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.