Life here in Australia is going GREAT as usual. Classes are running smoothly and in my free time I'm enjoying all that Australia has to offer. Kayaking on the lake, spending time on the beach, trips on the weekends, volleyball tournaments, family dinners every Sunday, and of course working on homework. My favorite part about Australia is the laid back culture of daily life. There is no rush to get things done and I love the no worries motto.
Australian Life and Culture class is still as interesting as ever. This past Monday I had a presentation over Uluru and Kata Tjuta (which I visited over SB). I worked with two other girls and we presented for 20 min discussing the Anangu people (Aborigines in the area), Geography, plant and animal life, and sacred area of both places. I think we did fairly well and had a presentation that interested our classmates. The only thing left in this class, besides turning in our finished portfolio, is to have a final test in the class that is 40 multiple choice and 4 short answers. So paying attention in this class is a MUST! And to be quite honest...in a three hour class its hard to concentrate for that long.
Wildlife biology started out with a weekend field trip that I wrote about in my last blog but the actual lecture part of the class hasn't started yet. We are suppose to have class every Wednesday but this week it was cancelled. Our professor seems pretty cool and has a lot of interesting characteristics which makes him fun to talk to. I think this class is going to be pretty interesting. Our final grade in the class is based on a paper and presentation...the topics are up to us but have a few small guidelines. Doesn't seem to hard!
World Literature is the class I have on Thursdays. At the beginning of the semester I hated this class and the teacher. We were basically thrown into a class where the teacher had a bad image of Ball State students work ethics and gave us no hope in passing the class with a grade above a C. Not to mention the ridiculous amounts of novels (3 all around 300 pages) and other readings (usually 2 each week between 10 and 27 pages) we had to finish each week for the class. (Remember we are here for three months and go on trips each weekend) It was overwhelming and seemed to be an impossible task however, this weeks class proved all of my fears wrong. I actually enjoyed the class for the first time! It was easy for me to relate the topic and book to psychology and give my perspective on the authors intentions through that. The teacher was impressed and liked the fresh views I threw out! He also explained a few things about the class and readings that made everything seem a little more simple. It was refreshing. Now all I have to do for the class, besides read the weekly readings, is to read a novel and do a presentation over it and write the final paper. I'm less stressed about the class and don't feel so overwhelmed about it.
I am pleased with my progress in the classes here and feel like the rest of the time here is going to go by quick! I have already read 2 novels for my Australian Life and Culture class and parts of 2 others for World Literature. I have about 4 weeks left in this dream land and I am already dreading the day I have to say goodbye. I am really excited for my trip to New Zealand at the end of the trip and plan to do as much as possible when I'm there. So far I am looking into skydiving and ice climbing! If I have to end this amazing journey...I'm going out with a bang!!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Wildlife Wildlife Wildlife!!!
On Friday our professor took the whole group to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary! The day was basically full of hands on experiences with true Australian wildlife and three high ropes courses that tested our agility, strength and endurance.
The weekend, Sat-Mon, was then spend at Woody Head for our wildlife biology class. This was our first field trip and was a great deal of fun! At first, when I found out we were not actually camping, I though it was a bit of a let down but in the end it wasn't a bad trip. We spent three days and two nights there with our wildlife biology professor doing hands on learning.
On day one we packed up the bus and the whole class of 17 students headed off for our weekend adventure around noon. As usual we started the trip without the knowledge of how to get there and as usual we arrived late but, as the Aussies say, No Worries! We met up with our professor and everyone unloaded at our camp site/cabin. I roomed with one of my usual roomies and we stuck together most of the trip. After unpacking and getting settled into our rooms we all gathered on the porch to discuss the plan of action for the weekend. Then we enjoyed some free time roaming around the camp until we started in on some work. First on the agenda...Set Traps! Our goal was to set a handful of traps to catch rats and other small marsupials. In the traps we put a handful of leaves (to keep them warm), a peanut butter and oats ball (to lure them in), and then we covered it with a plastic bag (to keep it dry). We places the traps about 10 meters into the woods and marked the spot with neon orange ribbon. After setting the small traps we went to another location to set up a bat trap. When all of the traps were set we all split up into small groups (mine was a group of four) to do some bird watching. It turned into a friendly competition to see what group had the biggest list and our professor collected them at the end of the weekend. Dinner consisted of Australian steak, sausage, chicken, bread, salad, and potato salad! They were not expecting us to eat as much as we did! 17 hungry Americans can go through a lot of food! When dinner was over our professor showed us a bat that our trap had already caught. It was quite small and we were not allowed to touch it because they are known to have rabies but I was allowed to touch its wings...they were very thin and felt like a rubbery tissue. Then it was time for lecture. Our first wildlife biology lecture was all about snails and was conducted by a post grad student doing his studies on snails that was with us for the weekend. It was a pretty interesting and insightful presentation and especially helpful for us on the next part of our trip...Spot lighting! We all piled into three cars are drove to a secluded spot. Then we got our flashlights out and some had huge spot lights. The goal was to shine the lights into the trees searching for eye shine. We didn't have much lunch in the trees but we did find some interesting critters. We found a semi snail...which we learned about in the presentation earlier in the evening, an endangered frog, and a huge spider. By this time I was exhausted! Some stayed up playing card games while others, myself included, headed to bed awaiting our early morning wake up call.
On day two we all crawled out of bed at 6:15am to check the traps. Lucky enough 8 of the 25 traps were full. Some of the rats were large and others small but the smell was always horrendous! To get the rats out of the traps our professor put a plastic bag over the opening, opened the door, and shook the trap and out flew the rat! We identified them and let them go after recording all of the data. After checking all of the traps we reset them and headed out for another go at bird watching. This time we walked along the beach and rocky shores. I slipped on a rock and got my shoes soaking wet! I wasn't to happy about it :( By this time we were starving so we headed back to the cabins for some breakfast and a warm shower. Again the professor didn't think we would go through so much food and later had to make a run to the grocery store for the next few meals. The rest of the day was ours to spend as we pleased! My roomie
Day three was another early morning start the check the traps. We didn't catch many bats again due to windy weather but the rat traps were mostly full. A small group of us checked the traps and our professor followed in a car to collect the traps and data. The trap that I just happened to check had a snake wrapped around it...which I didn't notice until my had was on it...touching the snake! I calmly backed away and called for help...I was NOT about to get the trap now! It amazes me how the one person on the trip who is terrified of snakes...gets all the scary encounters with them. I am not enjoying all these snakes! But any ways...I recovered from the snake encounter and we headed back to the cabins to pack and clean up. Our bus was suppose to pick us up after breakfast...but when it was about 30 min late we called and found out that the bus never left to pick us up. So instead we headed to the beach and waited an hour and a half, playing cards, napping, and eating of course!
 |
| Ridding the train through the sanctuary! |
 |
| Hand feeding the Kangaroos :) :) :) |
 |
| THEY WERE SOOOOO CUTE! |
 |
| The baby Kangaroo was my favorite! |
 |
| HOLDING A KOALA!!! |
 |
| HEHE super cute kangaroo :) |
 |
| They fed the Pelicans and Eels! |
 |
| I had to hold the Crocodile :) he was a little feisty! |
 |
| The group ready to do the ropes course! |
 |
| Our awesome super attractive jump suits |
 |
| Loved the ropes course :) climbing through tunnels and shimmying across wires...tested our endurance and team work! |
 |
| We even got to swing on ropes and land on nets...I didn't make it this time :( so the guy had to help me haha |
The weekend, Sat-Mon, was then spend at Woody Head for our wildlife biology class. This was our first field trip and was a great deal of fun! At first, when I found out we were not actually camping, I though it was a bit of a let down but in the end it wasn't a bad trip. We spent three days and two nights there with our wildlife biology professor doing hands on learning.
On day one we packed up the bus and the whole class of 17 students headed off for our weekend adventure around noon. As usual we started the trip without the knowledge of how to get there and as usual we arrived late but, as the Aussies say, No Worries! We met up with our professor and everyone unloaded at our camp site/cabin. I roomed with one of my usual roomies and we stuck together most of the trip. After unpacking and getting settled into our rooms we all gathered on the porch to discuss the plan of action for the weekend. Then we enjoyed some free time roaming around the camp until we started in on some work. First on the agenda...Set Traps! Our goal was to set a handful of traps to catch rats and other small marsupials. In the traps we put a handful of leaves (to keep them warm), a peanut butter and oats ball (to lure them in), and then we covered it with a plastic bag (to keep it dry). We places the traps about 10 meters into the woods and marked the spot with neon orange ribbon. After setting the small traps we went to another location to set up a bat trap. When all of the traps were set we all split up into small groups (mine was a group of four) to do some bird watching. It turned into a friendly competition to see what group had the biggest list and our professor collected them at the end of the weekend. Dinner consisted of Australian steak, sausage, chicken, bread, salad, and potato salad! They were not expecting us to eat as much as we did! 17 hungry Americans can go through a lot of food! When dinner was over our professor showed us a bat that our trap had already caught. It was quite small and we were not allowed to touch it because they are known to have rabies but I was allowed to touch its wings...they were very thin and felt like a rubbery tissue. Then it was time for lecture. Our first wildlife biology lecture was all about snails and was conducted by a post grad student doing his studies on snails that was with us for the weekend. It was a pretty interesting and insightful presentation and especially helpful for us on the next part of our trip...Spot lighting! We all piled into three cars are drove to a secluded spot. Then we got our flashlights out and some had huge spot lights. The goal was to shine the lights into the trees searching for eye shine. We didn't have much lunch in the trees but we did find some interesting critters. We found a semi snail...which we learned about in the presentation earlier in the evening, an endangered frog, and a huge spider. By this time I was exhausted! Some stayed up playing card games while others, myself included, headed to bed awaiting our early morning wake up call.
 |
| Our Cabin! |
 |
| Our room :) |
 |
| Our first trap setting lesson :) here we go! |
 |
| Getting my first trap ready! |
 |
| Heading into the woods to set the traps! |
 |
| My second trap! |
 |
| As if we were not seeing enough wildlife on this trip...wild kangaroos were chilling in the back yard! |
 |
| The bat traps |
 |
| Our professor shaking the rats out of the traps |
 |
| This was a big guy! and very smelly...YUCK! |
 |
| On our free time...I decided to climb some rocks :) |
 |
| Born to Climb! |
 |
| The beach was beyond beautiful...but they did call it shark bay so we didn't go to far into the water haha |
 |
| Loved the rocky beach and ocean spray |
Day three was another early morning start the check the traps. We didn't catch many bats again due to windy weather but the rat traps were mostly full. A small group of us checked the traps and our professor followed in a car to collect the traps and data. The trap that I just happened to check had a snake wrapped around it...which I didn't notice until my had was on it...touching the snake! I calmly backed away and called for help...I was NOT about to get the trap now! It amazes me how the one person on the trip who is terrified of snakes...gets all the scary encounters with them. I am not enjoying all these snakes! But any ways...I recovered from the snake encounter and we headed back to the cabins to pack and clean up. Our bus was suppose to pick us up after breakfast...but when it was about 30 min late we called and found out that the bus never left to pick us up. So instead we headed to the beach and waited an hour and a half, playing cards, napping, and eating of course!
In the end it was a decent weekend and a beautiful place to wind down and relax!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Volunteering at an Aussie Elementary School
Volunteering at Bangalow Elementary School was one of the best experiences I have had while volunteering on this trip! We went to the school on Tuesday and there around 9am to meet the principal. He was very nice and welcomed us by giving us our schedule for the day and telling us about his school. There are about 200 students that attend the school and about 14 adults/teachers present each day to care for them. This is an average size for a primary school in Australia. The students also wear uniforms here...its is not mandatory but all of the parents make their children anyways to reduce competition and bring all all of the children to the same level.
Our day started out in Kindergarten. They started class with a singing role call and a few other songs. Then it was time for PE...their PE seemed more like preparing the children for future cricket players rather than getting them active. They tossed bean bags to the children and taught them the correct way to catch the bean bag. then the children were instructed to do other developmental activities with the bags such as, tossing it into the air and catching it, tossing it and clapping then re catching the bag, tossing the bag between hands, and a few more. We assisted the children that were having a hard time and encouraged the ones who had mastered the skill.
Next on our schedule was playing bingo, coloring, and reading. We split up the class into groups and each of us got a small group for about ten minutes. Then the children would rotate to the next activity. I had the bingo activity! The kids were all pretty nice and had a lot of fun...remembering that they were not allowed to make much noise. The school is very big on keeping the children in order and quiet...at least I though so...
After Kindergarten and lunch was over we headed to the fifth grade class. I was not exactly ready for this huge jump in age and activity level! The stage 3 class was rowdy to say the least...they immediately bombarded us with question after question. Some of them silly, some serious, and other rather inappropriate. But it was fun to answer their questions and laugh along with them. When the teacher tried to get the class under control it seemed to be an impossible task! She tried to continue a lesson on fractions and we were instructed to walk around and help anyone who needed assistance however, all of the kids wanted us to help so they could talk to us. The teacher didn't seem to mind much and after math time we headed off to the library.
The library assistant was much more strict with the stage 3 class! Teaching them manners and turning on a video that updated the kids on current news in the world. I never had this in my schooling and I though it was a great idea to teach children at such a young age about the world and its current issues.
Recess was next and we spent it in the teachers lounge hearing all the gossip going on around the school...it was entertaining.
After recess we moved on to first stage class. In this class we each got some one on one time with two students to teach them how to read. These students that we got to tutor were kids that have been having trouble with reading and need a little extra attention. This was the perfect job for me! I know how it feels to be a slow reader and have difficulty learning so helping the kids out was a lot of fun. We picked out six words to teach the kids and by the end of the session they had to know the words. I turned learning into a game for my students. We layed out the six cards and I could call out the word and they would find it. Once they found the word they flipped the card over until all of the cards were flipped over. Then the student would randomly flip the cards over again and have to read the card to me. If they had trouble with a word we sounded it out together and came up with a way for them to remember it...making silly sentences or breaking the word up into two. We played a few more word games and then the student was finished and could return to class.
I really enjoyed tutoring the students and they seemed to feel very comfortable with us as well. We returned to the classroom and assisted in helping the students write about a picnic they went on. It was a lot of fun! Stage one is probably my favorite age group to help with. They listen and are very interested in learning but sometimes needs a little bit of encouragement.
School was finally over around 3pm when our professors wife and our grad assistant picked us up. We then headed back to camp to continue our volleyball tournament that we started yesterday. My team one the first round but lost in a close game in the second round. I was a little disappointed that we lost but I was more than satisfied with my performance thanks to all of the compliments I got for my improvements. When we first started the volleyball tournaments I wasn't very good at the game but after playing each week I have gotten better and better each week...this week I felt like I helped my team out tremendously! Its a great feeling to work at something and see your own improvements and get recognised for them! The championship game is tomorrow.
Our day started out in Kindergarten. They started class with a singing role call and a few other songs. Then it was time for PE...their PE seemed more like preparing the children for future cricket players rather than getting them active. They tossed bean bags to the children and taught them the correct way to catch the bean bag. then the children were instructed to do other developmental activities with the bags such as, tossing it into the air and catching it, tossing it and clapping then re catching the bag, tossing the bag between hands, and a few more. We assisted the children that were having a hard time and encouraged the ones who had mastered the skill.
Next on our schedule was playing bingo, coloring, and reading. We split up the class into groups and each of us got a small group for about ten minutes. Then the children would rotate to the next activity. I had the bingo activity! The kids were all pretty nice and had a lot of fun...remembering that they were not allowed to make much noise. The school is very big on keeping the children in order and quiet...at least I though so...
After Kindergarten and lunch was over we headed to the fifth grade class. I was not exactly ready for this huge jump in age and activity level! The stage 3 class was rowdy to say the least...they immediately bombarded us with question after question. Some of them silly, some serious, and other rather inappropriate. But it was fun to answer their questions and laugh along with them. When the teacher tried to get the class under control it seemed to be an impossible task! She tried to continue a lesson on fractions and we were instructed to walk around and help anyone who needed assistance however, all of the kids wanted us to help so they could talk to us. The teacher didn't seem to mind much and after math time we headed off to the library.
The library assistant was much more strict with the stage 3 class! Teaching them manners and turning on a video that updated the kids on current news in the world. I never had this in my schooling and I though it was a great idea to teach children at such a young age about the world and its current issues.
Recess was next and we spent it in the teachers lounge hearing all the gossip going on around the school...it was entertaining.
After recess we moved on to first stage class. In this class we each got some one on one time with two students to teach them how to read. These students that we got to tutor were kids that have been having trouble with reading and need a little extra attention. This was the perfect job for me! I know how it feels to be a slow reader and have difficulty learning so helping the kids out was a lot of fun. We picked out six words to teach the kids and by the end of the session they had to know the words. I turned learning into a game for my students. We layed out the six cards and I could call out the word and they would find it. Once they found the word they flipped the card over until all of the cards were flipped over. Then the student would randomly flip the cards over again and have to read the card to me. If they had trouble with a word we sounded it out together and came up with a way for them to remember it...making silly sentences or breaking the word up into two. We played a few more word games and then the student was finished and could return to class.
I really enjoyed tutoring the students and they seemed to feel very comfortable with us as well. We returned to the classroom and assisted in helping the students write about a picnic they went on. It was a lot of fun! Stage one is probably my favorite age group to help with. They listen and are very interested in learning but sometimes needs a little bit of encouragement.
School was finally over around 3pm when our professors wife and our grad assistant picked us up. We then headed back to camp to continue our volleyball tournament that we started yesterday. My team one the first round but lost in a close game in the second round. I was a little disappointed that we lost but I was more than satisfied with my performance thanks to all of the compliments I got for my improvements. When we first started the volleyball tournaments I wasn't very good at the game but after playing each week I have gotten better and better each week...this week I felt like I helped my team out tremendously! Its a great feeling to work at something and see your own improvements and get recognised for them! The championship game is tomorrow.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
*~Spring Break 2011 Part 2~*
On Wednesday we all slept in after being exhausted from our three day outback adventure! When I woke up around 7:30am and headed to get my free breakfast at our hostel along with some Internet time. Around 10:30am we boarded Toddy’s shuttle and were on our way to the airport all over again. Once we arrived at the airport we got our boarding passes and headed through security where I was taken aside for an explosive test…apparently I look like a bomb threat.
Our first flight to Adelaide was only an hour and forty min long but we got another free lunch, which helps us save some money! We had about three hours in between flights to relax, read, and hit the bathrooms before our next flight to Kingscote on Kangaroo Island.
When it was finally time to board the plane we were confronted by the receptionist and told we were allowed to board. This was interesting because they personally came up to us instead of announcing it. When we reached the counter we were informed that we were the ONLY ones of the flight! I asked again if we were the only ones on the flight and the receptionist said “no, I’m joking darling. Do you see anyone else around you?” We all started to laugh and then followed the second in command pilot our to the runway to board the plane.
We were assigned to sit in the middle of the plane to keep it balances…I didn’t know a small amount of people…such as four…could disturb the balance of a whole plane! None the less, the flight was only 20 min long and after we got to meet the pilot and see the cockpit! It was such a fun flight and when we unloaded the plane we saw that Kingscote airport is about the size of a house. Talk about tiny…the town is even small! They don’t have any public transportation. You wither rent a car (which we cannot do under the BSU contract we signed), have a private driver the whole time, or go on tours while visiting.
A coach bus that was at the airport took us to a hostel in town that turned out to be pretty sweet. It wasn’t a YHA like we expected but the old man who runs the place was beyond nice! The hostel looks more like a college kid’s house. There was a huge kitchen and living room for everyone to use and then a hallway with rooms full of bunk beds and two bathrooms. The owner didn’t even make us pay up front since we all had to go to the ATM and get cash for him. What a trusting man.
After settling into our room we decided to go on a night walk to find penguins. It was a cheap tour and we went with other people staying in the hostel. It was pretty cool to see the penguins wondering around but also to learn about them. We couldn’t take pictures with a flash on because the light hurts the penguin’s eyes and makes them disorientated for quite some time so instead the guide used a large spotlight with a red tint. This type of light does not hurt the penguin’s eyes and helps us see them better and take pictures.
Our first full day on the island was a success! We were all exhausted and ready to relax and head to bed early to be refreshed for our Island tour in the morning!
When the bird presentation was finished we were on our way to Flinders Chase National Park. While driving through the park we got to see amazing views of all the unique trees and wildlife that inhabit the area. This park is the largest and earliest conservation parks in Australia! They views were magnificent!
My favorite part of the trip was visiting Cape du Couedic Lighthouse and Admirals Arch! The lighthouse was built in 1906 and has nearby cottages that use to house the keepers of the lighthouse and their families.
A short, steep, and windy walk away from the lighthouse was Admirals Arch. This arch was formed by erosion from the harsh pounding ocean waves.
Our first flight to Adelaide was only an hour and forty min long but we got another free lunch, which helps us save some money! We had about three hours in between flights to relax, read, and hit the bathrooms before our next flight to Kingscote on Kangaroo Island.
 |
| Chilling out at the airport...stealing Internet :) |
When it was finally time to board the plane we were confronted by the receptionist and told we were allowed to board. This was interesting because they personally came up to us instead of announcing it. When we reached the counter we were informed that we were the ONLY ones of the flight! I asked again if we were the only ones on the flight and the receptionist said “no, I’m joking darling. Do you see anyone else around you?” We all started to laugh and then followed the second in command pilot our to the runway to board the plane.
 |
| our private airplane |
We were assigned to sit in the middle of the plane to keep it balances…I didn’t know a small amount of people…such as four…could disturb the balance of a whole plane! None the less, the flight was only 20 min long and after we got to meet the pilot and see the cockpit! It was such a fun flight and when we unloaded the plane we saw that Kingscote airport is about the size of a house. Talk about tiny…the town is even small! They don’t have any public transportation. You wither rent a car (which we cannot do under the BSU contract we signed), have a private driver the whole time, or go on tours while visiting.
 |
| literally...the only four on the plane haha |
 |
| first view of Kangaroo Island! |
 |
| landing at sunset |
 |
| talking with the captain |
 |
| Kangaroo Island airport |
A coach bus that was at the airport took us to a hostel in town that turned out to be pretty sweet. It wasn’t a YHA like we expected but the old man who runs the place was beyond nice! The hostel looks more like a college kid’s house. There was a huge kitchen and living room for everyone to use and then a hallway with rooms full of bunk beds and two bathrooms. The owner didn’t even make us pay up front since we all had to go to the ATM and get cash for him. What a trusting man.
 |
| our hostel |
 |
| :) being silly |
 |
| living room and kitchen in the hostel |
After settling into our room we decided to go on a night walk to find penguins. It was a cheap tour and we went with other people staying in the hostel. It was pretty cool to see the penguins wondering around but also to learn about them. We couldn’t take pictures with a flash on because the light hurts the penguin’s eyes and makes them disorientated for quite some time so instead the guide used a large spotlight with a red tint. This type of light does not hurt the penguin’s eyes and helps us see them better and take pictures.
 |
| most of the little penguins would hide in their houses or just stick their little noses out of the holes...but this little guy was loving the camera! |
On Thursday we all woke up around 8am to head off to the grocery store and get food for breakfast. A loaf of bread, peanut butter, and jelly is our meal plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while we are here to save money! After we had breakfast it was time to go to sea link…a local tourist information center. Here we booked a tour of the island for Friday. Then we decided to go to the local library and use the free Internet for about 20 min before walking the town.
 |
| I FOUND KETCHUP CHIPS!!!! |
 |
| everything was on Murray street! |
 |
| board walk |
As soon as we finished eating lunch we headed off to a honey center. Here we got to taste test all the honeys that are made on the Island! They were quite delicious.
After the Honey tasting we decided to play at the park for a bit to waste some energy!
 |
| bee hive! |
 |
| trying all the yummy honey! |
After the Honey tasting we decided to play at the park for a bit to waste some energy!
 |
| I LOVE PARKS! |
Later on we took a hike to a historical site on the island. It was where the English settlers first landed on Kangaroo Island. There were lots of signs that had historical information on them and different places to see such as, a prayer area, mulberry tree from the first colony, the first well of fresh water, post office, and much more. We also walked out to the very tip of the point that is underwater when the tide gets high. Along the way I stepped in some sinking mud and further ruined my tennis shoes (as if the outback adventure didn’t do the trick!).
 |
| walking to the point |
 |
| picking up sea shells |
 |
| yucky mud tried to eat me! |
 |
| my footprints in the swallowing mud |
 |
| the point where the first English settlers landed in Australia |
Our first full day on the island was a success! We were all exhausted and ready to relax and head to bed early to be refreshed for our Island tour in the morning!
Friday was an amazing day on Kangaroo Island! We woke up at 8:30am and got picked up for the Kangaroo Island highlights tour at 9:15. For breakfast we finished up out loaf of bread, peanut butter, and jelly. This cheap food idea saved us a lot of money on the trip while still giving us the energy to make it through the day!
Our first stop along the tour was an emu ridge farm. Here they sell eucalyptus oils and emu oils as well. It is the only commercial eucalyptus distillery in South Australia. At the shop we watched a short film on how the oil is extracted from the eucalyptus plant and turned into the product they sell. Surprisingly it was a pretty simple process! My favorite part of this stop was the baby kangaroo they had living in the shop. Her name was Celine and was an orphaned kangaroo that was found after her mother was hit by a car and killed. Celine survived the hit while still in her mother’s pouch! After some time she was nursed back to health and now lives a healthy life in the shop interacting with all the customers!
 |
| baby kangaroo!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Next on the tour was Seal Bay! This is home to the Australian Sea lion and the second largest breeding colony for the sea lion in Australia. Once we arrived at the conservation Park we were greeted and taken by an interpretive office to the beach. Because sea lions can become aggressive when they feel threatened we were instructed to keep a distance of at least six meters at all times. The sea lions had just come back from. Three month journey the sea lions had just returned from a three month journey out at sea and were now spending three months sleeping and recuperating for their next three month food journey.
By this time in the day everyone was extremely hungry: we stopped in Vivonne Bay at a small Bistro where they had an all you can eat buffet with desert. The two course lunch included a salad bar, sausage, BBQ chicken, and an apple crumble desert.
Directly following lunch we attended an Australian birds of prey presentation. At the presentation we got to see falcons, an owl, kookaburras and an eagle demonstrate their natural skills. The falcon showed us how it outsmarts its pray, the owl hopped from one person to another getting a treat afterwards, and the eagle showed us how strong they are by eating a rabbit…bones and all! My favorite one was the kookaburras because we had the opportunity to hold them! All we had to do was put on a glove and hold out our arm and they landed on our hands! Mine kept making noises and even got a treat while sitting on my arm…it was pretty exciting!
 |
| falcon |
 |
| owl |
 |
| Kookaburra |
 |
| ahh he flew right to my arm! |
 |
| Eagle |
 |
| eagle eating a rabit leg...yuck |
When the bird presentation was finished we were on our way to Flinders Chase National Park. While driving through the park we got to see amazing views of all the unique trees and wildlife that inhabit the area. This park is the largest and earliest conservation parks in Australia! They views were magnificent!
Right after we drove through the park we stopped at the Remarkable Rocks. These are a cluster of huge boulders made of granite that are constantly being sculpted by the intense winds and waves. They sit on a large and steep granite dome that is rising from the ocean! We were warned about where to step and what places to avoid because a few people have died at this site trying to get pictures of the rocks and being blown off the edge by the intense winds.
My favorite part of the trip was visiting Cape du Couedic Lighthouse and Admirals Arch! The lighthouse was built in 1906 and has nearby cottages that use to house the keepers of the lighthouse and their families.
A short, steep, and windy walk away from the lighthouse was Admirals Arch. This arch was formed by erosion from the harsh pounding ocean waves.
This area is also a breeding ground for the New Zealand Fur Seals! We saw them playing in the waves, sleeping, feeding, and climbing up the rocks! It was quite an amazing sight and place to see!
 |
| New Zealand Fur Seals! |
This was the end of our tour and we all loaded the coach and made a quick stop the visitor’s center and then the airport. Here we waited for our flight to Adelaide!
Once in Adelaide we got a taxi and found a hostel to stay in for the night. The hostel we found was cheap…and once we checked in we knew why! The room was the size of a closet…the four of us could only fit in the room if two people were in a bed…the sheets were stained, the fan was the only source of ac…until the middle of the night when the room turned into an icebox, the lights on the beds didn’t work, the closet doors were nailed to the wall, and the power cords disappeared into other rooms through holes in the wall! Despite the not so fun sleeping situation…we only had one night to stay here and would be up at 5am to catch another taxi back to the airport.
 |
| we were all a little angry with the hostel... |
 |
| it sucked! |
 |
| but we were happy to be on our way home...and our SB 2011 was AMAZING!!!!!! |
Waking up at 5 on Saturday morning and running on four hours of sleep was rough! We met our taxi at 5:30am and off to the airport we went…caught our first flight to Sydney and were officially on our way home. The flight was a little bumpy due to some bad weather but we landed safely in Sydney and had three hours to waste before our last flight into Ballina. going through security I was pulled aside again for an explosive test...my bear looked suspicious I guess (he got a lot of attention at the airports)....then we sat at our gate and had some food, blogged, and slept!
The flight into Ballina was a bumpy ride! Due to some storms we hit a few rough patches but the flight was a little over an hour. I am pretty sure the flight attendant didn't like me as well...I asked if we got food and she made it clear you had to pay for it so i broke out all my snacks and had a little plane picnic! Once we landed we jumped on the city bus back to Lennox Head where we had to walk with all of our luggage back to the cabins...but it sure does feel good to be home!!! :)
The flight into Ballina was a bumpy ride! Due to some storms we hit a few rough patches but the flight was a little over an hour. I am pretty sure the flight attendant didn't like me as well...I asked if we got food and she made it clear you had to pay for it so i broke out all my snacks and had a little plane picnic! Once we landed we jumped on the city bus back to Lennox Head where we had to walk with all of our luggage back to the cabins...but it sure does feel good to be home!!! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
