EM?S TRIP TO AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA, MARCH 8 - APRIL 12, 2007

Since I am about 6 or 7 weeks behind, my itinerary will be shortened. In exactly 5 weeks, I traveled in 5 states (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmanian, and South Australia). I?ll have to save the outback and the west coast until next time!

March 8, 2007, Flight from Christchurch , NZ to Brisbane, Austalia BrisbaneBotanic Gardens

-Amazing birds and tropical plant and palm species

-The heat amazed me! I?ve never been in such a sub-tropical place where there is barely any humidity, it was just so hot!

Aboriginal art sessions and art gallery

-tried plating a boomerang in aboriginal dot art form

Queensland Museum

-Aboriginals

-aboriginal camps on edge of town and would have a curfew

-many were removed to reserves, killed in masses and introduced to the ?white mans diseases?

-wages that the aboriginals made were held in trust by the government. They had to ask permission to withdraw and often the government used the money

-like Native Americans, they were separated from family and forced to speak English

-children were sent to orphanages, asylums and usually were sexually exploited

Fraser Island tour- longest and largest sand dune island in the world. The only way to get around the island is by a safari type vehicle with 4WD (and a snorkel on the truck). I was on a tour with a Canadian couple, a Swedish couple (uni professors) and six French guys studying English in Oz. (quite a mixture to say the least). Even though you are on an island, surrounded by the ocean, swimming is prohibited because of the rips and the bull sharks. These sharks are very aggressive and hunt in packs. They enjoy areas of the island where freshwater creeks meet the ocean. Therefore, they come in very close to shore. We did however find some beautiful lakes on the island to swim in. One in particular, where we had to hike along a sand dune, looked like snow because the sand was so white. Each year this lake decreases in size because of the blowing sand. We had a traditional Aussie meal (veggie pie, pumpkin, potato, and sweet potatoes, and heaps of meat (I opted out)). That evening we watched the French guys get drunk and sing their national anthem in the pool?. over and over again.Animals we saw on the island

-leopard mantras

-dingoes, most pure bred dog in the world (it was mating season so we had to watch we didn?t get stalked)

-dolphins

-goanna lizards

-big spiders, one snake

Bus from Brisbane to Byron Bay (past Gold Coast and Surfer?s paradise ? too touristy for me, sort of like Cancun)

-stayed at the only hostel during the whole trip which was comparable to the nice hostels in NZ (of course for about $10 more on average a night)

-enjoyed the beach and warm ocean swimming!

-walked to the most Easterly point of Australia and watched amazing surfers along the way. Lots of lizards!

Day tour to Nimbin

-went to the biggest hippie town I?ve ever seen! A big group of hippies from the Sydney area came to Nimbin for the Aquarius festival in 1973. They moved here because of the laidback farming lifestyle (non-commercial) and the good volcanic soil for growing their weed. After we looked around town we went to an area that basically was one of the first large movements of activism in the rainforest. We stopped at a waterfall before ending the hike.

Overnight train from Byron Bay to Sydney

-Stayed with a camp friend (Simpresca) in Sydney (Tana who was in ORPT and is doing her Master?s in International Development at the Uni of New South Wales)

- took a ferry to Mainly where I had a good view of the Sydney Opera house

-tried gelato for my first time- watch out Italy, here I come.

Blue Mountain Day tour with Tana

-Featherdale Wildlife park

-50 million kangaroos in Oz

-beautiful landscapes of Three sister, and blue mountains.

-walked through a rainforest a saw a bird named a liar that can mimic any bird.

-took a vertical train ride up the Blue Mountains!

Catamaran back to ?the rocks? as we saw some of the Olympic facilities

Macbeth at the Sydney Opera House (yes! I could afford to see something there)

St. Patty?s Day ? celebrated downtown Sydney

Participated in the Harbour bride 75th anniversary walk Tour of the opera houseSome facts: -contest for design won by Danish architect-102 million in cost when they only budgeted 7 million-finished in 1973, taking over 14 years to build-over one million tiles used on the outside of the building, some are white and some are cream coloured so the building doesn?t reflect in the sun too much-orchestra, ballet, operas and plays - enormous building     Train from Sydney to Wollongong-Visited a friend from uni (Scotty, who lived next to me in rez.), who is attending teacher?s college there.Train from Wollongong to Melbourne-aboriginal art tour ? learned about symbols the aboriginals used in their art work. They were bioregional mappers long before we thought of the concept-botanic gardens-marketMarch 22, 2007, Flight from Melbourne to Launceston, TasmaniaStats: size of Ireland Total population 480 000One National Park measures the size of Switzerland19 Naitonal Parks in totalCity of Launceston (80,000)-walked to Cataract Gorge. Very strange that at the end of the gorge there was a cable chair lift, a shop, café and an Olympic size swimming pool.Under Down Under 7 day Ecotour (Unfortunately most of this trip I had a bad cold)-Cradle mtn. hike (in the rain). World heritage site-3rd hike to Montezuma falls (tallest waterfall in tz.)-Henty Dunes- incredible view of the longest stretch of ocean beach in the world. 30 mt. high dunes-sunset on a beach while watching Mutton birds come in to feed young. (these birds migrate all the way from Russia without stopping on shore)-Nelson falls, Lake St. Claire (Australians deepest lake), tall trees walk, Russell FallsFree day in HobartSome facts:Second oldest city in AUSPop of 200,000Capital of Taz-boat tour around the harbour, Cadbury chocolate factory.Port Arthur-learned about the penal colony started in 1830s-Port Arthur was for repeat offenders(many interesting stories I?ll have to tell you in person)Tasman Arch. Devils kitchen, remarkable caves and blowholes (landscapes)From Ross to Lauceston-female factory remains -went to wildlife reserve where we saw Tassie Devils feeding. They have a special digestive tract that allows them to eat the bones and fur of small animals. They are nocturnal and are endemic to Taz (extinct from mainland b/c of Dingoes) but many are suffering from a disease. The last day of our tour we went on a few more lovely walks -lavandar farm-Launceston Museum and art galleryMarch 31, 2007, Flight back to Melbourne, AustraliaTour of Great Ocean Road and Grampian Mountain Range Tour ( 3 days).Stop 1: Torquay- billabong and ripcurl originated here, and you can tell. You are bombared with overpriced surf apparel (ripcurl made over 300 million in Oz last year)-Bell Beach is a famous surf beach-Great White Shark attack at Christmas timeGreat Ocean Facts:-construction began in 1917 to link South Australia with the East. -after war - jobs for men.-550 km total-surf section and shipwreck coast (much more stunning)Stop 2: Saw loads of Koalas, Mountain Ash trees (2nd largest in the world). Anyone know the tallest? We walked in the forest on a still framed walkway (5 ½ million $ to build)Stop 3: 12 Apostles (most visited place in Aus. 2.5 million visitors a year)-National Marine Park-not actually 12 columns anymore (may have been when renamed from ?the piglets?)-erosion occurs at a rate of 4 cm. a year-8 columns are left-one column fell 18 months agoStop 4: Loch Ard Gorge (cave, cemetery and island location of a ship wreck-heard the beautiful true love story about the survivors of the wreck.Stop 5, 6, 7, 8. The archesLondon bridge- 1990 part of it collapsed- may have had something to do with a person trying to go through the arch with a helicopter!Bay of Martyr?s ? 2 shipwrecks, aboriginal massacre thereBay of Islands  GrampiansSome facts: large bushfire in 2006-many of the grasses and Eucalpt have new growth already, because of adaptive strategies they have against fire, however the fires are getting hotter because aboriginals no longer have planned burns.-Saw "mobs" (a group of Kangaroos) on our way to wilderness lodge from the aboriginal cultural centre -harvest moon.Mackenie Falls walk and Hollow Mountain hike-saw emus, koalas, kangaroos, possums.Adelaide (population 1.2 million)-South Australia, driest state, driest country in the world-Botenic gardens, Aboriginal Cultural centreKangaroo Island Tour ( 2 days)Population (4,000)Some facts:-3rd largest island in AusStop 1: Climbed Flinder Mtn. (only 90 m- tallest hill). Matthew Flinders founded the Island in 1802.Stop 2: Emu Ridge- where Emu oil is made (oil is most similar to human?s oil)Stop 3: Seal Bay- with our guide, we got to watch sea lions fight and play in the water.Stop 4: Little Sahar- sand boarding!Stop5: The Remarkables- amazing rocks on a larger rock on the ocean with the sun setting. Rocks are eroding quickly in geological times.Stop 6: Admiral Arch- saw NZ and Australian Fur sealsStop 7: Our tour was taken to a rustic famhouse in the middle of nowhere. - had Campfire and slept out in a swag to watch the stars that night and the sun rise with Wallabies jumping around in the foreground. I didn?t even have to move from my swag to see the most magnificent sunrise I?ve ever seen, over the barren land of Aus.Stop 8: Desserted beachStop 9: CavingEaster Sunday -our guide set up an Easter egg hunt in the woods for us-left KI on a Chartered fishing boat in the sunset, to see dolpins.Adelaide to Melbourne (11 hour bus ride) Overnight at a hostel before catching flight back to NZApril 12, 2007 - Flight from Melbourne back to Christchurch, NZ.