Australia: Intrepid Travel Mission Winner Ferdinand Henke's Photographic Trip of a Lifetime

We hosted a Mission with Intrepid Travel to celebrate the many ways travel brings people together around the world. The third winner Ferdinand Henke shares both his photos and his travel adventures with us.

We hosted a Mission with Intrepid Travel to celebrate the many ways travel brings people together around the world. Ferdinand Henke shares some insights about his travels with Intrepid in Australia. In our Mission with Intrepid Travel, we wanted to see how traveling widens your circle of companions – or brings you closer to those you already know. With almost 52K photo submissions, five winners were at last selected togo on an amazing experience of a lifetime to Morocco, Australia, Peru, Cuba, and Vietnam.

Ferdinand was the second winner and he traveled to Australia. Here he shares a few insights from his trip and his favorite images.

How was the journey there?

I really enjoyed it a lot because there was a lot of time on the road and quite a distance to cover in 10 days. Despite this it was definitely worth the effort.

Did the country meet your expectations? What did you find most surprising?

Actually, Australia wasn’t really on my travel-radar before the trip, therefore I didn’t research as much as you would expect. I knew that Australia is a huge country with a small population, but when we were on those highways - in some parts they are more than 100km without any bends - I was really surprised how far you can go without seeing any other cars or towns!

What was the most memorable moment from the trip?

I think my highlight was the various gorges in the Karijini National Park. Additionally, I enjoyed the less glamourous places we visited on short stops - these broke up our long distance rides every day. The Pink Lake or the stromatolites in particular are quite memorable. Stromatolites are fascinating (but not very photogenic) biochemical structures that provide records of ancient life on earth from 3.7 billion years ago.

What did you do that you’ve never done before?

A group tour with 19 other travellers!

Who did you meet/connect with? Who will you stay in touch with/never forget?

I think we had an awesome group with an interesting mix of ages, nationalities and professions. I liked the fact that we also had Australians traveling with us - this gave me a chance to learn more about the political situation, culture and history of the country.

What culinary experiences did you have? Did you discover a new food/tradition?

You won’t believe what our guide could create with beetroot and a limited amount of other vegetables and spices! The food was great, from vegetarian to fish, chicken and beef, there was always plenty to go around and all of it was very tasty.

Where did you stay? What was your best and worst night’s sleep?

We stayed in shared room hostels or camped in tents. I luckily avoided the snorers so I didn’t have a bad night! My best night was under an incredible starry sky in Karijini National Park in a Svag (look it up!).

What was your favorite destination/sight during the trip? Did you capture anywhere from an unexpected or unique angle?__

Karijini was definitely the place with the most remarkable views. The camp was beautiful and the landscape was really impressive. Sunset on Broome’s beach was also special, but I think I captured the moment with that camel photos quite well.

Did you learn any new words/phrases/slang? If so, what?

The aussie accent and the different words and abbreviations weren’t that easy to understand in the beginning, but I definitely learned the correct use of “you ripper”.

What would be your top tip (e.g. unique place to eat, interesting market to go to) for other people traveling to the country?

Try to hop on a tour with Simmo, I couldn’t think of a better guide!

Inspired to adventure into the unknown and travel the local way? Be sure to explore Intrepid Travel’s range of trips.