Back to Cairns! It was wonderful to have the opportunity to see the other side of Australia by living in Perth. The dry scrub forests and unique wildlife differed from the flora and fauna in the tropics. I got to experience what it was like to live in a big city on the other side of the world, taking advantage of all the cultural events and international foods. I even got to check out the small bar scene a bit, with the Northbridge district offering “hidden” bars and speakeasies down secluded alleyways. My project also gave me the chance to study something new, focusing on animal behavior at a zoo!

In between writing up my final report and working on a presentation, I made sure to spend plenty of time visiting my favorite zoo exhibits, especially the koalas and echidnas. Unfortunately, the quokka exhibit was temporarily closed, but that didn’t stop me from going to see them on the one place where there is a stable population: Rottnest island.

A quokka and her joey!

There are about 14,000 quokkas, small rodent-like marsupials, currently residing on the island. Though there are still some on the mainland, predators like introduced foxes and cats have driven them to the island. It was a privilege to visit the quokkas in the wild; however, I was shocked by how accustomed to tourists they were. I knew they were friendly, but they would come out from the bush and approach me out of curiosity.

A very friendly quokka joey in the bush!

Oftentimes, several more would come out from the shade and run over to me as well. Most would hop away after a few moments and continue about their business browsing in the shade, but the ones near the main settlement would harass me, searching for food. It is clear that the tourists feed them here despite the threat of a hefty fine. But away from the settlement, most quokkas were curious but still cautious.

Down the path from the settlement are several pink, salt lakes. The lakes are pink due to a bacteria, Dunaliella salina, that grows on the salt rocks. The lakes are filled with pink brine shrimp, which are a favorite snack of the water birds like the endangered fairy terns I spotted nesting along the lake. It was awesome to see a lake that was actually pink!

Endangered fairy terns setting up breeding grounds in a prime location, filled with tasty pink brine shrimp to snack on.

Along this path I spotted a duggite, a very venomous snake, slither across the paved road. I probably should have been more freaked out, but luckily I had my zoom lens so I could get a good picture without getting too close. Further up the path was a lighthouse with a nice lookout, where I could see the Perth CBD off in the distance. The island is pretty flat, as I could look out and see almost all of it from a pretty low height.

A duggite darting across the rocks

In addition to spotting a couple more quokkas under the dry brush, several sea eagles were flying overhead. I also spotted some type of kestrel flying near the lakes, in addition to a bunch of other waterfowl enjoying the lake. The trail led up to the coastline, marked with beautiful white sand beaches and crystal blue waters.

One of the many beautiful views along the coastline of Rottnest island.

The hike down the coast was stunning, with views of the Indian ocean complementing the rocky cliffs. I dipped my feet in at a beach called The Basin, which had a shallow platform that dropped off into a pool-sized hole. It was chilly so I didn’t stay long, but the beach was a great way to cool off after a long hike. Next, I caught a bus that took me to the other side of the island, where there were beautiful cliffs and hardy vegetation. There were several giant skinks that were over a foot long climbing around in the bushes.

The wildflowers and awesome rocky coast at the West end of the island. Many birds were nesting in these cliffs.

The bus ride then took me back along the beautiful coastline, passing by beaches and shipwrecks from long ago. I spent the rest of my time taking pictures of the quokkas around the settlement, then took the last ferry back to town. It was a wonderful way to see some wildlife outside the city.

I couldn’t get enough of the island life, so the next week I took a ferry out to Penguin Island for my last day in Perth. This island has a bunch of different waterfowl and, you guessed it, Little Penguins! Also called Fairy penguins, this island claims to house the largest settlement of the world’s smallest penguin. Right away, I saw a couple huddled together underneath the boardwalk, keeping out of sight from predators in the shade. Though most of the penguins were out at sea feeding, there were still plenty of terns and gulls swarming the beaches. A lot of them were nesting in the intricate limestone caves and formations that lined the coasts. I took a break searching for penguins and had a picnic lunch on a stool-shaped limestone formation, enjoying the view and the company of the waterfowl.

A bridled tern nesting in the limestone rocks

The island also had a sandbar, so I could walk pretty far out and the water was no deeper than my knees. On the way back to the main boardwalk, I saw a little penguin standing underneath the stairs down to the beach. The tiny penguin waddled a bit over to the edge of the shade, then sat down to have a nap. I took a tremendous amount of joy from watching such small movements. Compared to seeing them huddled in the shade of rocks in my favorite exhibit at the Perth Zoo, it was much more meaningful to see one in the wild.

No caption needed.

Now it is time to say goodbye to Perth. Back in Cairns, I’ll finish presenting my findings to the group, and just like that my study abroad program will be over! While it seems like ages ago we were going through Orientation week and seeing the Queensland tropics for the first time, I also can’t believe where the time has gone and wish it lasted longer! But I am very excited for all of the travels that December will bring.

It’s been different settling down into a routine after many months on-the-go. I wake up in the mornings and head over to the marmoset exhibits, where I take observations on the behavior of a Common Marmoset mixed in with a group of pygmy marmosets. I’m comparing them with a breeding group of pygmy marmosets, sort of like a “control,” to make sure the others are getting along. I’m also keeping an eye on an Emperor Tamarin in an exhibit by himself and looking out for any visitors feeding the monkeys. I spend my afternoons after lunch doing research and working on my paper, or I visit my favorite exhibits around the zoo. Kicking it with kangaroos and going to see the little penguin exhibits after working all morning are some of the perks of living at the zoo. They certainly compensate for some of the less pleasant aspects of living at the zoo like the sounds of animals calling early in the morning and common brushtail possums creeping eerily through the bushes late at night.

My day is always made by heading over to The Little Penguin exhibit and watching these guys float on the surface.

In my free time on the weekends, I’ve tried my best to avoid isolation by exploring the area around the most isolated city in the world (the closest city is Adelaide, at over 2000km away!). I took a stroll to King’s Park where the beautiful botanic gardens, sorted into categories by regional plants, overlook the beautiful city skyline. The next day I took the train to the town of Fremantle, where historic colonial buildings have been converted into a bustling market of diverse crafts and foods. Near the harbor was the Little Creature’s brewery, where I was lucky to try a free sample platter of their craft beers.

View of the Perth skyline from the Botanical Gardens!

I think my favorite thing about Perth is all of the different festivals around the city. From arts and crafts markets, food stalls from everywhere between Colombia and Japan, and live music bands, these events that pop up on the weekends are always worth checking out. Witnessing the 25^th Pride festival was also an experience, with colorful characters lining the main streets of Perth. I arrived too early to attend a Thai Full Moon Festival this weekend, but I happened to be close to Heirisson island, so I killed a few hours walking around the island in the Swan River, watching the waterfowl and meeting some very friendly kangaroos! On my way back from the island, I ran into another international festival! In addition to the delicious food, I also got to pet an echidna at a stall advertising a wildlife rehabilitation center.

The spines of the echidna felt so cool to touch! It also waddled about in the most adorable way.

This weekend, I visited the Indian Ocean for the first time, swimming in the crystal clear waters of Cottesloe beach. It was really cool being able to walk in the water and see the fish swimming around, just like on Lizard Island. Every time the waves broke, just for a second a portal into an undersea world opened, offering clear views of the algae swaying in the current.

The beautiful blue Indian Ocean!

After observing the little marmosets for 2-weeks, it’s now time for me to begin writing my final paper. Although this has been a great opportunity to learn a little about animal behavior, I think the most learning I’m doing involves living independently. This month is my first time living pretty much on my own, cooking every meal for myself and basically being a real adult. Although if anything goes wrong I have my advisor to turn to. But learning life skills like planning meals, hand-washing clothes, and how to cook chicken have been a challenge, but also surprisingly rewarding. It’ll be nice to go back home and actually be able to know I could take care of myself if I needed to.

As most of you know, I have recently embarked on the Independent Study Project course of my study abroad program, where I am working as a research intern at the Perth Zoo. I am looking at several primate exhibits, observing the behavior of a group of marmosets. I’m really excited to spend my days watching the monkeys and collecting data over the next couple weeks! In the meantime, I’ve just been doing background research and meeting with zookeepers in order to get a better idea of how I’m going to collect the data.

So THAT’S where Joeys come from…

Life at the zoo is pretty nice! Waking up in the morning to the sound of howling monkeys, saying hello to our closest neighbor, a group of Sumatran Orangutans, and stopping by the kangaroo exhibit after working keeps things a little more interesting. Just the other day, I caught a couple of kangaroos in the act of making a baby joey, which you definitely do not see everyday! I live in a small house on the zoo grounds, which provides easy access to the exhibits, and it is fully equipped with everything you could imagine. The best part is that it’s all provided for by the zoo! The only tricky thing is getting in and out; I have to swipe in through an entry gate using my zoo ID badge. But I feel super cool wearing an ID badge around the zoo!

View over the harbor from the tallest building in Perth! If you look carefully, you can see the Indian Ocean in the distance.

The zoo is in a pretty prime location as well, with easy access to a supermarket down the road, and downtown is just a ferry ride away across the river. It is such a change living in the big city! Although there isn’t much to do during the workweek, the city comes alive once Friday night comes around. There are so many events, markets, and festivals going on every weekend. Just last weekend, there was a Diwali celebration, an international food market, and an open house—where prominent buildings in the city opened their doors for tours to visitors. I got to go up to the top floor of the tallest building in Perth and take in all of the places I have yet to explore. This was an excellent introduction to the city, as I got to walk around downtown and familiarize myself with the area.

Perth is a pretty hip city, with street art lining the brick walls of alleys and a strong international presence. There are plenty of art venues and galleries around as well. One thing I really like is the use of building space. A lot of the century-old buildings have been refurbished and new shops are making use of the interior. I walked past an old factory that supported a barbershop, café, and clothing store all in the same space! I really appreciate the diversity of foods available here as well, since I was able to have authentic Colombian food the other night and engage in what was probably my first conversation in Spanish since I’ve been in the country. Overall, I am very excited to continue exploring what Perth has to offer on the weekends!

Perth, the most isolated city in the world.

The view from the top of Cook’s Look, the highest point on the island!

Scaling the side of the mountain on the island, I look out over the boats and yachts floating below on Watson’s Bay. The morning mist is still thick, but a trickle of light from sunrise peaks out over the smaller islands surrounding Lizard. Seeing all the different reefs we explored over the past 10 days from the top of the mountain puts it all in perspective. Though many of the mornings and some afternoons were spent at Watson’s bay looking at fish behavior for a field project, we took the boats out to explore many of the reefs surrounding the island every day.

Even though the island was recently hit with multiple cyclones and was left pretty decimated, there were still areas of pretty high live coral cover that offered some spectacular sights and unimaginable colours; bright blue, purple mixed in with fluorescent green, and dashes of red colored the reef.

A white-tipped reef shark swimming over a brightly decorated patch reef.

Every day I spotted some amazing creatures around the reef. Finding octopi and watching them morph colours as they scurry across the reef is simply breathtaking. Snorkeling overhead and seeing fat white-tipped and grey sharks below can be humbling for anyone. Swimming alongside a hawksbill sea turtle as it scans the seafloor for food can only be described as magical. Just picking up sea cucumbers and stars, poking giant clams and Christmas-tree worms that would immediately retract, and chasing after pretty fish connected me to my inner child. The beautiful nudibranchs, also known as sea slugs, spark my curiosity and are fascinating to watch move about the coral rubble. The reef definitely has a special place in my heart.

A hawksbill sea turtle!

This is a nudibranch.

A startled octopus, morphing from camouflauge to red.

Though it wasn’t just fun and games all the time. In terms of field studies, I’ve really learned so much about studying life on the reef. Vanessa’s lectures after lunch taught me so much about the Great Barrier Reef and its threats. Practicing a number of sampling methods on the fish behavior project, surveying goatfish and monitoring their behavior, and IDing all sorts of life forms kept us busy most mornings.

It was a ton of fun being able to follow fish all morning and having it count for class. However taking field observations day-in and day-out is downright exhausting, and I probably couldn’t keep up getting in the water every day for any longer than on occasion.

Snorkel, lunch, snorkel, dinner became the mantra for the trip, and many of the days began to blur together. Living on the island also came with its own set of challenges. Taking after scraped feet to prevent infection and devoting several evenings to cooking and cleaning for the group took away from the “island paradise” feel. But at the end of the day, watching the sun set over the ocean on a beautiful beach, occasional sea turtles swimming by, melts all the worries away. I feel so lucky that I can have these experiences as a part of my studies.

Back to Civilization! I just returned from a week-long camping trip in the outback, or “the bush” as it’s called here. We left all electronics behind, and we weren’t allowed watches as a reminder to live in the moment while camping. This was probably the hardest part of the trip, but definitely the most rewarding, as I was better able to appreciate the days by taking it easy and avoiding the stresses of having a strict schedule. I felt like I was better able to take in my experiences and learn more because of this. Now this was far from the most hardcore bush experience (we were just a short drive away from restrooms), but it was a great opportunity to get back to basics and just enjoy being out in nature.

Our campsite! Photo credit: Kathryn Grazioso

Uncle Russell Butler, an aboriginal elder, spearheaded the camping trip. He provided many wonderful ways of learning about his rich culture, sharing with us stories and knowledge that have been passed down for countless generations. I honestly don’t think I’ve had any more respect for one man. Among his stories and traditions were heartbreaking anecdotes on the racial injustices he and others like him have had to face, but he still always had a cheery disposition and a twinkle in his eye at the end of the day despite all of the undeserved hardship. I’ve learned so much from him, from how to start a fire and throw a boomerang to uses of local plants. For example, he showed us how you can grind up the leaves of a Malaleuka tree to clear up congestion. Taking a huff of the crushed leaves was just like inhaling Vicks! Putting the plants to use in a different way has definitely made me more appreciative of the insane variety of plants and how they can benefit us. Though I am by no means an expert on aboriginal land use and all of the racial issues Traditional owners face, it was a powerful experience just getting a snippet of insight on these important topics from Uncle Russ.

His adult son, Daren, also accompanied us on the trip. He was a lot of fun to be around as well, and he offered a different perspective on a lot of issues. For instance, when discussing hunting sea turtles, Uncle Russ advocated for a more conservative approach in order to allow populations to recover, but Daren felt that there were enough sea turtles around to keep on hunting this age-old source of food. It was humorous at times when Uncle Russ would call out Daren for any mistakes he made; Uncle Russ felt it important to do so since Daren will one day take over as an elder.

Most mornings of the camping trip Uncle Russ would lead a session on traditional crafting, such as painting boomerang and beading necklaces, or skills like stone knapping. Then in our free time we could fish, read, or practice using boomerangs and wamaras, which are sort of like javelins thrown with a stick. Though I only really improved my boomerang skills, it was a lot of fun working on these hunting activities without any real pressure to perform, since if we weren’t any good we could simply get food from the cooler and prepare a meal on our gas grill. Someone on the trip did manage to bring back a fish to be cooked on the campfire, which was pretty impressive.

In the evenings after dinner and tea, Uncle Russ would share Dreamtime stories. Gathered around the fire, he would recite ageless folk tales of rainbow serpents and forest sprites, giving explanations for why the world is as it is and instilling a healthy respect for the environment. His stories show the intense relationship between people and the environment. All of the huge flying foxes and birds flying above, the sugar gliders and possums in the trees, wallabies and bettongs (rat-like marsupials) bounding around the area, serve as a reminder that we are a part of a complex world and strongly connected to the environment. Uncle Russ and Daren understand this connection very well, and it is simply inspiring.

Before I begin my month of fieldwork and learning in the reef and rainforest, I would like to take some time to reflect on life in Cairns. These past two weeks I have been living on homestay with a lovely family in a suburb called Freshwater. Going to class in town, working on projects, and occasional family trips around Cairns characterize what I’ve been up to pretty well.

I’ve really enjoyed seeing a different side of life in Australia. I am lucky enough to have had a homestay family that has opened up and shared their perspectives on politics, the environment, and daily life. Though I am still getting used to the accents, and there are occasional miscommunications, I feel very well situated in this family. I’m staying in my own cozy bungalow, which has been a luxury compared to two weeks sleeping in hostel bunkbeds. However, I do get my fair share of roommates; geckos decorate the walls, and just last week a brown huntsman spider found its way into my shower!

My bungalow, AKA the “rave cave,” where I’ve been staying the past 2 weeks.

An unexpected overnight guest

Though I wouldn’t say I’m a local just yet. I’m still getting used to walking on the left side of the road, seeing swarms of flying foxes at sunrise and sunset, and dealing with brash bus drivers. I’ve really enjoyed exploring local cafes and pubs (especially ones with free wifi to do classwork) and seeing what this town has to offer. The best part about Cairns is that there is so much to do nearby! Just in the past two weeks my homestay family has taken me to the beautiful northern beaches and Copperlode dam.

The view of Cairns from nearby Copperlode dam, which supplies all of the water for the Cairns area.

Walking the dogs along Ellis beach.

We also went to Bramston beach to have lunch with some old friends of my host family. These friends were wildlife rescuers, so they had cockatoos, parrots, horses, and peacocks around the house. Seeing their house out in the forest left me standing starry eyed, until one of the oh-so-friendly peacocks just decided to attack me while my back was turned. I wasn’t too happy with the place after that. But I put a couple bandages on the scratches left by the peacock and even got to take back some delicious duck eggs for breakfast, so all was well.

Never trust a peacock.

On the way to Bramston beach, we passed by a pyramidal mountain. I mentioned to my host-sister, Alexis, that it would be fun to hike up it. We made plans, and all of a sudden we were hiking up Walsh’s pyramid in Wooroonooran National Park on Thursday morning. Though it was probably the steepest and longest hike I’ve done to date, I will never forget the amazing feeling of satisfaction making it to the top. The view didn’t hurt either. Wildlife was rampant on the mountain, with skinks scurrying about every couple feet, hawks soaring overhead, and we even saw a goanna on the way back!

This 1m long Goanna crossed our path on the way down the mountain

But throughout all of the exciting trips, I’ve really savored the slow moments the most. Coming back from a long day of lectures, enjoying a beer with the host family, watching Australian Rules Football (Go Sydney Swans!), and talking about all sorts of different topics really have defined this experience for me.