About a week ago we met a couple named Marianne and Graeme in a town called1770. A few days ago we saw them again in Noosa Heads, where they lived. We started talking and they invited us to dinner at their house. We said we'd phone them because we were trying to contact the Steve Irwin Zoo to volunteer. Two days later the Zoo told us we had to be 16 or older to help and there were a lot of papers that needed to be filled so we decided it was out of the question. We arranged to meet Graeme and Marianne for dinner that night. We had a little trouble finding the address but we eventually found it and . . .
Two volunteers with two wild dolphins
A few days ago we went to Tin Can Bay to feed the dolphins. I read that the whole dolphin feeding thing started when some fishermen caught a dolphin in a net and injured it. The community then nursed and fed it for three months until it got better. When they set it out into the wild again, it came back for more food. They kept feeding it and soon the dolphins were travelling to motor boats and getting fish.
At Tin Can Bay they charge $5 for a fish and all the money goes to researh on the dolphins. Two dolphins come to a small beach at . . .
Here is our guide measuring the overall length of the turtles shell to record her growth
About a week ago we heard from an information center that it was turtle season. We`d come specifically for a laundry place and a pool. All over the i-site were posters of turtles. We got really interested and started reading them. November to January are when turtles come up onto a beach called Mon Repos (french for My Resting Place) to lay their eggs. January to Febuary is when the eggs hatch. Five dollars for a kid and ten for an adult to come and see the turtles lay their eggs! Totally worth it! Dad immediatly started to get into detail and soon we had already booked our place in Group 2. Before we had learned this we had almost wasted are money on some Australian Rum Tour but decided it was way too overpriced. I`m glad we didn`t waste our money on that. The rest of the day . . .
Here is an arial view of Lady Musgrave Island with the coral reef creating a lagoon.
Put on your hat, apply sunscreen, charge your camera and get ready to hit the reef! Yes, I said that. We went to the Great Barrier Reef!! Lady Musgrave Island was amazing. We heard about it in Gympie (a small town north of Brisbane) from an information centre. Lady Musgrave cruises have access to an island, a coral reef that surrounds the island and a lagoon all packed into one and it's totally worth the price. The cruise there took about an hour and a half. It was thrilling and the water was acquamarine. There was a moment when you couldn't see any land, only vast open ocean all the way around.
When we arrived we had "tea" and then . . .
Gena is an old friend that I met on Bowen Island at my school (BICS). She only stayed for three months but in those three months we developed a good friendship. When I heard that our world trip would cross over Australia, Gena came to mind. When we arrived at their house in Port MacQuarie, I was so happy to see her. We were there for dinner and caught up on each others lives. It was strange to see her, like a dream, but it was definitely real. The next day Gena stayed home from school while her Mom, Dad, Orion (her older brother) and Taron (her younger brother) went on with their daily business. My Dad, Birch, Gena and I went . . .
Today we went to the Australian Reptile Park, really it was a hands-on zoo. First, we went to the Spider World Display and watched a guy named Kyle milk a spider. They don't extract milk they actually extract venom.
He had a vaccuum tube and attached a narrow glass tube to the end of it and then he started poking a Fennel Web Spider in a plastic container with a stick. The poison came to the spider's fangs ready to bite and the man sucked up the venom into the tube. Afterward they ship all the venom that is collected to Melbourne to make anti-venom to help people that get these poisonous spider bites.
He also told us what to do if you ever get bitten by a venomous spider or . . .
Here we are on the Ferry to Manley Beach
It's been so long since I have blogged that I have almost forgotten it all. Long, long story, short:
We went to beaches, got to Canberra and went to the new parliament building and the war memorial, left for Sydney, met up with Mom's friend Jeff and his family in Sydney, explored alot of Sydney including the Opera house, went on a ferry to Manley Beach (All the stores names started with Manley ex: Manley Pharmacy), ate lots of candy, Mom left to go to Florida to see her Dad.
There are a few events that I would like . . .
After the koalas we started on the Great Ocean Road and headed for the Twelve Apostles - old and ancient rocks near the shore that have been carved away over time by wind and water - as tall as skyscrapers. We saw lots of great things and went to Thunder Cave and Loch Ard Gorge. My favourite place were the Twelve Apostles (turns out there are only six). On the look-out we could see all over. You could see the waves crashing against the limestone and slowly carving it out. We walked down . . .
We arrived in Australia! The first day was somewhat uneventful. We rented our caravan, found out what to do the next day and walked around the city for about three hours. Birch bought a boomerang! It's really cool!
The next day we set off on our journey. We heard from someone about a kangaroo golf course. The kangaroos live on the golf course and you can go see them, but you're not allowed on the turf. I think it was Birch who spotted the first group. They were eating, but too far off to get a good look. We parked in the parking lot and Dad saw a joey and its mama on a patch of grass that wasn't technically on the golf course. We grabbed our . . .
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