Passions of Paradise Reef Cruise

Thursday May 10, 2012, Passions of Paradise Reef Cruise. Today, we
went snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. We were surprised how many
species we saw that we had previously learned about in Reef Teach. We
could distinguish between many of the fish and corals such as the
Butterfly Fish and Angel Fish. For instance they are very similar,
however the Butterfly fish is known for a stripe that goes right
through the center of its eye and is much smaller than an Angel Fish.
We also spotted two beautiful sea turtles as we were snorkeling. We
made two stops along the reef, one at Michaelmas Cay and the other at
Paradise Reef. Of course we wore stringer suits to protect us from the
hard coral and jellies. We learned that there are stinging jellyfish
called irukandji and they are only a few centimeters in size, which
makes them very hard to see and avoid. Snorkeling in the reef was an
incredible experience and an amazing opportunity to see the underwater
life.

-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent

From Canberra to Brisbane

Today was a travel day. We were up bright and early to get our luggage ready, grab breakfast, and catch the transfer to the airport. From the airport we took the rail to a station near our hostel then proceeded to make our way to the hostel from there. The walk was not too bad, but traveling in a group can be difficult! We all had our luggage trailing behind us, and getting across streets with 21 people and their luggage can be a bit difficult. The YHA in Brisbane had a very different atmosphere from the other YHAs we have stayed at. We made dinner in the kitchen, but we definitely were not the only ones there. The entire kitchen and dining area were full of people making dinner, eating dinner, and just hanging out. It is definitely interesting to see the contrasts between the different cities and the different hostels. As a side note as well the view of Brisbane's skyline from the dining area is beautiful! After dinner we decided to check out the town. We found a nice little place to hang out that had a live band. Surprisingly they played mostly songs that we knew; it seems that music people listen to here in Australia is more similar to the music we listen  to in the States than I thought. We've only been in Brisbane for a little bit, but I think we're going to like it here!

 

-Kathleen D.

 

Reef Teach

Wednesday May 9, 2012, Reef Teach. After our long day at Kuranda, we
had a learning session about the Great Barrier Reef to prepare us for
our day of snorkeling the following day. Our instructor informed us
how to safely snorkel in the reef as well as get the most out of our
snorkeling experience. We were introduced to many of the different
types of corals and marine life. Some common corals include boulder,
branching, and plate coral which are all commonly found in the patch
reefs. We also learned that there are two main types of coral, hard
and soft. We learned that some of the hard coral types are extremely
slow growing and grows approximately 1 cm a year. In addition, we were
informed on how to take precautions on the hazardous and deadly marine
life within the reef such as the box jellyfish which can kill a person
with one sting. However, it was interesting to learn that the getting
cut on the hard coral accounts for the majority of the injuries that
occur in the reef. We were also given pointers and information on many
different types of fish and easy ways to distinguish them. After the
Reef Teach session, we felt both confident and excited for our
snorkeling adventure.
-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent

Tjapukai Park

Wednesday May 9, 2012, Tjapukai Park. Today, we learned about
aboriginal culture at Tjapukai Park. We learned about the origin of
the culture and that there are hundreds of different tribes located
throughout Australia all with different beliefs and languages. We
learned how the local tribe adapted and survived in the rainforest.
One local aboriginal shared with us some harmful fruits and plants as
well ones that are edible and medicinal. Then, we got hands on
experience with boomerangs and spears, which are the weapons they used
for hunting. We were each given the opportunity to throw a returning
boomerang and a spear using a spear-thrower. The park was a lot of fun
and we had a great time learning all about the aboriginal culture and
way of life.
-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent

Sky Rail

Wednesday May 9, 2012, Sky Rail. Today we took the Sky Rail from
Kuranda back to Cairns. This provided a great opportunity to see the
rainforest from above. Along the way, we made several stops where we
were able to get off the rail and walk through the rainforest to see
it from a ground view. We also learned how the Barron Falls Hydro
Electricity Station operates and is used as an electricity source.
-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent

Fraser Island: Day 2

Saturday May 5, 2012: Fraser Island Day 2. On the second day on the
Island, we got to see much more of the island's landscapes and
scenery. We walked out to a window lake, where we stopped for a short
swim. Then, we hiked up a hill on the island to take a look at the
beautiful scenic views. On the island we traveled to a place called
Indian Head which is the name of the big black rocks we saw on the
island. These rocks are responsible for the creation of the sand
island because sand from the ocean currents would get caught on the
rocks and cause big piles of sand to accumulate overtime, eventually
forming a sand island. We also stopped on the island to take a look at
a shipwreck that was left on the island from the 1930's. The name of
the ship was Moheno and was left there by the Japanese.

-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent

Fraser Island: Day 1

Friday May 4, 2012: Fraser Island Day 1. Today, we took two huge
4-wheel drive tour trucks to Fraser Island by ferry. Once on the
Island we immediately notice the beautiful scenery and emptiness of
the beaches. On our way to the resort, we spotted two dingoes walking
along the beach. Our tour guide told us how there are approximately
150 dingoes roaming the island. He also told us how the dingoes on the
island are the purest breed of dingoes in Australia because no
domesticated dogs are allowed on the island. We had a great day
exploring the island, and later that night we went for a nice walk
along the beach. On the walk, our tour guide found a cane toad and
also spotted another dingo.

-Paige, Jordan, & Taylor Kent