Maggie Island and Some Notorious Aussie Wildife

Aussie term of the day…

            “Biscuits and Scones” - Remember that whole lemonade / solo / lift thing that I mentioned a while back?  Well here’s another one for you.  Let’s see if I get this right… Their biscuits are our cookies, their scones are our biscuits, and our scones are their biscuits.  What the heck?! So needless to say, this has become a source of poking fun the past week. “I’m just gonna sit here and eat my COOKIE with milk.”“Wouldn’t it be nice to have a scone for breakfast? Oh wait, you guys don’t HAVE any!” But seriously, I’m gonna have to make them American scones sometime soon and introduce them to that breafasty goodness.

Morning fog over Mount Stuart on the way to uni

            Aside from having coffee on campus a couple times, I can’t say I had really gotten a good induction into some of the common student cuisine on campus, until this week.  I’ll give you some advice and say that the Miss Sushi place has probably the best Vanilla Lattés around (I know, sushi and coffee, but trust me on this) and they also have some pretty good sushi I might add.  Friday’s tend to be Free Upgrade Fridays on coffees which is fantastic! The Juliette’s gelato place in the library usually has an amazing selection (I would personally recommend Ferrero and Caramel Fudge), though I would warn you that that building often feels like Antarctica.  It seems almost a waste of energy to use enough air-con to give the massive building a feel like you’re in the center of the polar ice cap in contrast to the outside world but maybe the method to the madness there it to help keep students awake while studying…

 

Skink on campus.

            Also, every Tuesday and Thursday the Rock, Paper, Scissors shop downtown usually has $5 fish n’ chips.  Bec, Blessing and I made a dinner out of it this past Thursday in fact! Very lemony though I might add.

            Aside from enlightenment in food cuisine, I got to go to Magnetic Island (i.e. Maggie Island in typical Aussie shortening style of course) this weekend! 

See ya' in a bit Townsville!

Takin' the ferry over to Maggie Island

            That was way fun and really very pretty.  The weather was pretty darn warm so I guess it was a good day to go swimming!  Which we did for the first time OUTSIDE of a stinger net… Just a little unsettling after the umpteen serious talks we have been getting about NOT going into the water without a stinger net.  Of course there would be this one little cove where the jellies mysteriously wouldn’t be found for some reason.  Cause that makes sense.

 

And we didn't die!

Arcadia Beach, the mysteriously jelly fish free cove.

            We all got day passes to the bus for the day and hop-skipped around Maggie to several beaches around the island.  

Horseshoe Bay

Picnic Bay

Under the pier at Picnic Bay

             At one beach, Picnic Bay, a group of about 8 of us took off from the rest of the gang to take a hike up the mountain to a lookout of some Maggie Island coastline. I think roundtrip it took us about an hour and it was quite hot for the most of it.  But I can’t complain, at least I wasn’t one of the people in that marathon they had going on.  Those people had to run in it. 

Most of the group aside from the other Julia who was taking the picture.

            Completely off topic here, but I have been wearing flip flops (i.e. “thongs”) here so much that I am getting calluses between my big toe and the one next to it…

            Back on track. The hike was a bit of a fun rock scramble and the look outs were breathtaking!

 

Picnic Bay from the lookout

            Other than seeing some absolutely gorgeous scenery and hanging out with some pretty fun people, I also got to see some pretty cool wildlife.  Of course there were some cool birds I saw flying around but this one in particular caught my eye as we passed by it while riding the bus. I can’t seem to figure out what it was but it was mostly black, about the size of a bush turkey, and had bright blue, iridescent feathers on its chest and a red head and crown.  I do know that it wasn’t a cassowary, that is certain.  Speaking of which, from what I have heard, those things are nasty.  Don’t get in a fight with one of those.  You will lose. And speaking of dangerous animals, I got to learn a bit about a notorious one this past week. 

            If you haven’t heard about drop bears yet, let me enlighten you with a helping of study inspired knowledge. Scientifically they are called the Thylarctos plummentus, and they became a protected species in 1968 after populations were decimated and drove almost to extinction by overhunting for the fur trade and their teeth. They are a marsupial with a remarkable likeness to a koala in appearance though there are some studies that show they are more closely related to predators like the Tasmania tiger and the Tasmanian devil.  They are carnivorous and live in treetops, choosing the “sit-and-wait” hunting technique and waiting for prey to walk below them before dropping several feet from the trees height and on to their unsuspecting prey.  They don’t normally go after humans, though if sufficiently spooked and given ample opportunity they will.  They are relatively dangerous, like the cassowary and a good number of other animals here, so it is not recommended to give them any cause for coming after you.  Like you normally would when hiking out in Australia, always keep an eye on your surroundings and know what’s around you!

            An old bushman’s trick for deterring drop bears when hiking in an area you know they are present, is putting on a little Vegemite. Weird, I know, but it works kind of like mosquito repellent does for mosquitoes. It’s said they have a strong aversion to the smell. There are some conflicting views as to its effectiveness but I would say it’s always worth a try just to be on the safe side!

            On a slightly lighter note, I got to see a bunch of rock wallabies! There was a whole group of them on Maggie Island on a rock peninsula our group walked out to while waiting for the 6:45 ferry back to the mainland.  

Nelly Bay and the ferry terminal around sunset

e

Rock Wallaby!

            AND I got to see my first Joey in the pouch today too! It was so cute!

A Bucket Load of Awesome and... is That Fountain Orange?

Aussie term of the day...

“Astraya” – Sometimes simply “Straya,” is how they pronounce Australia. Like I said, they shorten EVERYTHING. Afternoon; arvo, biscuit: bickie, mosquito; mossie, Tasmania: Tassie, football; footy... You get the idea.

            So yeah, just so you know, we partied hard on Friday.  And by that I mean we did a bucket load of awesome. Let’s see, to start it off us gals decided that while the three boys were gone for the evening we would get our workout on with some Zumba.  We pulled the blinds on all the windows, shoved all the furniture aside and proceeded to try desperately to follow the insanely fast and rehearsed movements of the instructors on the screen.  There was so much laughing that went along with it. It was so ridiculous! It eventually ended in us just throwing out the choreographed moves all together and making up our own moves on the spot. This might now be a weekly Friday night occurrence… 

            Next, Shane dropped in and he, Michelle, and I proceeded to bake the biggest batch of Apple Cinnamon muffins known to mankind.  We deduced then that assuming a double batch right off the bat may not always the best idea in the world… We used all the regular sized muffin tins we had, then all the tiny “muffin vitamin” tins and finally had to reduce to using the bread pan and making an Apple Cinnamon loaf.  Apple Cinnamon things for days!

Just a sampling of all we baked.  Some of them were already
 consumed and there was still that loaf of it in the oven!

            Oooh! Oooh! AND I got to get a photo opp with a gecko! That was fun… for me at least.  I’m not quite sure what the little guy thought but he certainly seemed excitable enough, sailing off my hand, running up the length of my torso, up and over my shoulder, and down my back before running back up where I once more acquired him in my hands.  That was awesome!

            I got to do a bit more exploring of Townsville on Saturday, getting together with the other Julia and going for a bit of a trek. We didn’t really have a plan, just got in the car and said “Let’s go somewhere!” First, we went out towards Pallarenda and found our way to the Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park. We did a little hiking around there for a bit before heading back to the car for some heat and mossie relief. It was gorgeous there I must say! They had a number of beaches scattered around but they are nothing like you would stereotypically think of an Aussie beach; red sand and rocks. 

           The scenery there was simply to die for!

            There were a number of run down military outpost ruins up the mountain from back during WWII when there was fear of the war coming to Australia.  Though it didn’t get that far in, they were still gearing up for it! We talked about going back there sometime before I head out but we will certainly be more dressed for the occasion and take mossie repellent next time!

            We found a conservation park down the way, the Townsville Town Common Conservation Park, which will be an awesome place to go back to for some exploration some time later on.  Again, we weren’t super keen on hiking in the heat that the day was displaying, and did a quick tour before deciding “Yep, that’s nature!” and heading in towards town.

            At one point while driving through town past the Anzac Memorial Park, I pointed off towards the big fountain and commented “Is that…? Is the water orange??” In case you were wondering, yes. It was. Very.  The reason? Not a clue.  My off the wall guess was that maybe they dyed it green for St. Patrick’s day and the exposure to the sun in the following days caused it to go incredibly orange...?  That or someone’s soapy fountain trick turned terribly wrong…

The Queensland Centenary Fountain in all it's orange dyed glory.

            After a short stop for some ice cream, we took a short stroll around town...

            ... and made our way over to the Museum of Tropical Queensland for some cultural and historical education! 

            It is super cool in there and they have a wide variety of exhibits to look through.  They’ve got a big one on the HMS Pandora, a ship sent out in search of another ship taken by mutineers only to run aground on the Great Barrier Reef and sink on the return voyage. 

 

A big partially built HMS Pandora

            They had another exhibit on the Australian Fashion week, and another on different cyclones that have hit Queensland in the past years and the steps in preparing for and recovering from a cyclone.  I got to go into a cyclone simulation room which basically consisted of a flickering light and the horrendous noises of crashing, banging, rain and howling wind.  Definitely made me want to experience a real cyclone… for sure.

              Over in the Archeology and more natural history section I got to hug a dinosaur and play with the skull of a Muttaburrasaurus. That was a definite highlight!

            There was also a more flora and fauna section where we got to see shelves and shelves of different coral, giant displays of nature scenes, cases of preserved butterflies and insects, taxidermied animals, and a full blown rain forest set up complete with a stuffed cassowary! Definitely worth it!

            We then finished off the afternoon with lunch at a sushi bar which had one of those little conveyor belt things that brings the sushi around.  Never seen that before!

            I spent a bit of the late afternoon / evening back at the lodge with the housemates and we decided on spontaneity again, heading out for take-out dinner at an Indian restaurant. Those ladies were lovely, I must say.  It was all topped off by a viewing of the French film, the Intouchables, in the evening.  I was a truly well done and incredibly hilarious film! I would highly recommend it.

            I have now been well cultured.  I'm living in Australia and had a nice rundown of some Aussie history, ate Japanese for lunch, Indian for dinner, and finished it off with French entertainment. Way to immerse in cultural diversity! 

The Taste of Vegemite

Aussie life saving tip for the day…

            Just imagine you are walking down the sidewalk on any normal day, the hot Aussie sun beating down on your back, and you come up on this person a little ways off that’s walking in the opposite direction as you.  Put your mind there for a second and let’s say you are both walking at about… 4 miles per hour, so rather brisk. You see they have their head down, on their phone or something, and your automatic reaction is to go to the right side of the sidewalk right? WRONG. I tried that a couple times here and you just continue walking on towards an 8mph head on collision wondering “When the heck are they going to move??” And then you get to that point in closeness when you realize, this person isn’t moving and so you decide to switch sides to avoid ending in an awkward, confused, and utterly surprised pile of Aussie-Americaness. Only, about this time, they look up as well and, noting your proximity to them, leap over to the opposite side right again into your path.  It’s even more awkward while this whole thing happens when you are staring each other right in the face….

            Not only do they drive on the wrong side of the road here, they walk on the wrong side of the sidewalk as well! Sheesh :). So, just to save you any embarrassment that I may have unfortunately encountered first hand… more than once… from now on you walk on the left. 

            My week began off rather dull I might confess, the hours spent not doing homework during the weekend catching up to me and manifesting as hours sitting in my room researching and writing scientific papers.  But fortunately for me, things picked up rather quickly. 

            The other Julia and I were able to meet up during one of my wide open days for coffee and lunch where we decided to start up a weekly meeting and Bible study time looking at the book of Job.  Super excited for that! We also got to have a rather sped up walk about the local botanical gardens at Palmetum.  It was so beautiful!  We didn’t have much time to really do a good walk about but I think we will be heading back there sometime soon for a much more thorough tour.           

The beginning of the tropical walk at Palmetum

             On a side note, when I read the sign about “Flying Fox’s” at the gardens, for some odd reason the first thing that came to mind was this fuzzy little squirrel like thing that flies around lookin’ for… NOPE. It’s not. Maybe at first glance this thing looks like an ordinary, fuzzy little squirrel, but then it unfurls its massive wings and you learn that this thing is in fact a gigantic bat. A flying fox is VERY different from a flying squirrel. Just so you know.  And I of all people should know things like this being a Wildlife Biology major and all.  But hey, we can’t all be perfect right?

Them's be Flying Fox's.

            I also got to have a kangaroo consuming party with a friend here who hadn’t eaten kangaroo in a while. We just decided hey, let’s make a lunch out of it!  Still the best meat I have ever had.  Seriously.  You need to try some if you haven’t already. Oh, and probably the best place to get it  is that Woolworths shopping center on campus... right below that med building.  And then there was the time when Hannah walked into the lounge where a group of us are studying and just says “Who wants pancakes for dinner?” Count me in!

            Oh, and who can forget their first taste of Vegemite? THAT was interesting. It’s certainly unique to be sure with one powerful punch of salty fishlikeness to the mouth.  It’s anything but subtle I must say.

CU Kick Off Camp

            It was another fun weekend which I got to spend at the Christian Union Kick Off Camp! It was held up in Cardwell, a town about half way between Townsville and Cairns. Think about 2 ½ hours. We (Shane, Michelle and I) left later in the afternoon Friday and got there right in time for introductions and kick off! It was way fun just getting to camp out with a bunch of friends and hear some mighty encouraging words from our speaker. 

            On a side note, if you ever forget your pillow while camping, I have found that a spare sleeping bag makes an acceptable, if not rather lumpy, substitute.

            I got the privilege of meeting up with some friends I have made the past couple weeks through Uni and Christian Union as well as making several more. One in particular was another representative from the U.S. of A. over in Minnesota. That was awesome getting to know her a bit and I found out that she is one of my classes! Definitely going to be connecting up later on after camp.

Five Mile Creek

            Saturday afternoon  we drove a little ways down the road to Five Mile Creek, a pretty fun little swimming area.  The water was incredibly clear in most parts and they had a substantially deep section that we could jump into by launching ourselves off the rock ledge above.  That was so much fun and a good respite from some potentially rather hot weather!

            On our way back from the creek, a small group of us decided to drive a little further into town and stop off at the pier.  Everything looked relatively new everywhere we looked and apparently the town was more or less whipped out about 5 years ago by category 5 Cyclone Yasi.

            While the group of us were hanging out on the pier, we were surprised to be graced by the presence of not only a Loggerhead sea turtle but also a glimpse of a Dugong as it surfaced! Apparently it is quite unusual to see one as they are fairly endangered at the moment and Shane and Michelle, despite being native Aussies, had never seen one before! I would say we were pretty lucky with that one!

            The evening was finished off by an around town “Photo Challenge.” We were given a list of picture ideas, an hour, and instructions to go about town and photograph what we could.  It was so much fun and might I just say that our group was fantastic at coming up with ideas! I think by the end we got all by two of the photos completed and a good amount of good laughs and memories to go along. I will now leave you to be entertained by a fantastic display of some of our photos....

"Selfie"

"Walking the Plank"

"Rocky Horror"

"Doctor Who;" We were being the Weeping Angels 

"Blockbuster"

"The Beatles"