The Last Great Australian Adventure

The last week at SFS came and went in a flash, making the last few days we had together quite precious. MK had lined up a few group activities including the talent show, which turned out to be quite the success. John Track was the MC and the star of the night after giving his performance of "Kissed by a Rose". Nick would periodically interrupt the show to challenge people to compete with him in his segment "one more thing I'm better than you at". Emily hosted a mock olympics where she divided participants into teams and had them compete by completing ridiculous tasks before the others. It was quite the amazing spectacle to behold and an excellent addition to the show. Siggy's DR group did a take on their experiences dealing with a particularly noisy but playful Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. But perhaps the most memorable performance of the night was John Hall teaching us to sing the "Waltzing Matilda", which is accepted as Australia's unofficial national anthem.

Siggy's DR group performance with Aurielle as a Cockatoo (Photo from Keaton Doyle)

John Hall, John Track and Nick (Photo from Keaton Doyle)

Keaton and Ashley

The absolute final day crept up faster than expected. It just so happened that Sam's 21st coincided with the last day. I suggested we celebrate by venturing to the hollow fig one last time. I remember my first visit to the tree that I managed to find despite a poorly marked trail (which I eventually renovated so that others could find it). I was immediately impressed by it. The hollow fig tree is much closer to our site than the cathedral fig and arguably much more worthy of pursuit simply because your are able to climb it. Climbing up the hollow fig is a lot like climbing through a tunnel vertically except the tunnel gradually decreases its circumference as you go in further. The ease of climbing makes it easy to forget how high you are. But once you get up at about 50 ft you can already see the rainforest from an entirely new perspective. Another 50 ft up and you will be blown away by how spectacular the canopy is from a bird's eye view. Sam and I took turns experiencing what I wish every person SFS student or otherwise would experience: a view of a landscape so vast and complex that it humbles you into the realization that no matter how hard you try you can never fully understand or appreciate the unmatched value of the wilderness.

                
That final experience was my last impression of CRS. The morning after we would all depart the site and go our separate ways. Some had flights to go straight home, whilst others had domestic flights. I however was adamant against flying because as previously implied, I hate planes. So I arranged for alternate transportation via train. So John Track dropped me off at the train station behind Cairns Central Mall, which is where I would say my final goodbyes. If left my SFS compatriots with one goal in mind: see all, experience all, never stop. I may also add that I really had no plan for where exactly I would go, how long I would stay where I went or who I would run into along the way.

                 With that, I boarded my train and was southward bound. I guess now would be the time to compare American Trains to Australian ones. The Queensland Sunlander (which is the train from Cairns to Brisbane that I was on) rated high in my book. Not only were there fantastic views of the Queensland rainforests and amazing birding opportunities, but there was also decent food and I ate well (which really says something given that I am quite possibly the pickiest eater on the face of the Earth). Additionally, the train was comfortably spacious. The Amtrak that I took from Boston to LA on my way to Australia was not as great. The seats and dining areas were so tightly crammed that it made it nearly impossible for people to pass each other without someone awkwardly moving off the aisle in front of a stranger's seat and crossing the gap between carts was somewhat terrifying when the train is mobile and going around a turn. I will say however that I met more people in the Amtrak and had my first favorable gambling experience on it (though I only won about $8).

                But getting back to Australia, my train arrives at its terminal in Brisbane the following evening. After some hassle to find the exit to the street, I check into the first hostel I see, called "Tinbilly's" and was conveniently right across from "Peter Pan's Adventure Travel", which became my go-to building when I needed free internet. My original plan was to spend just one night in Brisbane and then board a bus to Sydney the following day, but that was before I noticed a train stop for "Australia Zoo" on my way into the city. Now normally I wouldn't get so hyped up for an artificial preserve full of mostly captive-bred animals, but it just so happens that Steve Irwin worked there and it was because of him that it became famous. I have come to realize that Australians have mixed attitudes towards Steve Irwin, but for me he was and continues to be one of biggest inspirations. It all started when I watched "The Crocodile Hunter" as a kid and committed myself to watching his show. I still remember all the re-runs they played on Animal Planet the day he died ironically from a generally easy-going species, being a stingray. I was truly devastated. His legend has not died however and his wife, Terri and kids, Bindi and Bob have been leaving their own marks to promote conservation. I noticed the Australia Zoo did not underplay their usage of advertisements with pictures of the Irwin family at all.

               
So I enjoyed my day at the zoo. It was here that I saw Tasmanian Devils, Echidnas, a Komodo Dragon and of course the infamous Crocodile-feeding demonstration. The guy who fed the crocs did not get nearly as close as Steve did, but I didn't blame him. When you're dealing with a creature that could bite your head off without hardly an ounce of effort, it is wise to keep your distance. Though I daresay I admire and mirror people who confront the dangers of nature with an air of fearlessness as Steve Irwin did.

         













Once I arrived back in the heart of the city I was not yet ready to return to my hostel. Instead I figured I'd check out the Treasury Casino. This was the largest Casino I had visited so far. It had a large game room for Roulette, Blackjack and other card games next door to the bar complete with a dance floor. The place was also jam-packed with slot machines at every corner of the multi-level building. It was daunting to see all the ways you could become addicted to gambling, but I do not believe I will ever be susceptible. My strategy is to limit myself to $30 whenever I start fresh at a Casino. If I lose it I quit and if I win $10 I quit. The rest of the time I drink or people-watch, gawking at how some people can pour out hundreds of dollars to a dealer only to lose it and all the time with the same indifferent expression so common amongst gamblers. My advice on gambling: don't get hooked.

The following day I met up with Tim from TREAT who I hadn't seen in several months. He introduced me to the City Cat, which is a form of transportation that operates by boat. The ferry shuttles people up and down the Brisbane River. What I quickly realized about Tim is that he is quite possibly more of an OCP than I am (OCP being an abbreviation for "Obsessive Compulsive Photographer"). Even though the City Cat was no novel experience for him, he still took many more pictures than I. So we rode the City Cat around its entire route as Tim pointed out all the significant buildings and sights, most notably for me being the cliff faces where people could rock-climb right next to the river. I was tempted to stay one more day in Brisbane just so I could climb, but I was behind schedule and knew I had to move on.

Rock-climbing cliff

             
By 6:00 that evening I was on a bus to Sydney, which turned out to be much shorter than I had expected. I arrived in the city the following morning around 10:00. As soon as I got off at the terminal, I asked someone at the info desk how I could go about getting reservations to walk the Harbor Bridge, an activity my coach had strongly advised me to do since he had done it himself when he was in Sydney waiting to ref a fencing tournament. The guy at the front desk directed me to the internet kiosks and gave me the website. I signed up to go on the Discovery Tour that very afternoon.

                Before we were allowed to board the bridge, we were required to give up any loose possessions including cameras so unfortunately I could not take pictures. We were equipped with jumpsuits and a belt where everything we needed was attached. We were then given a practice run of a climbing structure similar to the bridge. We had to lock ourselves in by sliding our weights on our belts into the railing on the right-hand side of the mock bridge. Once we had mastered the process of ascending and descending we were finally ready to experience the real thing.

                So we set off along the steel banisters whilst clambering our weights alongside us. Our tour guide would occasionally stop to point out the sights or let us enjoy the view. We were on the bridge just as the sun was setting over the harbor. It was a beautiful scene, though to be honest probably wasn't worth the several hundred I had spent on it. Still it was fun to ascend all the way to the peak of the bridge and admire the city from one of its best known landmarks. And it did allow a fantastic view of the opera house which maybe one of the country's best known landmarks. Thus I would conclude that it is worth climbing the harbor bridge at least once if you get the chance.

                I spent my remaining time in Sydney trying to be a little less touristy. I feel as though Bondi Beach despite its fame is not the place for a lay beach-going tourist to seek out. The waves there rival those of Hawaii and were powerful enough to dissuade most people from swimming. The vast majority of people in the water were surfers. I had intended to go just to swim but given the intensity of the waves I decided surfing would be a better option.

                When I went to inquire about lessons I was informed that I had just missed the group going out with the instructor so I took my chances trying to teach myself. I mimicked the other surfers as best as I could, but still struggled hard in the beginning especially since I had never before encountered waves over twice my height. Several times I failed to launch myself and felt the sheer power of the wave consume me. I felt as though a brick wall had just collapsed on me. After these failed attempts I retreated to shallower water to regain my confidence. I caught the waves long after they had broken so I was just riding the white suds to the shore. I found that these waves were too slow and so I had to make my way back out to where the waves rose way above my head. After being battered around a decent bit, I finally got the hang of keeping myself on board but the closest I got to surfing was acquiring an upright position on my knees, which was close enough for me. It was hard enough just staying on the board let alone standing up on it. I learned that what is most important for staying on the board is maintaining a center of gravity towards the back so that the nose of the board remains above water.

                Once I had mastered staying aboard I started to really enjoy surfing. The acceleration was exhilarating as the wave caught my board and drove it to shore. The combination of terror over feeling a lack of control of the waves and the novelty of surfing for the first time got me hooked. I spent a whole 2 and half hours riding waves and trying my hardest to achieve a position as close as possible to a standing position. Though I did not accomplish this, I still accomplished the best surfing of my life at Bondi Beach and was again contemplating the possibility of staying longer. But the journey had to continue, as I only had a few more precious days to spend in the Down Under.

                But by that evening I was on a train to Melbourne. The amount of travel time again shocked me given how short it was. Before I knew it I was in Melbourne and already looking to find a way to Tasmania. Since I don't fly my only option was to take the ferry. The "Spirit of Tasmania" is what it's called and it was much fancier than the ferries from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard of which I am a frequent passenger. As soon as I got on board my mouth dropped. I suppose I have been on a cruise ship before, but I was too young to remember it. I could come up with just about any form of entertainment a traveler would want and the "Spirit of Tasmania" had it. There were two bars, a casino, a gift shop, a cinema, internet kiosks, two restaurants and even a small playground. It was aboard this ship that I saw Steven Spielberg's "Tintin", which I thoroughly enjoyed.

                The ferry ride was pleasant, but I was relieved when I finally made it to Cradle Mountain. I did enjoy my time in the cities, but it was definitely time to get back to nature. Unfortunately the weekend I chose to visit the natural areas in Tassie just so happened to be a weekend where they were expecting a blizzard, which I was oblivious to. Snowflakes began to trickle down as I hiked the circuit around Dove Lake, but I thought nothing of them until they started accumulating. Even so I enjoyed my hike and saw a Green Rosella straight off. My only regret for my Friday hike was underestimating the time it would take me to complete the circuit and as a consequence I missed the last bus to the ranger's station by a half-hour. And so I had to add five or so miles to my hike as I walked back in the dark along the road with snow flying in my face. Just as I was about to lose hope and surrender myself to the blizzard I saw a creature that would lift my spirits enough to keep me going. A Northern Quoll popped appeared a short distance in front of me running along the road. It ran right towards me and stopped just an arm's length away and paused to give me an inquisitive look before starting off again. That close encounter with a rare animal was enough to encourage me to tough out the few remaining miles back to civilization. That would be the last day I neglect to catch the shuttle bus.

                Day 2 in Tassie, the blizzard picks up. The previous morning not an ounce of snow could be seen anywhere, but since then it had accumulated to a foot and did not show signs of stopping. I decided I would take my chances, but I did invest in a full polypropylene underthermal suit to make up for my lack of warm clothes. My goal for the day was to get to Marion's Lookout, which takes about 6 hours in good weather so I knew I would have to allow a bit more time. So I went back to dove lake where the hike begins. The human traffic had already caused the snow on the trail to turn to slush. I tried avoiding it at first due to my sneakers being inadequate footwear for wet conditions, but I gave up after they became soaked despite my attempts to keep them dry. My underthermals seemed to be doing wonders though since I did not really feel cold at all.

                I walked halfway around dove lake to find the trail leading to Cradle Mountain Summit. I immediately noticed a stark difference between the well-maintained, heavily trampled dove lake circuit trail and the snow-buried, neglected Summit trail. Refusing to let the unfavorable conditions deter me, I continued up the trail though I was up to my knees in snow. There was only one set of tracks to follow and eventually even they disappeared. The trail was all but impossible to follow: I did my best to find the markers on the trees, but most of the time I had to intuitively perceive where it is. I continued on like this for what must have only been a few miles, but felt like much longer. There came a time where I was certain I had lost the trail completely, but was relieved to see a bridge leading over a frozen stream. I walked across and climbed up a ways to see the view, but the heavy snow precipitation made it hard to appreciate and the trail had again become imperceptible. It was at this point where I decided that it was in my best interest to abandon my quest if I was going to make it back safely.

                My last day there I was determined to at least achieve a hike up Marion's Lookout if I could not find the trail to Cradle Mountain Summit. I proceeded to Dove Lake for the third and final time with a promise to myself that I would not fail to reach the peak. The snowstorm seemed to favor my ambition as it had nearly stopped that day. The cold wind continued, but at least my many layers of inadequate winter clothing would not be soaked through again.

                I walked partway down the dove lake circuit and turned off of it towards Lake Lilla and then to the Wombat Pool. I accompanied a small group of tourists who went partway up but deemed the final stretch too dangerous given the conditions. Indeed it was not much better than the trail I had tackled the day before, but I figured as long as I could find it I could hike it. So we contemplated at a flat stretch overlooking lake lilla and they decided to turn around. I continued on.

                This time the trail was easier to see. There were several pairs of tracks leading to my destination and I eventually met their creators. They were all decked out in gear that would have you thinking that they were climbing Mt. Everest, but I am not one to be intimidated. I endured the remaining uphill climb in my sneakers, REI cargo pants and hoody with nothing but my underthermals keeping me warm. If you're thinking I'm crazy, then you're completely justified.      
       

I made it to what looked to be stair-like rock arrangement, though it was obstructed by the snow. The railing along the side helped mildly as I did my best to find solid ground for my feet and avoid slipping. I half walked half dragged myself up the treacherous staircase until I finally made it to the peak, which made it all worth it. I cannot compare the view from Marion's Lookout to its snowless appearance, but I can say that even with the snow smog it was quite marvelous. It was one thing to walk the trails, but another experience entirely to see them from above as you look down into the valley.

              













After admiring the view for at least ten minutes, I made my way back down. Instead of going back to dove lake however I decided it would be a better idea to walk by the crater falls and so I did so. I got to get a closer look of the crater lake as I made my way there. As I got closer I found that the density of King Billy Pine Trees became richer and consequently the thickness of the snow lessened since it had chosen to settle in the canopy instead. I was less impressed by the falls than I normally would have been given what I had just experienced but they were impressive nonetheless. The light snow concealment of the moss covering the trees and rocks added to the aesthetic beauty of the scene.

              

The remainder of my hike was primarily a flat walk or downhill walk. As soon as I excited the forest, the snow became deep again on the sides of the trail, but the trail had enough human congestion to prevent snow from accumulating on it. I encountered a Wombat lazily taking advantage this as it wandered directly towards me along the trail. As soon as it noticed that our paths were about to converge it meandered off into the snow until I had passed. Once it assessed that I was out of the way it promptly hopped back up onto the boardwalk and resumed its leisurely stroll. Shortly after I encountered the Wombat, I came across some of its excrement it had left behind and found that Siggy was correct: Wombat poo is indeed square.

                I cannot say that I accomplished what I had originally set out to do during my time in Tasmania, but I had certainly accomplished feats I had not intended to try. There was a need to return to the mainland, however, since there was one quest I was not ready to give up. That one remaining quest was to find the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot, Tasmanian Resident but temporary visitor to the Southeastern Mainland. The bar was high since there are only 40 left.

                So I took the ferry back to Melbourne and began my hunt for the rarest parrot species on earth. The first day was a fail, I went to Geelong and inquired about the best places to find the parrot, but to no avail. I was directed to a known birding hotspot, but not one that Orange-bellied Parrots were known to frequent. Given I had spent a fair amount of money to make it there, I decided I would enjoy the birding and do a bit more research into the Orange-bellied Parrot later. I did add quite a few new species to my Master Bird List for Australia, most of which were waterfowl.

               
 The next day I took a break and met up with my friend and classmate Geoffrey who was studying abroad at the University of Melbourne. I was astounded at the difference between my program and his, though I really had no reason to be since the School for Field Studies is highly unique. As he showed me around I could not help but feel like I was back at Cornell, perhaps solely for the reason that I had not seen such a high density of students in such a long time. We contemplated waiting in line for the BBQ, but decided against it. In my case I would have just been waiting in line for a bun, since I've been a strict vegetarian for seven plus years. So we walked instead to a crepe place, all the while sharing our stories of our semesters abroad. In some ways I am jealous that I missed out on experiencing the Australian culture that Geoff had been exposed to, but at the same time I appreciated just how fortunate I was to have been fully immersed to the rich biodiversity and unique atmosphere of the sparse Australian Rainforest.

                That evening I determined that my next destination would be Queenscliff, a coastal town about an hour from Melbourne. I didn't waste time getting there, as soon as I learned that it was a popular wintering area for the 40 or so remaining Orange-bellied Parrots I hopped on a train and made my way back to Geelong, then caught the next bus to Queenscliff where I would spend the night. It was dark when I got there so no chance of spotting the parrots then, but I needed to do something. I decided to go on a nightwalk along the beach, while occasionally pausing to pick up an interesting piece of seaweed or a cuttlefish bone.

                The next day was the last full day I would be in Australia and my last chance to find the parrot. I sought out the information centre to narrow down my scope of candidate sites. The staff there proved to be of little use, but they directed to me to the Parks Service. The man there seemed enthralled that I was asking about the parrots and immediately went to his desk to start printing out maps of the area and an Orange-bellied Parrot information packet that showed how to distinguish them from other Neophema parrots that were commonly spotted in the area. He also equipped me with a birding checklist for the province and a picture guide. Before handing me the map he marked it with all the areas with reported sightings and recommended I check out the golf course if I could get across the bridge. I thanked him and went to try my luck though I was not certain that the few hours I had to spend would be sufficient.

I went first to try and get to the golf course, but as the Parks Service Officer had anticipated but optimistically hoped against, I was not allowed across. The reason for my denied entry was that I was not in the military nor was I a member of the golf course (not exactly sure why a military base would be next to a public recreational facility but I did not inquire too deeply into the matter). So I instead walked along Swan Bay. I took a few minutes to photograph the population of Black Swans and then just as I was walking towards the train tracks I caught sight of something bright green fly over me.

                Sure enough a parrot, brilliantly grass-green in color had swooped over my head and I chased it with my Nikon in hand. At this point I was writhing with excitement as I had just encountered one of the last remaining members of the world's most endangered parrot species. I could not believe my luck that just 10 minutes after I left the Parks Service building I had spotted the parrot maybe three quarters of a mile away. I stood by the tree I thought I'd seen it land in and scanned with my binoculars for half an hour to see if it was still perched though it did not re-show itself. I was still content that I had accomplished my biggest birding feat on my last day. It really was the perfect ending to my four-month long visit to the country that I may someday call home.

Field Research: The Core of SFS

The end of mid-semester break marked the beginning of our month-long directed research project. We were divided amongst the three professors: Siggy (in charge of Tree-Kangaroo research), Justus  (in charge of social science research) and Amanda (who would take Rohan's place and was in charge of CSIRO research). Though my first choice was to conduct field research of Tree-Kangaroos, I ended up with the social science group, which turned out to be a good fit.

We returned to Mission Beach, this time in the interest of learning about ecotourism. Once we arrived there we settled into our hostel, this one being much closer to the beach than the one we stayed at over break, which was convenient since we were given free time as soon as we unpacked. We took advantage immediately were let loose, being as our scheduled meetings weren't until the following morning. Thus naturally we spent time at the beach, swimming, practicing boomerang-throwing and enjoying the sunset. We enjoyed a meal at a restaurant in the town center and then Sam and I indulged in a chess battle using the giant chess set right outside.

The following morning we ventured to C4 (which is an abbreviation for the Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation). Justus had organized several meetings with people knowledgeable about ecotourism at Mission Beach. Mission Beach has the highest density of Cassowaries in Australia, but unfortunately due to the high number of tourists and vehicles, it also has the highest rate of Cassowary mortality. It is for this reason that C4 pushed for lowering the speed limit from 80 km/hr to 60 km/hr and as part of their latest campaign are working to buy back lot 66 in order to restore Garrett's Corridor. We were given the chance to explore C4, which had a large assortment of products to benefit Cassowaries as well as a nursery to supply rainforest regeneration projects.

After C4 we headed back to Yungaburra and the following day were introduced to an American-born Australian by the name of Christine. It seemed that she knew practically everyone in the Atherton Tablelands, which made her a most valuable asset to getting us set up with our projects. When we arrived at her house she immediately invited us to sit on her porch while she retrieved tea and tim tams and various fruits from inside her house. We sat and discussed our project ideas for a few minutes before she suggested that we walk and talk. So we set off, accompanied by her dog "Shrek" for the Herberton Range State Forest just across the street from her house.

It was an enjoyable walk. The switch from rainforest to eucalyptus scrub was a nice change. Mostly I was content to not have to constantly check myself over for land leeches, which are a common parasite at CRS. It was also beneficial for discussion of projects. I would agree with Christine that it is easier to think over ideas while partaking in a light amount of exercise and looking out to the scenery than to just discuss around a table. I found the afternoon most helpful, though I daresay my topic continued to lack stability until a few days later.

                My ultimate decision was between aboriginals and tree-kangaroos. I wanted to learn about aboriginal involvement in the ecotourism industry and how they represented their culture within it, but I was also very much interested in why Tree-Kangaroos were not more widely recognized and appreciated as species in need of conservation. I tried combining the two topics in the best way I could, but found that it would still be too broad so I had to settle on the latter.

                My project was conducted in two parts: interviews and surveys. As part of the first part I interviewed five different people in the ecotourism industry. The most notable person I interviewed happened to be a tour guide who stuck his nose into situations that people would have preferred he left alone. One of these happened to be an illegal clearing of Mabi Forest, which is an endangered forest patch and important habitat for Tree-Kangaroos. Being the environmental activist that he was when he stumbled upon the deforestation, he took pictures of the destruction and showed them to the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM). Despite the clear evidence that this protected patch of Mabi Forest was being cleared, DERM responded not by prosecuting the landowners of the neighboring village who had committed the crime, but by rezoning the land so that the Mabi Forest patch no longer existed on a protected area. This interview alone made me realize the importance of getting people aware of both the existence of Tree-Kangaroos and the need to preserve their habitat.

                The surveys I set up were designed to assess people's general knowledge of Tree-Kangaroos, compare their interest in seeing them in relation to other species and determine their willingness to pay for an organization that benefits them. A large chunk of my time at our third Cairns weekend was spent flagging down shoppers and passersby at the Cairns Central Mall and Night Markets to fill out my questionnaire. In total I ended up with 75 surveys when my original goal had been to get several hundred. No matter, I had still had enough data to extrapolate some interesting patterns.

                What I found was that on average people were more interested in seeing Tree-Kangaroos than any of the other species I had listed (Koala, Platypus, Kangaroo, Cassowary, Wombat, Wallaby, Kookaburra). Another finding of significance was that when people were given a factsheet that presented Tree-Kangaroos as a rare species threatened from deforestation, people were more willing to donate money on their behalf than people who were given a factsheet that presented Tree-Kangaroos as a common species or given no factsheet at all. Thus Tree-Kangaroos are not only a popular species to view, but could achieve a similar status as an iconic species for rainforest restoration as the Cassowary, especially if their uniqueness to Australia's upland rainforests and vulnerability to deforestation is emphasized. 

Mid-Semester Break

The last week of classes was fairly uneventful since everyone was preparing for finals. After enduring the stressful ordeal of excessive studying, I was pleased to find that the act of taking the exams was much less taxing than the preparation. Sadly, the end of exams meant saying goodbye to Rohan, our Natural Resources Management professor. Siggy (our Rainforest Ecology professor) and Justus (our Environmental Policy and Socioeconomics professor) would stay and become our research advisors for directed research projects and Amanda Freeman would take Rohan's place. We were all sad to see Rohan go, but we knew we would see him again at community night at the end of the semester.

After exams ended we were rewarded with a five-day mid semester break. We were driven to Cairns and then immediately dispersed to catch buses, pick up car rentals and enjoy our freedom. The van we rented was much more comfortable compared to the vans we are accustomed to being jam-packed into so it was a nice change. From Cairns, we drove to Port Douglas with no real plan in mind. After arriving we split up to find a hostel and stumbled upon Parrotfish Lodge. With free internet, a Wii, a pool, a pool table and a ping-pong table all for just $25 a night, we couldn't turn it down. After settling in, we went to explore the beach. It was nice, but we were prohibited from swimming due to the possibility of stingers (jellies).

The majority of the next day we spent exploring the town. It was not very crowded since we were there during the week so it was more pleasant to walk around. The tranquil mood, modest design of the shops and laid-back attire associated with proximity to the beach reminded me of Martha's Vineyard, the island near my hometown which I have visited almost every summer since my childhood. It was a nice little town, but I am not the type to settle in one place for too long.

After spending the second night at Port Douglas we packed up and headed towards Mission Beach. On the way we stopped at a nice overlook and ended up climbing down the rocks to get to the Ocean. The beautifully colored rocks again reminded me of Martha's Vineyard since they resembled the incredible naturally red rocks of Aquinnah. The waves added to the quality of the place and made it ever more tempting to swim in. Inevitably a few of us ignored the danger of stingers and took a quick dip.

Satisfied with our road stop, we hopped back in the van and proceeded on our way. Our next stop was Barron Falls, which I must say trump the Ithaca Gorges that I am accustomed to. The stunning landscape and vast amount of water flow made the sight spectacular. A true tropical waterfall if I've ever seen one. This was probably my favorite view from break.

Our last stop before Mission Beach was Kuranda. We had learned from other students who had visited that it was very much a tourist town; everywhere you looked there were stores selling the t-shirts, boomerangs, postcards and aboriginal art. It was comparable to Cairns in how congested it was with shops. They had a few other attractions like birdworld, butterfly sanctuary, koala gardens and even a venom zoo. We browsed the shops playing tourist unashamed and I broke down and finally bought a boomerang.

We then went to yet another Fan Palm Forest. The experience was even better the second time due to perfect weather. I was hoping to see a Cassowary again, but no such luck. Regardless, the forest was absolutely stunning and had the effect of making me once again feel like I was walking in a prehistoric era.

After all those stops, we finally made it to Mission Beach and immediately found a hostel called absolute backpackers. So we parked and checked in and then prepared for the beach. Unlike Port Douglas, there were operational stinger nets so we were permitted to swim, and swim we did. The surfing was alright, but mostly it just felt nice to be able to swim in the ocean again. During the semester the only place we are ever able to swim is at Lake Eacham, a crater lake near the Centre for Rainforest Studies. Though freshwater is nice, nothing compares to the wild, temperamental  water of the sea.

The following day, Will decided to go Skydiving. Though I am generally up for anything, skydiving is on my list of things I will never do, mostly because I hate planes not because I am scared of falling. Hang-gliding is definitely something I would do. For either lack of interest or monetary reasons, the rest of us decided to let him have the glory of being the only one to skydive over the Great Barrier Reef. Greg and I went to watch and take pictures from the Beach while the others stayed at the hostel. As we were waiting, a dog with a collar but no apparent owner approached us. Her name was Lola according to the tag and she was quite interested in my boomerang. This made it slightly difficult to practice throwing it since she was constantly trying to steal it so we had to distract her with pieces of driftwood or whatever we could find.

Once we saw Will we abandoned boomerang-throwing practice and immediately went into action photographing and filming his descent. Luckily, his bright yellow shorts made it easy to distinguish him from the others. Seeing his expression after landing, you could tell that the experience was breathtaking. You could not ask for a better view than the coast of Australia for your first skydiving trip and if I ever were to skydive I would probably do so there.