Billy tea! Our visit to the Daintree forest was amazing! All the fruits we got to enjoy that we have never tried before, mostly because some are not available in our grocery stores at home, such as dragon fruit, star fruit, sour sop, etc. Sour sop was my personal favorite! It was delicious and so unusual. Watching Finn make billy tea was also quite the experience; however, trying damper, a delicious bread made with fruits and nuts, was my particular favorite. It was very delicious as well. So many good tastes of unique food! What a great experience all together! 

Mayumi W-B

Lyre Bird in the Blue Mountains!

At the Blue Mountains, after a long day of hiking, we finally saw one! A Lyre bird! This ground dwelling Australian bird is very unique! They mimic natural and artificial sounds they hear through out their environment! They have very unique plumage on their tale feathers as well! Also used for the purpose of attracting a mate! These birds have been known to mimic other birds and even car alarms! We saw a male lyre bird. You could tell by the tale feathers.

Mayumi W-B

Canberra

[May 1, 2012]

We took a bus from Sydney to Canberra.  This was a fun experience because it allowed me to see the area between the two cities and compare the trip with the train from Sydney to the Blue Mountains.  While in Canberra we visited the Parliament House and learned about how the Australian government has parallels with both the United States’ and England’s governments.  We also learned that the green and pink color scheme chosen for the House is based off eucalyptus trees and a specific variety of flower. 

Next we spent time at the US Embassy and learned what duties they have towards American citizens.  I learned that if I lose my passport I need to go to the US Embassy to get it straightened out so I can arrive safely back to The States!  They also offered us some very valuable information on a variety of internships and positions that are available through the government that would allow students to spend time in Embassies in other countries!

Our last evens of the day involved the ANZAC Parade and touring the War Museum.  Observing the ANZAC memorials gave me a further understanding of the pride that Australians feel for their country.  Additionally, it was an excellent illustration for the various battles that Australians fought in.  The entire experience was very humbling.  At the War Museum, we were able to learn about specific details from battles.  We saw a laser show that told the story of an individual fighter plane in battle!  Our group also got the privilege of staying for the closing ceremony.    
Kaitlyn Sterlace

Blue Mountains

[April 28, 2012]
We traveled from Sydney to the Blue Mountains by train.  On our trip there we were able to see the difference between the main city (Sydney) and the suburban and rural areas.  While in the Blue Mountains we hiked for a few hours and got to see different viewpoints of the rock formation “The Three Sisters”.  This was also where we first heard about the plants in the Australian Bush that need to burn in order to grow and flourish.  I learned about the four different types of forests present in the bush, including hanging swamps and rainforests.  
Kaitlyn Sterlace

Sydney

[April 26, 2012]

After arriving in Sydney after our extremely long & exhausting trip, we started our day immediately.  First we went to the Hyde Park Barracks and learned about the convicts that were sent to Australia and the type of work they were made to do.  We also learned that they were punished for the strangest crimes including “wig stealing”! After that we visited the Australian Museum which was our first taste of aboriginal culture.  We learned about their style of art and how each picture tells a story!

The next day we spent at the Sydney Aquarium and at the Taronga Zoo.  At the aquarium I learned that some scientists in Sydney have been tracking individual sharks from satellites to tell where they have traveled over the course of a few years.  While at the zoo we got to see this amazing bird show that provided us with valuable information on many different birds!  I learned that one species uses a rock to break open an ostrich egg!

Kaitlyn Sterlace

Great Barrier Reef

May 10th: Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef was harder (and saltier) than I though it was going to be! The first Island that we were dropped off at was a bird sanctuary... I never really though that I would have to walk out to the reef, it was so close. The first drop off was the hardest. Now, I had snorkeled before all be it in my pool... but the essentials I knew. The trickiest part was keeping the snorkel out of the water while trying not to kick the coral and trying to get the water out of the mask... it was a challenge to say the least. I didn't expect I was to have that much trouble with it... but I also didn't believe that the second stop would be in the middle of the ocean. The water looked deeper than it was (and it was cloudy) so I was suprised when the boat stopped and people were putting on gear! It was fun jumping off the boat and into the waves, though they are bigger when you are in the water. This was the best stop because I felt there was more to see and it was fun surfing the tops of the waves. Some of the coral were really bright greens and I even saw some pinks. This day also helped us with our paper topic on the reef.

 

-Abbie Austin'15

Lone Pine

May 3rd: This day was one of the most suprising days of the whole trip. We went to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane. Sure, when you think of "Koala Sanctuary," one only thinks about Koalas, but there was SO much more there. One of the first things we did was feed the Kangaroos. When I think about feeding animals, I always remember them being behind a fence and my hand streching between the bars. In the Kangaroo enclosure, they were all around you. The animals, both Walllabies and Kangaroos (and an Emu) could wander around the huge pen at their leisure. All of the creatures I approached weren't intimidated and didn't run at the sight of me. I loved being inches from one of Australia's most recognized icons! Seeing all the Kangaroos on the postcard didn't do them justice. It was great to reach out and touch their rough fur and their feet are SO much bigger in person! I also got the opportunity to hold a Koala and get a picture with it. It was a lot heavier than I expected, but it was cute the way the arms grabbed my shoulders... it seemed perfectly at ease.
Abbie Austin

Bridge Climb

April 29th: On our FIRST free day in Sydney, a small group of us previously planned to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Having booked this day in advance, I was really looking forward to it; to be able to say that I climbed a landmark in Sydney that not many other people have gotten the chance to is amazing. Looking at the bridge from the harbour, the height didn't intimidate me. But actually getting there was the hard part. The "stairs" were more like ladders; I was gripping the rail with white knuckles! Especially to hear and see the fast moving traffic feet from you made my heart race. I was glad that I could share this experience with my friend Erin, though not all of us got on the same tour. Though my legs were shaking at the end, standing at the top made it all worth it.
Abbie Austin

Parliament House

 [May 1, 2012]
Hey everyone, while in Canberra this week we took a trip to the Parliament House and learned about their government. We learned a lot that day about how their government was formed and how it works today. Australia took ideas from America and Brittain's government and put together their own government by combining  the two. One thing I noticed in the house of senate and house of representatives, was there was Australia's coat of arms in both rooms. I thought this was interesting because there is a kangaroo and emu on it because these two animals cannot move backwards. This was used to symbolize how the government should always be moving forward.

Brianna Bender

Great Barrier Reef

[May 10, 2012]
G'day everyone! This past Thursday we got an early start to head over to Reef Terminal to get our sea legs on and go explore the Great Barrier Reef. After a two hour ride the boat stops and we all suited up in our stinger suits, masks, and flippers and away we go to an island. Once another smaller boat drops us off on the island we are free to go! As soon as I stepped in the water I immediately saw some fish that blended into the color of the sand. From there as I kept swimming toward the boat into deeper water,I saw so many fish and coral along the way. One memorable moment I had was when I saw these bright colored parrot fish feeding off the coral. It was amazing to watch and get on video because I could hear their mouths chomping down under water from a good distance away! I saw so much while snorkeling, here's a list of things I saw to get an idea of all the animals I saw: butterfly fish, angel fish, parrot fish, a turtle, surgeon fish, brain coral, lunar coral, and stag horn coral. I'm so glad I got a chance to do this once in a life time experience!! :) 


Brianna Bender

Camping Experience

[May 20, 2012]
G'day from Sydney! Hey everyone, so we arrived back in Sydney on Sunday after one heck of a camping trip. We left Alice Springs bright and early loaded up in the van and drove for about 7 and a half hours until we finally arrived out in the middle of no where (literally!). Although I think we all were scared about sleeping in just sleeping bags and swags we made it! I really enjoyed the star talk Charlie gave us the first night- there were so many stars visible and I even saw a couple shooting stars. When Cooper got us up at "stupid o'clock" as he liked to call it we jumped right into the days activities. We did a lot of hiking the first day, and we learned a lot about Australian history. One thing I thought was really cool was the ipy ipy plant that could be used as a liquid band aid. While it may not seem like a big deal since we have this now, the Australians discovered this 30,000 years ago. Over all I'm glad I pushed through these long jam packed days because the view from the top of the mountain was absolutely beautiful! I think it's safe to say our first rustic Australian camping trip was a success! :)

Brianna Bender

Great Barrier Reef

[May 10, 2012]
Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef was amazing!!! Saw the most colorful fish and saw all types of coral, it was such an amazing experience. The first spot we went to was a lot calmer Abbie Austin and I saw a giant clam and it was so neat to see!! The water was so clear and we could see everything. We took some good pictures and we all looked great in our stinger suits!! Had a very exciting day especially when the wave crashed on all of us who were sitting up front of the boat on the way back to shore!! I will snorkel the Great Barrier Reef again!!

Erin Riley

Lone Pine

 [May 3, 2012]

In Brisbane having a great time!! We went to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and we got to hold koalas so awesome. It was a once in a lifetime experience; their fur was not as soft as some may think, and they have claws that are long and they cling to you just they would a tree! I learned that koalas are marsupials just like the kangaroo, I did not know this. Many people call them koala bears but they are not actually bears. We also went to Fraser Island for a night, this was a really great experience, while driving along the beach we saw live dingos. We were also introduced to many different plant species and other animals. Many of the group swam in the lakes and we all swam in the creek. It was really nice to have our feet in the sand in May and have a good time just relaxing like we were at the beach!!

 

Erin Riley'15

Snorkeling in The Great Barrier Reef

[10 May]

 

Today was a big day! We went snorkeling in The Great Barrier Reef. This was unlike anything I had ever done before, and was an amazing experience. The only thing I wish I had done differently was listen to advice about sea sickness and take a motion sickness pill! The boat ride was a bit rough especially on the way back. Despite that though, I had a great time. Once we arrived to the first area where we were going to snorkel everyone had geared up in their stinger suits, which was quite a funny thing to see :) At this snorkeling site the boat stayed out away from the beach and we took a small boat in from it to the beach. Once on the beach it was time to dive in, almost literally. Once we figured out how to get into the water with flippers on we could dive in. It took a few minutes to get somewhat used to the snorkel mask, but once I did there was a lot awaiting me beneath the surface of the water. I got to see a variety of fish and coral. My favorite fish at this spot was the Unicorn Surgeon fish. It had a horn like hump on its head and two brightly colored blades on either side of its body. I also like the Giant Clams a lot. They were big, as their name implies, and beautifully colored with deep purple and vibrant aqua. While trying to get a good look at all of the ocean life I tried to stay close to friends, but quickly found myself separated from them because I had been to distracted. Thankfully the boat and the beach were not too far away, otherwise I might have been freaked out. After time was up at this spot we boarded to boat again, struggled to get our stinger suits off, then got in line for lunch. By the time we finished eating we had almost made it to the second snorkeling site, so it was back on with the stinger suits. When the boat stopped we were all a bit confused because there was no beach this time, we didn't think we would be snorkeling out in the open ocean. Once it was confirmed that yes, we were actually snorkeling in the open ocean, some of us braved to get of the boat and attempt to snorkel. I say attempt because the waters were very rough at this spot. It was hard to keep water out of the snorkel mask, and hard to keep your bearings with the big waves. So, after a seemingly short amount of time I headed back onto the boat. At the last moment I was surprised to see a big Maori Angelfish. This was cool because he was so close to me, and I also was not expecting to see anymore fish before getting onto the boat. Despite getting a bit sea sick snorkeling was great! I got to see a lot of amazing fish as well as coral.

 

-Kathleen D.

 

Kuranda

[9 May]

 

Today we had a busy day! We started of with a visit to the Butterfly Garden. At the Butterfly Garden we got to see a variety of butterflies up close. Some came so close as to actually land on my back, or camera. At the Butterfly Garden there is a lot of time and effort put in by the staff to keep the butterflies safe, and to ensure that there eggs to do not die. Everyday the staff has their routines of things they must do to keep the butterflies and their eggs alive. One of my favorite butterflies, and probably one of the most popular butterflies in general and the Garden, was the Ulysses butterfly. This butterfly has wings of a vibrant blue color. The thing is though, that they are so bright in color that they fly very fast to keep away from predators and when they land they keep their wings shut. This made it hard to catch a good picture of them, and unfortunately I did not get one. I did get some great pictures of some of the other butterflies though. After the Butterfly Garden we got the chance to walk around Kuranda for a bit. Here we found a bunch of different shops set up with a variety of souvenirs and gifts. I found it amusing because some of the shops had very expensive, but nice, gifts but then there were other shops who had nice gifts but for a much cheaper price. I guess this amused me because they were all housed in the same area, so the vast variety of shops is something I did not expect. After we were done looking around here we hoped on the sky rail. The sky rail was amazing! It carried us high above the canopy of the tropical rain forest, and gave us a unique bird's eye view of it. On the way down the sky rail we had a couple of stops where we could walk through the rain forest, look at a waterfall, and learn about mining that occurred in the area. Once we reached the end of the sky rail we made our way to the Tjapukai Park, a cultural park where we got to meet and learn from a group of indigenous people. The most exciting part of this trip to the cultural park was getting to throw a boomerang. It was not easy, but I enjoyed getting to try it. I also have an even greater respect for the fact that the indigenous people have enough skill to actually use boomerangs practically (and to actually understand the design of boomerang and how it returns in the first place). Talking to the people we met here was also interesting, because the men that we met still embrace their Tjapukai culture but also embrace modern culture. They admit to using technology and things such as facebook. Once we got back form the Tjapukai Park we had time to quickly get dinner, and then we headed over to reef teach to prepare for snorkeling the next day. At reef teach we learned all about the different types of fish and coral in the Great Barrier Reef, as well as, what type of behavior is expected when snorkeling among the fish and coral. The number one thing was not to damage the coral in any way; watch your flippers! Reef teach was an informative way to end the day and it got me excited for snorkeling tomorrow!

 

-Kathleen D.

From Brisbane to Cairns

Today was a travel day, we are starting to get used to these! Upon arrival in Cairns the first thing we noticed was that we definitely had made it to a tropical part of Australia. The first thing I saw on our ride to the hostel was a blanket of green, trees of a bright shade of green were all around. The temperature was quite obviously warmer than Brisbane, even though it was nice while we were there. Once we had settled into the hostel we got a quick tour of the surrounding area. We made our way toward the Esplanade, a place with another man made beach among other things, and finished at the mud flat. The mud flat is an area where there used to be mangrove trees, but these trees have all been uprooted leaving a muddy area that does not look like what you would typically expect from a beach or ocean. It is a bit shocking to see at first, there is quite a contrast between the brown mud and the beautiful blue of the ocean, but once you look closer the mudflat turns out to be full of life and more than just an eyesore. I even caught a picture of a crab in the mud. Cairns seems to be a great city, can't wait to spend a few days here!

 

-Kathleen D.

Free Days in Brisbane

[6 May- 7 May]

 

After Fraser Island we headed back to Brisbane. Here we had two free days. On our first free day a few of us went out to explore Brisbane a bit.  To our luck we were in Brisbane for a special occasion, Buddha's Birthday. So, we started out the day by heading to the Buddha Birthday celebration. At the celebration there were lanterns hung all over, live music, vendors selling various souvenirs, a variety of live dance performances, food vendors and much more. The celebration was packed with a variety of people, everyone there to celebrate and enjoy each other's company. After we had spent some time at the celebration we took a walk and came upon a market. The market had hundreds of people with items for sale set up in small areas. These items for sale ranged from handmade leather working to gently used clothing. We spent some time walking through the market, and checking out all that was for sale, but the market was so large that there was no way for us to cover the whole thing. After that we walked around the area more, and found a mall and some other street shops. Then we headed back to the hostel to make dinner, something that we had started to get good at coordinating. Later that night we headed back to the Buddha Birthday celebration for fireworks.  They had quite a firework display! The fireworks were set off from a boat in the water, but there were some fireworks that came from other locations that seemed to be coming straight out of the water. On our second free day in Brisbane we had a more relaxing day. We headed down to a man made beach for much of the day. There are man made beaches in places like Brisbane mostly because for part of the year swimming in the ocean is not safe, so a man made beach allows the luxury of sand and a place to swim without the dangers of deadly jelly fish and other such things. The beach was crowded, it was clear that we were not the only ones with the ingenious idea to spend the day relaxing on the beach! After enjoying the water, sun, and sand for a while a couple of us took a walk to check out the rest of the area by the beach. It turns out that there was even more in the area to do than we expected. There was a kiddie water park, areas to barbecue, a pedestrian bridge for walking and riding bikes, along with a small park. After a few days in Brisbane I can say that I like it here!

 

-Kathleen D.  

Fraser Island

[4 May- 5 May]

 

Our first day on Fraser Island is hard to put into words, but if I had to sum it up in one word I would say that  it was jarring. I do not mean this figuratively, but rather literally! We spent a good amount of our time in a small four wheel drive bus, and when we got onto the Island (which is a sand island) the ride got extremely bumpy. I don't think that any of us were expecting the ride that we were in for, nor were we prepared, but in retrospect the ride made the journey all the more exciting. It kept us on our toes (again this could be taken literally since some of the bumps sent us flying up out of our seats)! Other than the ride in our four wheel drive bus, the first day on the island was fun. We did some hiking, and got the chance to take a swim. Some of us ended the day with a nighttime stroll along the beach with our tour guide Nathan Driver. During our stroll we got the chance to get up close and personal with a Dingo. Some of us enjoyed this more than others- Micha was ready to push me in front of the Dingo in case of attack :) On our second day on the island we traveled to Indian Head, a very important part of the formation of Fraser Island. At the top of Indian Head we got a gorgeous view of the ocean and the surrounding beach area. Later that day we were promised another swim, but Nathan Driver thought it would be funny to pull a little joke on us and had some people a bit scared. After a decent hike into the forest we thought we were about to finally make it to the lake we were headed to, but to the surprise of some of the group the only thing we found was a vast area of sand. When Nathan Driver caught up with us he played it off as if there was only sand and not a real lake, but to our relief he broke the news that there was in fact a lake, we had just taken the long way around to get there. While the first day on the island may have been jarring Fraser Island turned out to be a great place to spend a couple of days!

 

-Kathleen D.

Wildlife Encounters on Fraser Island

[editor's note:  we visited Fraser Island May 4]

            On the first day of Frasier Island, I have seen some pretty impressive animals.  When going to the island on the ferry, we saw bottlenose dolphins, which were not expected.  Never in a million years did I expect to see dolphins in the wild.  I knew this was a great start to what we were to see on the island.  Another animal we saw was a Portuguese Man of War washed up on the beach.  This animal is a small jellyfish and it has a long tentacle that grows.  When the tour guide was holding it by its jelly body, the tentacle started out as a few inches and grew to a few feet.  Amazing!  We also saw some dingoes too.  I was the first person who spotted the first dingo, which was running on the side of the sand dune.  I was so excited I yelled “Dingo!”  There was another one that was spotted later that appeared to be hurt.  It was limping and it was skinnier than the first one we saw.  I felt bad for it, since I know it must be hard to struggle in the wild when injured and have to fend for itself.  With these encounters, I knew this was a great start to our Frasier Island adventure.   

Rachelle von Readen 

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

[editor's note:  we visited May 3, 2012]

            The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was one of the best places I visited in Australia.  Not only did I get to hold a koala, but I also got to get in close and personal with kangaroos and wallabies.  When holding the koala, I thought it would be furrier than it was.  Instead, it was both coarse and furry.  The koala smelt like eucalyptus leaves and snuggled against my face.  Even though that was a precious moment I would never forget, feeding the kangaroos and wallabies was better.  When I fed the wallabies first, I did not realize how skittish they were.  You had to approach them with caution and they slowly came up to one.  However, one of the wallabies I encountered was more friendly and grabbed my fingers and brought my hands closer to his mouth.  The kangaroos, on the other hand, were not like that at all.  They came up to you and were very interactive.  At times I had two kangaroos eating the food on one hand.  Even when the food was gone, one of the kangaroos still insisted that I had more food and grabbed the brown bag and stuck its head in it.  One of the larger kangaroos was particularly fond of me and was after my peanut butter sandwich in my backpack.  It wrapped its body around me and tried to whack at my bag.  Thankfully he was not successful and I did not get hurt.  This will be a day that I will never forget.   

Rachelle von Readen

Rugby game!

As one of the final activities in Australia, a group of students, Dr. Jacobson, Dr. Gillie and myself went to a NRL rugby game! It was a great experience for everyone! We all had a great team cheering the Bulldogs on against the Sharks. The final score was 26-6 Bulldogs! Everyone seemed to gain a little bit of knowledge of how the game of rugby is played! It was great got me because I got to see some of the differences between a NRL game and a Union game (since I went to a Union game earlier during the trip). Not to mention I took a group of girls to a game! Look at the happy group! Galf e eryone had a great time l! Go Bulldogs!

Group photos

Here iare a few group photos from Frasier Island and Uluru

A few pictures....

Here's a picture of manly beach: We went here on a free day! We look so happy in the picture it was so much fun!! The second picture was taken in the rainforest we hiked through when we went to see the Three Sisters.  And the last was taken at the top of Indian Head at Fraser Island.  Enjoy the pics!! More blogs to come! We're almost done with the trip...2 days and 1 14 hours flight away from home and friends!!
--

Ali Hutchinson '13

 

 

Zak's day at the GBR

[Charlie's note:  Zak intended to post this on 11 May.]

Wanted to put a blog up saying how yesterday may have been the best day of the trip thus far! We went snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef! That in itself is still unbelievable. Not to mention all the different types of fish I saw. I saw a lot of vibrant colored parrotfish along with a few Anemonefish (couldn't find Nemo though)! The coolest fish I saw by far was the Lion fish. Although it was a smaller fish, the size of its fins were huge! And the way the fins moved through the water was unlike any of the other fish I saw! I was alos fortunate to see a sea star was well just laying on the reef floor. I loved snorkeling so much, I plan on going again on Fitzroy Island which is just off the coast of Australia. I hope to see some more types of fish and maybe even a turtle or two! Until next time!

Zak Kumor

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

[Charlie's note:  we were at Lone Pine on 3 may.]
Today we went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. At first I thought that
there would only be koalas.... I took the name literally and did not
look closely at the information we were given by our professors in our
journals (woops!). Needless to say though I was pleasantly suprised when we
arrived at the Sanctuary and I realized that there were koalas along with
kangaroos, platypus, tasmanian devil, and a variety of other animals. The
first thing we did at the sanctuary was check out a couple of the
koala enclosures and then we rushed over to hold a koala and get our picture
taken with one. We had been told by Dr. Jacobson that koalas were stinky
and not friendly, but we still could not resist. It is a bit funny to hold
a koala. You have to pretend that you are a tree and hold your arms and
hands as if they were a tree branch. The koala that Zac held was being
trained, so he got scratched and didn't have the best koala encounter but
the second koala he got to hold was more friendly. When it was my turn I
got a rather friendly koala, he was sniffing at my face which made for
some pretty great pictures. Next we bought kangaroo food and headed
over to feed the roos. This was a treat! There were so many of them,
and they were very friendly! We even got to see a baby joey. At first
he was in his mother's pouch, then he get out and struggled to
coordinate his jumping, and then we saw him climb back in the pouch.
To my suprise the joey climbed in the pouch with his feet sticking out
the top, not with his head sticking out! I really enjoyed the Koala
Sanctuary today, and am glad that we got the chance to come here!

-Kathleen D.

Zak on the camping trip

[Charlie's note:  Zak intended to post this on 20 May.]

Just got to Sydney after a wonderful time in Alice Springs! Camping was even better than expected! Not only did we get to see the true beauty of the stars in the nightj's sky, but I also got to eat a Witchetty Grub! Tasted just like seafood! Hopefully, Dr. Gillie will post the picture for us! What was amazing about the trip was that our tour guide was extremely informative and knowledgable about the Indigenous people and their beliefs. It made the trip that much more worth it! After the long three days camping, it was nice to end our time in Alice Springs with a didgeridoo concert! It was amazing the added light show/display was awesome! The different sounds that the instrument makes is unlike any other! The best part was when the entire audience got involved! most interactive concert I have ever been to! Now to enjoy the last few days of the trip with some shopping and a rugby camp with the group! Till next time!

Zak Kumor

Blog

Sunday, May 13th

I really wanted to post a blog about my free day adventure! Off the coast of Cairns is a small island called Fitzroy island and I decided to spend my free day on the island, and it was 100% worth it! I got to see even more of the Great Barrier reef, particularly a different type of reef since the reef was off the coast of an island. The coral here was even more beautiful than during the group's last adventure, my favorite coral I saw was this finger coral with its tips covered in a light blue color. But easily the best part of the day was when I saw a blue spotted sting ray! I think it saw me too because as I was taking its picture, it began to use its fins to kick up sand! It was quite a sight! Another great part was that I was able to snorkel for as long as I wanted until I had to leave the island, so I got to see a lot of the surrounding reef!  After lunch, I went out snorkelling again and saw not one, but two green sea turtles! They were so close to me I could touch them! One of the turtles was trying to eat something between some pieces of coral I hope I didn't interrupt its lunch! It was amazing to watch them swim through the water together. it completely made the day one of my favorite thus far! Thought I would share my free day adventure with everyone! Until next time! 

Zak Kumor

Dr. Gillie, 

My previous blogs were not sent to the correct address so i am going to forward them to you now. Sorry for the mess up! 

Wednesday May 16th, Watarrka hike and camping!!

Our trip began with a early morning wake up call and a 6am pick up by the Rock Tour Bus.  Our tour guide's name was Cooper. He introduced himself and informed us that the busride would be 7.5 hours long!! Quite a hike! He told us that he would help keep us comfortable by letting us play the music we wanted, and we took advantage of this by making throwback 90's playlists and having jam sessions on the bus! After a few stops at some essential roadhouses for snacks and gasoline, we finally reached our first destination: Watarrka or Kings Canyon.  We began by walking up a very steep range of stairs named "Heart-attack hill." We stopped several times taking pictures of the view because it was absolutely breathtaking! Watarrka is made up of canyons and gorges.  We learned that the difference between a canyon and a gorge is that a gorge has a stream running through it. We also learned about the Indigenous culture on the way and several of the plants that they use.  One of which is the Ghost Gum tree. This is a Eucalyptus tree that is very white in color, it is used by the Indigenous people for its skin protectant abilities because it has an spf of about 15.  It's name "Ghost Gum" comes from the appearance it has at night, because it appears to glow in the dark.  As we walked along we had several adventures: a few students (mainly Zak) swam in a water hole, we saw beach traces of waves, and we got to jump over a canyon! (okay it was a bit small of a jump but we still did it!!). The day was warm and sunny, and a great way to begin our camping excursion! I'll tell you how the night of camping went in a bit, but for now, cheers!

--

Ali Hutchinson '13

 

 

Falling or Flying... Definitely Falling!!

Hello!

 

So, there is so much I want to share but for now, I am going to go back  several days to share a special moment with all of you!

 

One of the coolest and craziest things I have ever done I did last week when I went to bungee jump in Cairns off a tower that was over 160 feet! I could not believe that I decided to do something like this but I wanted to bungee jump at some point on our trip so I figured our last free day in Cairns would be the best time to do it. As I arrived and climbed up the tower, I got super anxious. One of my friends, May, was down below getting ready to take some photos. Before I jumped, I saw a guy from Florida jump and I nearly ran back down the tower. He loved it, and I almost had a heart attack just from watching him.  However, I fought the urge and got ready for the fall. The crew put me in my gear and harness and told me to make sure to tuck my head in and throw my arms over my head when I fall. Of course, I worried I would forget. When they lined me up and had me dangling my toes off the edge I freaked out a little... okay, a lot! They counted down from five and when they reached one, I turned around and asked if they would push me off. Apparently, I had to jump, which to be honest, I preferred the pushing! Well, I finally jumped and freaked out the entire way down screaming.

But, I did it! I can officially cross bungee jumping off my list and know I will never do it ever again!!!

 

 

Cheers,

Micah

,

--

Micah Moskoff '14

 

"If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud."

 

                                                                                                 --- Emile Zola

Group at Uluru; Hopping Spinifex Mouse

Here is a photo of the group at Uluru shortly before sunset.  I'm there too; it's my shadow.

 This hopping spinifex mouse was hanging around the cooking area that Cooper had set up behind the trailer.  This was long after all the other tourists had left -- but we were lucky nonetheless to spot this guy.

--charlie

Spinifex Hopping Mouse

No one will care much about this blog entry other than fellow mammalogists or animal behaviorists I am guessing.  We had a sighting of a Spinifex Hopping Mouse after the sunset viewing of Uluru in outback Australia (which was fabulous - the sunset view, I mean, as well as the mice).  These rodents have beautiful big eyes and extremely long tails with a small white tip on the end, and are incredible survivors in desert ecology.  They are extremely fast, either running or hopping. 

Lynn G.

Camping in "The Bush"

Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday May 16-18, 2012. 3 Day – 2 Night Camping
Adventure in "The Bush." While in Alice Springs, we took a 3 day – 2 day
camping trip away from the city out into "The Bush" of Australia's outback
country. We spent the three days going on hikes and sight-seeing some of
the natural historical landscapes of Australia. We learned both sides of
the land's creation, the scientific explanation and the indigenous people's
creation story. Both nights, we did some rustic camping and slept under
the stars. The stars in the outback were a breath-taking sight to see.
Charlie shared with us information about the southern hemisphere stars and
the galaxies. Our tour guide provided us with our meals, including cooking
us dinner by campfire. The second night, we watched the sunset on "The
Rock" also known as Uluru. Then, the following morning, we woke up early
before the sunrise to watch the sun come up behind Uluru. The temperature
changes were extreme here. We would experience temps as low as 33 degrees
Fahrenheit at night and during the day they would climb as high as 85
degrees Fahrenheit. To stay warm at night, we slept in swags and sleeping
bags. A swag is used for extra insulation and is lined with a small
mattress. Camping in "the bush" was an amazing experience and we really
enjoyed a few rustic nights and seeing the outback of Australia.


-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent

Alice Springs Tour

Tuesday May 15, 2012. Alice Springs Tour. Alice Springs is in the outback of Australia and is far different than any of the cities we have seen so far. This city is a small place, literally in the middle of nowhere located right in the middle of Australia. The town is far less populated than the other cities we visited. However, there were many things to see and do in the city. We were surprised that there were still shopping centers, grocery stores, restaurants, traffic lights, and bars in such a remote area. On our tour of Alice Springs, we went to Desert Park. This park had areas that resembled the different types of environments in Alice Springs. These include, sand country, woodlands, and desert rivers. Then, we visited the base of the Royal Flying Doctors Service in Alice Springs. Here, we learned all about the airplane services offered to people in the outback for medical emergencies.  The most common calls that the service receives are car accident and child birth related emergencies. Next, we visited Alice Spring's School of the Air. This service provides education to children living in the Australian outback through satellite email and home tutors. We thought it was interesting that the children who use the service have higher nationally ranked test scores than children who are in a public school district because they are less distracted and their education is more personal.  Finally, we visited the Telegraph Station. Here we learned about all the uses of the telegraph communication service throughout history. Then, Charlie showed us the site of the "Original Alice Springs." Our day was great and packed with fun-filled learning about Alice Springs.

-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent 

Daintree Rainforest and Clear Water Creek

Saturday May 12, 2012, Daintree Rainforest and Clear Water Creek. After the Daintree River Cruise, we hopped back onto our 4WD bus to explore some more. At our next stop, we enjoyed a guided walk through a portion of the Daintree tropical rainforest. Then, we rode through the Rainforest. As we were riding, Taylor spotted two cassowaries standing in the forest about 20 meters away from the road. A cassowary is a large, flightless Australian bird with a bright blue and red color and a large horn on top of its head, averaging about 6 feet tall.  It was interesting to learn that several of the trees in the rainforest depend on them for reproduction because their seeds must pass through the cassowary's digestive system before they can germinate. People are also warned to keep their distance from these birds, because they can be aggressive and dangerous. We then had an amazing steak lunch prepared by the guides at a Mountain Resort.  After lunch, we travelled to Emmagen creek, a clear water creek in Daintree. Some of the students took a swim in the creek, which was safe to swim in because the crocodiles won't swim in water this cold. Meanwhile, the tour guides set up a tropical fruit-tasting table. We were able to try several new tropical fruits that we had never heard of before such as, Sour Sop and Apple Custard.  Then, our tour guide showed us a huge Golden Orb Spider. This spider was as large as our hands! We had a great day learning about Daintree and all its wildlife.

-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent 

Daintree River Cruise

Saturday May 12, 2012, Daintree River Cruise. Today we traveled to Daintree. When we first arrived, we took a river cruise down the Daintree River. On the cruise, we spotted many different animals. We saw Zooer Kingfisher bird sitting on a branch along the river. This was a bright blue and red-orange in color. We also saw a snake sitting in a tree. Then, we spotted a female crocodile swimming towards the bank where her hatchlings were resting. We were able to see how hard it actually is to see a crocodile swimming along the banks of the river. She blended in so well with the water. Our guide reminded us how important it is to never stand close to the water even if we can't see a crocodile. As we cruised farther along, we spotted another crocodile lying along the bank of the river. Then, we spotted one more hatchling that was lying on the end of a tree log down by the river. It was amazing to see the animals in their natural habitat.

-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent 

Palm Cove Beach - Free Day

Friday May 11, 2012, Palm Cove Beach – Free Day. Today we had a free day in Cairns, so we decided to venture out to Palm Cove Beach to explore and see the beautiful scenery. Palm Cove is a little village consisting of luxury resorts, spas, restaurants, shops, and bars. It's a nice tourist area where people can go to spend the day and relax. We took an hour long bus ride to the beach, and it was well worth our time. Here, we had a picnic lunch next to the beach, walked along the pier, sunbathed on the beach, explored the shops, and witnessed some beautiful landscapes. It was a great way to spend our free day and see more of the area around Cairns.

-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent