While I just finished a wildly exciting 2-day vacation in Sydney, I’d like this blog to focus on why I’m really in Australia–my time studying abroad. I may make a separate post for Sydney later, but for now I’d like to tell you all about the start of my time in Cairns.
To start off, Cairns is a small city in Northern Queensland well known for being the “adventure capital” of Australia, mostly due to its close location to the rainforest and Great Barrier Reef. Flying into the airport near the coast, I saw beautiful views of both the ocean and rolling green hills covered in forest. Shortly after landing at the airport, we met up with the rest of the group and took a taxi through the town to the hostel, passing by mangrove thickets and lively streets on the way.
The Cairns airport, right by mangroves & the sea.
Once at the hostel, we put our stuff in our 5-person dorm rooms and took a dip in the pool. We then met Tony, the Academic Director for the program, who gave us the run down and handed out our field equipment. We were then free the rest of the day to explore the town! While exploring Cairns, we discovered countless bars and restaurants along the Esplanade, a beachfront promenade and outdoor water park right by the sea. I am very excited to experience more of this touristy town!
The first full day in Cairns began with a pleasant walk through Mount Whitfield, a hiking trail near a lovely botanical garden. Right off the bat we ran into a pademelon, a small marsupial! This wallaby-like animal, the first I’ve seen in Australia, hopped around for a bit then went off into the brush.
Red-legged Pademelon, Thylogale stigmatica
On the hike we also saw wild turkeys, brushfowl, kingfishers, and bee-eaters! We heard the calls of yellow orioles, which sounded a lot like the Oropendolas of South America.
A rainbow bee-eater, Merops ornatus, looking for a tasty bee to eat.
Already we learned so much about the forest and landscape. We examined (and some even tasted!) green ants, which build complex nests out of leaves.
The green ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, which exudes a stingy-tasting substance on its skin
Green ants wove this nest!
To finish the walk we had a tropical brunch in the botanical garden, where Rachel, the homestay coordinator, presented us with an array of delicious tropical fruits!
We are already beginning preparations for the semester and Independent Study Project, and I am very excited for what this semester holds!
Krauss-ing The World 