Heron Island -- The Great Barrier Reef

This trip was yet again a “research trip” but it was a week long and in one of the best places on the Great Barrier Reef. This island was tiny, and you could walk around it in a matter of minutes. The only way you can stay on the island is if you pay $400 a night at the resort, or if you get permission to go to the research station, which our group of 50 got to do  So the ride there sucked, as it was an 8 hour long night bus ride. But it picked up as we took a two hour long speed boat out. The waves were massive and shook the entire boat violently. It was so intense that half of the group got sea sick and spewed. Eww. Fortunately, I did not fall into that category. Once we got there we got situated into our bunks, and research groups. My research involved counting the rate of crab grazing in relation to time, which we observed over one 24 hour period every 3 hours. Yep, that was my “research.” Now onto the good stuff… I got to snorkel, in fact that is what I did for most of my stay! First day there they taught us how, and we had a practice run I guess you can say. In fact, that is when I had my first encounter with a shark, which I was totally unprepared for may I add. It was a wobbegong shark. But that was just the beginning as the next day we went snorkeling at shark bay, where we saw loads of sharks and sting rays. I was scared, not gonna lie! We also got to take a boat out deeper into the ocean, and we got to go snorkeling there. Beautiful corals. I saw Nemo, and I got to chase down a huge sea turtle, which I nearly touched! Only an inch short. Also I got the chance to do a night snorkel. Remember that sharks feed at dawn and dusk, so yes my heart was racing the entire time. Fortunatly there was a group of us and we had flashlights, but there were times when I would look left, then right, and behind to find no one… so I would say “just keep swimming, just keep swimming” and catch up to those ahead. When we weren’t snorkeling what better thing to do than to tan, watch super cute baby turtle hatchlings make their way to shore, and drink on the beach at night. Our professor snorkel chugged goon (cheap Australian boxed wine- that has fish eggs in it). So a gang of us on the beach that night came to a consensus- that everyone should do THIS.
Hear that guys!?

Morton Bay and Point Lookout -North Stradbrouke Island

This was a class research trip I took sometime in late March. Regardless, it was really fun and I really learned stuff. We loaded the bus, drove sometime, and took a huge cargo ferry across to the shore where we landed at the UQ research station. We did some educational stuff such as looking at various habitats along the shore and we went seining, but I won’t bore you with that stuff. While, there we saw a few blue-ringed octopuses, which are deadly, a cone fish, deadly as well, and some sort of stone fish, deadly- you guessed it! So, since we were walking around in these waters we wore protective shoes called booties. Booties.. haha, sounds so Australian. Well nonetheless, I actually had to do some research and my topic involved counting burrows in the ground, and measuring the various depths of different layers of sand. This was probably the worst research I have done, it felt like we were bs-ing all our data. Once all the research was done, we got a chance to take a gorge walk, take some fab photos and admire the beauty. Seriously photos don’t this place any justice. After the gorge walk, we got to lay out on the beach, catch some rays, and play some cricket, which I kicked ass in. At first, I thought it was like baseball, only with a funny bat, so after hitting the awkwardly pitched ball, I threw the bat, and started running for the base, that wasn’t there. So, after some initial confusion, and few times of instinctively throwing the bat, I’ve come around to being a solid player. MVP bayba haha jk. Even though this was a class trip, it is what you make it. You meet incredible people and do things you would have otherwise never done. Such as being out in the middle of the night at low tide, in waters knee depth, contemplating which will be less scary- going deeper into the water, following those ahead or walking back in the pitch black darkness to the shore a quarter mile away. I say go forward! You only live once so embrace it!

St. Patrick’s Day—Brisbane

What do I learn? St. Patty’s day is big everywhere you go, and the Irish just seem to crawl out at around this time! Oh and also don’t get surprised if an Irish person approaches you and asks you if you have tuberculosis. It happens all the time. Okay well maybe not, but it happened to me. Apparently it’s an Irish thing? Idk. Well we went to an Irish Bar, but since there is only one in all of Brisbane we waited in an hour long line to get in. Once we did, it was totally worth it! Live band and everything!

Sunshine Coast

So I got a chance to do some more hiking while here at a range of mountains called the Glasshouse Mountains. As to why they are called that we have no clue. So a few of us headed out and we took a train there, as the mountains are an hour north, only problem is that we initially went an hour south by train on accident and had to return north, making it a two hour ride up. Thus total travel time= 3hrs. haha, but that’s what happens when you don’t have a car and have to rely on public transportation, which I might add that I’ve gotten quite good at. So we hiked up a mountain called Ngungun. Try pronouncing it, it’s really fun to say! So it was a class 4 hike whatever that means. It was really neat and super steep at some parts. To the point where you had to engage your whole body, and by that I mean climbing on all fours! Once we made it to the top it was absolutely beautiful! See for yourself. Hiking is truly a hidden gem! Its totally fun, free and once you reach the top… you feel it!



^ Starting the hike



^On the way up


^ Celebratory pineapple we found
^ up from above

Another part of the sunshine coast I got to experience was Noosa beach. I went with Kiera, Jill, Natalie, and our English neighbors Kris and Rahul. Beach, beach, drinking, and beach! Haha the water was amazing and super clear! I can see my feet a shoulder deep water-clear! Well I got some good boogie boarding in. Next step is surfing. I defiantly don’t want to come back to jersey with out knowing how to ride a wave.

While here I also got a chance to chat it up with Mr. Noosa, haha. Male pageants? Go Australia ;)

Pics from the BIG trip

^Sadly enough, believe it or not-- the bush fires visible at night from my airplane. Yes it's the red specks and the smoke (which is not too visible)

^ The character of Melbourne streets


^Kiera at our Hostel. Now that's a whole 'nother story


^ Jill and I enjoying our Carlton Draught beer at happy hour!


^The amazing food in Melbourne


^The 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road




^ The London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road


^ Just doing some rock climbing hehe


^ The group



^ The temperate decidious rainforest... or something like that


^Hobart

^ Wineglass Bay, Tasmania


^ Wineglass Bay, Tasmania

^ The Salamanca market, Hobart

The Big Trip

For our first BIG trip in Australia, my roommates and I decided to go beyond the state of Queensland... so we chose to go to Victoria (yes that is where the infamous bush fires are at the moment... if you've heard) and Tasmania. This trip was our attempt at backpacking... with questionably oversized carry-on luggage (let's just say there were a few close calls with the allowable capacity allowed on board our flights) Well this was our first trip and overall we did well. We saw a lot and spent even more but hey you only live once! Our trip was 8 days total and our first stop was Melbourne. In Melbourne we got to experience the night life, food, shopping, beaches and just outside of it we toured the Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean road was amazing and definitely recommend doing it if you ever decide to venture out here... and if you do you better visit me!! Right after our tour of the great ocean road we hopped strait on a plane and flew to Hobart, Tasmania were we spent the remainder of our time. While there, we saw wineglass bay(beautiful but no pics since my camera died), and the "lovely" city of Hobart. If you notice the quotation marks you might notice that i'm disappointed. But i'm bitter more so because of the fact that we couldn't do much there since we were already super low on cash. But we tried to make the most of it.... by strolling the streets, going to the shops (again!), and hiking up Mt. Wellington ourselves since we refused the idea of paying a tour bus to take us there when we could haul ourselves up there free of charge!! So the story goes something like this... we hiked up a very step, maze-like trail, in the rain-may I add, for nearly two hours until we reached what we thought was the top. But as it turned out, the "top" ended up only being half of the trip. Already beaten up from the hike and drenched we attempted hitch hiking up to the top, but after several unsuccessful attempts we finally headed back down. So that was "lovely" Hobart for you. But i'm sure our opinion of the place doesn't do it justice. Our overall impression might be slightly biased, but can you blame us?

^Jill and I in Melbourne


^Kiera and I in the alley ways of Melbourne


^ A pair of kids playing on St. Kilda's beach


^ The sunset on St. Kildsa's Beach

Gold Coast

My first trip outside of my suburb was to the Gold Coast, Surfer's Paradise. If you haven't heard, Australia is known for sweet ass beaches, really good surf , strong rip currents and box jellyfish. And let me tell you its definitely better than the jersey shore (no hard feelings guys). For one there is no sharp shells/rocks where the waves crash, nor on the beach. Second there is no goopy eggs. Third the water is clear and super warm... it was like 27C... not sure how much that is in Fahrenheit so you can figure it out if you want. While down at the coast i enjoyed some good aussie steak, the waves, and went up on an observation deck... the world tallest residential building in fact... I hope you are as impressed as it sounds haha ;p


^Kris, Keira, and I at the steak house. A huge feast and then a swim.... erm yea


^ Surfers Paradise


^ the beach


^view from the observation deck