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| Sunset at Myella |
After break
(spring according to L&C, but it’s fall here) we attended a farm stay at a
place called Myella. It was
fantastic. There was plenty of good
food, we learned to milk cows, bottle fed calves, rode horses, watched the
sunset over the pasture, and played with the orphaned animals they were taking
care of. I absolutely fell in love with
the baby brushtail possum, Pefer (Pronounced P-fur, as in “P for Possum”). He was adorable and loved to scramble around
on people. They also had a kangaroo
joey, Princess Karen. Everyone wanted to
stay there longer. It was so much fun.
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| Pefer |
Next we went
to Carnarvon Gorge. The pockets of the
gorge shelter rainforest plants that have managed to survive in the small, cool
niches while the land around them dried out.
We went on some really lovely hikes (including a kinda crazy one up a
slot canyon) and hung out in the campground where the kangaroos and kookaburras
were frequent visitors. We had an
unplanned extension to our stay there.
Tropical cyclone Iris (category II) decided to interfere with our plans
to head to Mackay and then Brampton Island so we wound up spending an extra two
days at Carnarvon and then heading to Great Keppel Island.
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| One of a family of kookaburras that lived near our site |
Keppel was a
paradise. The seas were rough from the
hurricane so the ferry ride over there was like a rollercoaster, but the island
was covered in white, sandy beaches and palm trees. Because the ocean was so stirred up we
couldn’t do most of the activities we had scheduled so most of our time was
spent relaxing or playing in the ocean.
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| Sunset over Australia (view from Great Keppel Island) |
After
Keppel, we took an overnight train and then a short flight to Lady Elliot
Island. I cannot give enough praise to
Lady Elliot Island, step off the beach and you’re snorkeling in the Great
Barrier Reef. There are octopuses, all
kinds of rays, three species of sea turtle, eels, parrotfish, Christmas tree
worms, pufferfish, clownfish and anemones, sharks, cone snails, and tons of
other cool reef critters. The sea
turtles there have learned to use humans to clean their shell so occasionally
one will swim up to you and start rubbing itself on your legs. The place is practically magical. I got to watch baby sea turtles crawl into
the ocean at night while dime-sized bioluminescent jellyfish crashed in the
waves. If you ever get the chance to
study abroad, take it. Who knows what
you will see?
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| Lady Elliot Island from the air |
Alas, it is study abroad and so we did still have to
take finals. The difference is that
instead of studying in the library with tons of other students, we studied in
cabins up in the Bunya Mountains surrounded by wallabies, parrots, and the huge
Bunya pines. Our finals were held outside
on picnic benches in perfect weather.
It’s definitely the best way to take tests. Our program ended with a farewell dinner and
a packed slideshow in Brisbane. It feels
so weird that it’s over. Especially
since three of our group were seniors and we won’t be seeing them in classes
again. The group has really bonded and
we all have plans to meet up some time or another. This trip has been the best experience I have
had at L&C and I fully recommend everyone study abroad if they get the
chance.
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| The wallabies in the Bunya Mountains |
Any questions
about L&C or study abroad here? Send me an email at ameliaberle@lclark.edu.