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08/23/26 - Kelly Cave - 1

That afternoon we went to Kelly Cave. Australia is all built on limestone, so there are lots of caves. We didn't have to go far underground before we were surrounded by speleothems. Our guide explained that the cave we were visiting was just a small sample of a much larger cave system. He was a spelunker and had explored other parts.

Kelly cave is anechoic. The rock of the cave walls absorbs sound almost completely. We all gave a good yell to test this but the walls remained silent. We also learned about calcite. That's the form of limestone that most caves are made of. It's translucent so light flows through it, and it will split a beam of light into two separate beams. That latter property is why it shows up in physics books.
























Keywords: australia























Keywords: australia

08/21/26 - On The Way to Vivonne Bay

We headed out to VIvonne Bay, also on the south shore of Kangaroo Island. We wandered through an artists' community that seemed like something out of the past. It was hard not to think of it as a holdover from 1930s Cape Cod and 1930s real estate values.

Then, we stopped at the fishing pier and paid a call on a local visitor, a seal who liked to hang out there. This gave us a sense of the bay which is still something of a fishing port. Then we headed out towards the sea.










Keywords: australia

08/20/26 - Vivonne Bay - 1

We hiked along the coast past Vivonne Bay. The vegetation was short and scrubby and the sea smashing into the rocks was wild. We made our way west past tidal pools and sea spray.























Keywords: australia























Keywords: australia

08/18/26 - Kangaroos and a Koala

On our way back to our hotel we took a side spur down a generally closed road. There was a field full of kangaroos, most of them standing around idly as if bored at a cocktail party. We stopped for a bit then headed on.

We stopped a bit further down the road and entered a grove of trees. There was something special there, a a koala with her baby nestled in the fork of a tree. Many koalas died in the fire. They deal with danger by climbing trees which is not a good idea when the forest is in flames. This was one of the survivors and doing quite well.


















Keywords: australia

08/17/26 - Another Kangaroo Island Cliff Walk - 1

We had a peaceful morning, so we decided to stretch our legs and revisit the cliff walk heading west. This time, we went a little farther than we had with our guide. It was the same amazing hike with the recovering vegetation and the sea crashing below.























Keywords: australia





















Keywords: australia

08/15/26 - Morning Fog

We had a foggy morning on Kangaroo Island.



Keywords: australia

08/14/26 - Sea Lions - 1

The last time we went to see the sea lions on Kangaroo Island, we were allowed to walk right up to them on the beach. That wasn't a great idea, so now there are a set of viewing platforms that offer excellent views while protecting the lions and the local vegetation.

Once again, we could watch the sea lions walking around the beach like four legged animals with short hind legs rather than like seals who are more awkward. They're fascinating the watch with friends greeting friends and young males challenging older ones then backing down.
























Keywords: australia























Keywords: australia

08/12/26 - Dawn Departure

We rose early on our final morning on Kangaroo Island and caught a beautiful sunrise accented by morning sea fog.







Keywords: australia

08/11/26 - Let's Go To The Zoo

We can't visit Australia without a trip to the Taronga Zoo. We skipped it earlier, but now we had time. It's off on a ferry.











Keywords: australia

08/10/26 - Taronga Zoo

We visited our old favorites at the Taronga Zoo. We had to see the kangaroos, emus, koalas and echidnas. We also dropped in on the Tasmanian devils among others.























Keywords: australia

08/09/26 - The Dark Side of the Taronga Zoo

We always call on our friends in the dark. This includes the platypuses. We took a number of pictures, but it was awfully dark and only a few containing recognizable images of the animals we saw.







OK, not all dark

Keywords: australia

08/08/26 - Sydney Dawn and Our Flight Home

We woke up around dawn to catch our mid-day flight back home. We hate feeling rushed on travel days. This meant we had some time to sip our coffee and watch the sun rise over Sydney Harbour.

Then, it was off to the airport. We entered the maw of the system and after a long, long flight across the Pacific were puked up on the west coast of North America, just where we wanted to be.










Keywords: australia

08/27/25 - On To Australia - First Stop - Vancouver BC

We like to fly to Australia via Vancouver. The alternative is via Los Angeles, but that means flying down to LA and dealing with LAX in both directions. YVR in Vancouver is a much smaller, calmer airport, and, for us, it's easy to get to Vancouver.

We always spend an extra night so we get to eat dinner at Le Crocodile which was in top form as usual and to walk the loop along the shore in Stanley Park. One isn't really in Vancouver until one sees the bright yellow mound of sulfur across the water. It's one of the city landmarks. The featured bird on this walk was the heron. There were lots of them perched on rocks and enjoying the waterfront much as we were.


Flying in to Vancouver BC

We had no idea.

Nothing says welcome to Vancouver like its huge mound of sulfur.

One of many great blue herons

The Lion's Gate Bridge








Return to civilization

Keywords: australia, flying, vancouver

Keywords: australia, flying, vancouver

08/26/25 - Flying in to Sydney

It's a fifteen hour flight from Vancouver to Sydney. Australia is pretty far away. Mostly, we slept. The scenery over the Pacific is pretty dull especially at night. Dawn, however, was something else, and we did get a nice view of the city on our approach the airport. Excuse the poor image quality. Airplane windows are not as transparent as one might like.

Dawn light

Daylight

Sydney with the harbor bridge top right

Keywords: australia, flying, vancouver

Keywords: australia, flying, vancouver

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