Among the well-wishers were several fans from Bendigo that had only a matter of days earlier watched and met the Australian team at their training camp at the Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre.

"There were quite a few kids from Bendigo that had travelled down to watch us,'' Strauch said.

"For me, it was such a 360 moment that we'd spent time engaging with the Bendigo community and that they felt invested in us to make the effort to come to Melbourne to watch us.

"It was special for me to see so many Bendigo people there.

"(The support in Bendigo) was super overwhelming.

"To have so many people come out and engage with us is something we haven't had in the swim team for a really long time.

"It was special for the community and for us as athletes. Hopefully, we've helped inspire the next generation of swimmers."

Strauch's first world titles at home were an eye-opener.

After plying her trade around the world, the experience of swimming in front of home fans was something she said she'd never forget.

"It was awesome. Having the home crowd, we knew it was going to be great, but it really was something else,'' Strauch said.

"The final couple of nights, in particular, the place was packed. The noise the crowd made was unbelievable.

"To know they were there to cheer us Aussies was amazing.

"It was nerve-wracking, but at the same time it lifted us.

"You could see across the whole team so many people lifted and produced swims they probably didn't realise they were capable of.

"A big part of that was the fact we were on home soil in front of such an amazing crowd."

The home crowd certainly helped Strauch.

The 25-year-old swam a personal best time in the final of the 200m breaststroke and finished fourth.

"It was a big swim and quite a big PB for me,'' she said.

"The crowd was great and that's what we train for. My family was there and I wanted to perform well in front of them.

"They've missed out on a lot and that was in the back of mind."

It took a world record from favourites the United States to deny Strauch and the Aussie 4 x 100m medley relay team a gold medal.

"It was pretty close and everyone in our team lifted,'' Strauch said.

"We all went quicker than we had previously. We gave it a red, hot crack, but the Americans are very strong, particularly at short course.

"To see what the (Australian 4 x 100m medley) boys did in the relay after us was pretty amazing.

"Those two races to finish the meet were incredible."

Strauch will enjoy Christmas with family and friends, but it won't be long before she's back in the pool.

Her next major goal is the world championships in Japan in July.

"I'll take a few days off over Christmas and New Year,'' she said.

"Once we get into January I'll be back in the pool and working towards the next thing.

"After such a busy year it's nice to have an extended stint at home in Australia.

"We'll be able to get into a routine and get some nice blocks of training under our belts.

"2023 is a bit different compared to how busy we've been in 2022.

"It's actually nice to have a quieter year because the year after that we're leading into the (Paris) Olympics.

"It's a great chance to get some work done."

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