Abbotsford Convent, plus a city river cruise and Great Ocean Road day trip. In the evenings, Tom and I were spoiled with homemade dinners. 

After our trip to South Australia (next post), we grabbed a pre-dinner pint in town at Hofbrauhaus. My German cousin Christina and her partner Michael are globe trotters and were passing through Melbourne on Valentine's Day. They met us for Chinese dumplings at HuTong.

For my Dad's birthday, I took my parents to Docklands and introduced them to my bike shop crew at Trek. We also visited the Friends Experience: the One in Melbourne.

 

On our final Sunday together, the four of us drove 1.5 hours south to the Mornington Peninsula. We made the short hike to Bushranger Bay near Cape Schanck. It was fairly busy and buggy, but absolutely stunning. 

 

For dinner, we met my dad's friends, Rob and Michelle, at Kirks in Mornington. The peninsula has heaps to explore by way of hikes, beaches, and wineries; we are very keen to spend more time here in the future!

On Monday evening, it was time to return my parents to their home in Pittsburgh. Goodbyes are easier when we have a date for our next reunion; in this case, it is July. Thank you Mom and Dad for crossing the globe to spend time together!

Australian Open

My journey to become a pharmacist was streamlined, and began at the tender age of 18. Since then, my interests and values have shifted. In fact, I have grown into different versions or "upgrades" of myself, based on my unique set of life experiences.

On a recent episode of the Rich Roll podcast, psychologist Michael Gervais explains how most people transform themselves four to six times as they move through life. In my case, I grew up disciplined and studious. During university, travelling and minimalism became priorities. In Colorado, I discovered passions for the outdoors and veganism. And in Oregon, I became grounded by my family unit: Tom and Louie. I wonder how I might continue to change in Australia!

Given this transformation, it is no surprise that I have moved away from a career that I began pursuing over a decade ago. I am proud and grateful for my pharmacy journey--and will perhaps return to it someday--but for now, I am excited to transition into a space aligned with my current values: animal welfare, environmental conservation, and global health.

Changing careers is both inspiring and terrifying, and timing is everything. I timed my transition to coincide with our move abroad, and waited until I paid off my pharmacy schooling. Despite my offer of transferrable skills from a respectable profession, I received a lot of rejection. It took more than a year of applying to jobs, resume tweaking, and volunteering to finally cross paths with someone who recognized my potential and was willing to take a chance on me.

All that is to say, I am very humbled to join the small nonprofit team at Vegan Australia. My responsibility is to manage communications and campaigns as we work to end the exploitation of animals; because animals are here with us, not for us.

Now that I have secured a job, learning to do it is the next challenge! My prior work history revolved around shift work and concrete tasks. Abstract project management is new to me, so my goal is to be patient with myself over the next several months.

The position is a part-time hybrid structure, so I will continue to work intermittently at the bike shop.

Aside from a new job, January brought the Australian Open. During this annual two-week event, Melbourne Park transforms into an incredible world of food, beverages, entertainment, and 39 courts!

I'm not a massive sports fan, but I've always had a soft spot for tennis, and going to a Grand Slam tournament is pretty epic. Tom and I bought "Grounds Pass" tickets for opening day. I was impressed by the size and capacity of the park. There were plenty of hydration and sunscreen stations, as well as eco-friendly reusable cups and plates. The Grounds Pass is a great option to stroll the grounds and pop into open matches (center courts are reserved for ticket holders).

Tom and I returned to the tournament the following week for the quarter-finals. We bought tickets for the Tuesday evening session at Rod Laver Arena. Novak Djokovic (ranked #1, also plant-based) was playing in the afternoon session, so we watched from a shady spot in front of the big screen. Taylor Fritz put up a good fight, but lost in four sets. The match lasted almost four hours, so the evening session was delayed by two hours. Luckily, the women's match was quick. Aryna Sabalenka beat Barbora Krejcikovavs in two sets.

The mens match was exciting, but Jannik Sinner (#4) beat Andrey Rublev (#5) in three sets. It ended at 1:30am, which sparked conversation around potential scheduling changes for future tournaments.

Two days later, Djokovich was knocked out by Sinner in the semi-finals, and Sinner came back to win the final match after losing the first two sets. Sabalenka won the women's singles title, so both athletes that we saw in the quarter-finals won the tournament!

Tasmania: Week One

On Boxing Day, Tom and I embarked on a two-week tour of Tasmania–an Australian island state located 240 km south of Victoria. "Tassie" contains some of the most spectacular mountain, lake, and coastal scenery in the country. In fact, much of its land is protected in national parks and reserves. A small industrial sector reduces the level of pollution, so the air is clean, but the UV index is high.

In 1642, the first European to visit was Abel Tasman. Similar to the mainland, Tasmania's dark past involving the First Nations has been largely ignored; Acknowledgement of Country is now used to recognise Aboriginal Australians.

26 Dec - 8 Jan

Day 1: Hobart

The ferry across the Bass Strait from Melbourne is a 10-hour journey. Since we don't have a car, Tom and I opted for the one-hour flight to Hobart. We arrived Tuesday morning, and dropped our bags at the bnb in Sandy Bay. Nearby is Battery Point, a historic district with narrow lanes and colonial-era cottages. Coffee at Ozus.

Tasmania's capital is framed by the distinct figure of Mount Wellington and the flow of the wide River Derwent. At historic Salamanca Place, old sandstone warehouses host galleries and cafes. Lunch at The Whaler.

That afternoon, we walked to the Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens–Australia’s premier cool climate garden. The gardens feature a special selection of Tasmanian native plants, many of them rare and threatened species. A significant collection of heritage trees from the 19th century are found here, plus a subantarctic plant house with the flora of Macquarie Island. 

 

We shared an Italian dinner at Maldini.

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Day 2: Bruny Island
Wednesday was another hot and sunny day–perfect for a day trip to Bruny Island. Located off the coast of Hobart, Bruny is a popular holiday spot for beach-goers and food lovers. Local producers specialise in oysters, cheese, honey, cherries, whisky, and chocolate. The island is home to whales, dolphins, penguins, birds, and white wallabies. With only 800 residents, Bruny hosts up to 4,000 visitors a day during high season! 

 

Our tour group collected us in the morning, driving first to catch the 20-minute ferry from Kettering. Bruny is effectively two islands–North and South Bruny–bound together by a narrow isthmus called "The Neck." Similar to Hobart, North Bruny is drier because the southwest part of the island gets the brunt of the storms. 

In contrast, South Bruny is a lush rainforest with tropical landscapes scattered through South Bruny National Park. Cloudy Bay Lagoon is a great spot for swimming, paddling, and surfing.

The Mavista Nature Walk enters a shaded gully filled with ancient and enchanting forest. We walked under towering stringybarks, blackwoods, treeferns, and a variety of understory species (myrtle beech, sassafras, pepper berry).

 

Blessed by the long summer days, we had plenty of time after the tour to walk to the waterfront for the first day of Taste of Tasmania. This annual event celebrates the local food and drink scene, and coincides with the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. With 628 nautical miles of salt, sweat, and stamina, the "Sydney to Hobart" is one of the world's toughest and most prestigious yacht races. Since its inception in 1945, the race starts from Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, and proceeds over the following three to four days. Winners usually cross the finish line in under 48 hours. Hobart locals and visitors line the shores as the leading yachts sail into Sullivans Cove.

Day 3: Mona
On Thursday, Tom and I picked up our rental car and drove upriver to Mona (Museum of Old and New Art). The unique underground museum looms large in global art circles and on the itineraries of scores of travellers. Mona's subterranean architecture showcases the highlights (and lowlights) of David Walsh’s $110m private collection of art and antiquities, as well as hosting a busy exhibitions program. 

Mona is home to the Moorilla winery, two restaurants, several bars, and accommodation. Each January, the summer festival, Mona Foma, unleashes an eclectic mix of music and art. Come June, the Dark Mofo winter festival delves into centuries-old winter solstice rituals, and celebrates the dark through art, music, food, film, light, and noise. 

Danny Healy composes two pieces of jazz music
by hand everyday to be performed that afternoon.

That afternoon, we drove an hour and a half to the Tasman Peninsula (Turrakana). A light rain came through as we crossed Eaglehawk Neck. Here we stopped to admire the natural wonder of the Tessellated Pavement. The tiled rocks are a stunning sight formed mostly of siltstone that formed 300 million years ago. The rocks were fractured by the movement of the Earth, and resulted in "jointing." Jointing is not incredibly uncommon, but the presence of salt crystals and consistent erosion by the Tasman Sea’s waves and sediment deepened the pattern to give its startling appearance. Much time could be spent here experimenting with light levels and tidal patterns.

Afterwards, we checked into our bnb on a beautiful farm in Premaydena. The small peninsula has few dining options, but we grabbed dinner at Fox and Hounds.

Day 4: Cape Raoul

With soaring sea cliffs and monumental rock formations, Tasman National Park is a coastal wonderland. Covering much of the rugged coastline of the Tasman Peninsula, it features 300-m cliffs, and a curious collection of geological oddities.

The park is the setting for the Three Capes Track and a host of other walks that bring hikers to the edge of sheer drops overlooking deep chasms, surging seas, islands, white-sand beaches, and a waterfall that tumbles down a steep cliff face into the sea.

Cape Raoul is one of Tasmania’s 60 Great Short Walks. What starts as a pleasant bushwalk transforms into a climb through open forest, and ultimately across the cape to a cliff edge. Here the dolerite cape drops dramatically into the ocean. Keep an eye out for seals and climbers on the rocks and small islands below.​ 

Give yourself five hours for this 14-km trip, and pack sunscreen and bug spray. We encountered relatively few people.

That evening, we enjoyed a home-cooked pasta dinner.

Day 5: Port Arthur
On a rainy Saturday morning we decided to check out nearby Port Arthur–Tasmania’s most famous convict settlement. After the American War of Independence, Britain could no longer send convicts to America, so after 1788 they were transported to the Australian colonies. "Van Diemen's Land" was the colonial name for Tassie, and Port Arthur became a punishment station for repeat male offenders. Flogging was the main method of punishment used there, although new ideas of reform were introduced that centred on labor, education, and religion.

More than 30 buildings and ruins (bushfires) dot the heritage site, ranging from a large penitentiary, which was originally constructed as a flour mill, to a roofless church built by convicts. Sombre scenes such as the isolation cells of the Separate Prison are contrasted by the neat homes and gardens of the settlement of civil employees, soldiers, and free settlers from the post-convict era. The impressive grounds include symmetric gardens, English oaks, and New Zealand Christmas trees (lots of red flowers predict a good new year). Watch out for Wallaby poo!

Entry tickets include a walking tour (highly recommend) and a short harbour cruise. The cruise offers glimpses of the Isle of the Dead and Point Puer, where more than 3,000 boys were imprisoned in Britain’s first purpose-built prison for children.

That afternoon, we drove three hours north along the east coast to the seaside holiday town of Bicheno. We sampled the local wines along the way at Freycinet Vineyard. That evening, we dined at Food & Brew. On the walk back to the bnb, we stopped at the Blowhole during low tide.

Day 6: Freycinet National Park
Occupying most of the Freycinet Peninsula, Freycinet National Park features granite peaks, secluded bays, white sandy beaches, and abundant wildlife. Walks lead to pristine bays and beaches, where the clear waters beckon for swimming, snorkelling, and kayaking.

Tom and I began Sunday with a hike to Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach. This 11-km trek continues past the Wineglass Bay Lookout, and down onto the sands of Wineglass Bay. Tasmania’s most famous beach forms a perfect white curve beneath the Hazards mountains. The return journey crosses the isthmus to Hazards Beach and rounds the coast beneath the Hazards. 

 

From the same trailhead, we tackled a more challenging climb to Mount Amos. It’s a short (3.6 km) but steep track on granite slabs that requires scrambling, and should not be attempted in wet conditions. From the summit, views extend down into Wineglass Bay and across the Freycinet Peninsula. Plan for at least two hours.

My recommendation is to tackle Mount Amos in the morning, then enjoy the rest of the afternoon at Wineglass Bay. The two-day Freycinet Peninsula Circuit would also be a great option.

We ate lunch at Freycinet Lodge before a paradisiacal swim in Coles Bay. Where was everyone? 

One of our favourite days!

Back in Bicheno, we dined at French restaurant, La Coq. We celebrated New Year's Eve with a nice bottle of wine from our tasting. Cheers to 2024!