Sydney Part 1

Posted on July 10, 2012 by | Leave a comment

 

We arrived in Sydney after visiting the Blue Mountains to complete our course at The University of New South Wales. After we moved into our dorm rooms  we were all eager to see downtown Sydney. It was warmer weather than the mountains but it was still much colder than the northern cities – it is winter here after all. Being the most popular city in Australia, Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales, which located on the coast of the south-east part of the continent.

 The Sydney Opera House

Sydney’s most well-known icon is its opera house, a building we had ample chance to visit. Tours are given there every day, allowing access to some of the opera house’s theaters as well as a detailed review of its history. We  took the tour on our first free day! Our guide walked is through the Studio (a sort of multipurpose room, for anything between standup and world leader meetings), drama theater, opera theater, and Utzon Room. The final of these locations is named after Jorn Utzon, a Dutch architect who created the building’s original design.

According to our tour guide, Mr. Utzon entered his building design as part of a contest by the government of New South Wales to find a design for their proposed new center of the arts, but initially got scrapped into the rejection pile for lack of detail and near impossibility of creation. A late judge, however, plucked his design from the pile and declared him winner anyway. The actual construction of the building took 14 years and over tenfold the amount of money initially budgeted, and was riddled with problems, including Utzon’s resignation from the project following disputes with a newly elected government. Although the outside of the building remained Utzon’s design, the actual theaters were created by a different set of architects, who replaced the resigned Utzon. It took over 30 years (!) for New South Wales to finally reconcile with the man who created what became its most beloved landmark.

Interesting to note is that, although the opera house is renowned for its design, it is not for is acoustics. Only the concert hall sports superb sound for audience members. The famous opera theater was less deftly created. The stage is smaller than in other opera theaters of its prestige, and its orchestra pit reverberates sound so strongly that it can sometimes be a risk to instrumentalists’ hearing.

UNSW organized tickets for the play “Under Milk Wood,” which we could purchase at the university’s discounted rate. This piece was initially a radio play, and reflected its origins in its performed version. Each actor played multiple roles, and the play itself was not one long storyline, as usual, but instead a set of various small storylines intertwined together. Although difficult to follow due to the rotating characters and flowery, highly descriptive language of the show, the very experience of seeing it performed in the drama theater of the great Sydney opera house made it worthwhile.

Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique is currently being performed in the opera house’s concert hall, and some of us went to see that as well. It is interesting to note that the symphony’s original Russian title is “Патетическая.” This word also means “pity,” but translates more closely into a sorrowful version of “passion.” The performance is intended to stir those feelings into the author, as is clearly understood from its first piece (“Symphony No. 6: Allegro non Troppo”), which could be recognized due to its common use in films to dramatize moments of war, depression, or other devastation.

Of course, plenty of other venues were available during our stay. Opera season began in early June, and currently 2 operas were showing, The Pearlfishers and Die tote Stadt. A few of us bought tickets to the former, and watched it on the 9th. The Pearlfishers is a French opera about a fishing village in India and the love triagle that occurs between a priestess (a soprano), head fisherman (a baritone), and the fisherman’s best friend (a tenor). Although the words are sung in their original French lyric, surtitles are placed above the stage in order for the audience to follow along. This is a common practice in opera, even when the performance is in the audience’s native tongue, as sung word is often difficult to follow.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

While the Sydney’s iconic landmark seems to be the Opera House, the most utilitarian landmark is probably the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is a 3,770 ft long, 440ft high steel arch bridge that connects Sydney central business district and the North Shore. It was built in 1932 and carries six lanes of vehicular, rail, and luckily for us, pedestrian traffic. We walked up through the flight of stairs and started walking across the bridge. As we were walking, we noticed a pair of Pylon lookout in front of us. Apparently there is one pair on each end of bridge. The pylons are about 292ft high, made of concrete and have a staircase that leads to the top, allowing viewers to enjoy the spectacular view of Sydney. Although the pylons were initially built purely for aesthetic purposes, since then they have been put to more practical uses. In 1942, the pylons were modified to house anti-aircraft guns to assist Australian defense efforts. Today one of the pylons is used as a museum and tourist centre, another one is used to monitor the CCTV cameras on the bridge, and a pair is used to vent the fumes from the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.

During our walk on the bridge, we saw many people jogging across the bridge even though it was quite windy and cold. While the prospect of jogging across a giant bridge seems like a good workout, it is not quite as thrilling as the Bridge Climb, offered to those seeking for something more adventurous. In the 1950s and 60s, a few bold Aussies would illegally climb to the top arch to cross the bridge at night. However since 1998, it has become legal for tourists to book a climb and cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge through the top arch. The success of the Sydney Harbour Bridge has apparently prompted similar climbs around bridges around the world, most notably on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Surfing at Bondi Beach

What better place to learn to surf than in Sydney, Australia? Beautiful beaches, awesome waves and crystal clear water. There is no comparison, and for those of us who traveled to Bondi Beach to learn how to rip through the waves, we can attest to its awesomeness! That being said, the lot of us were not thrilled about stepping foot into the ocean during the winter. After all, any reasonable person knows cold air combined with wet bodies is going to result in a freezing combination. So, for most of us, we ventured into the water with not just one but two wet suits to keep us warm. “What is your goal for the day?” That was the question most of us heard when starting our lessons, and needless to say, most of us simply had the goal of standing on our boards. Let me be the first to attest to the simple fact that in accomplishing this, there were many laughs to be had.
Learning the moves on the sand is quite different that actually doing it when you are in the water. When we started, we began with the white foam waves, which are the waves nearer the beach. However, once the instructor felt comfortable enough to let us venture into surfing the waves in the back, it was quite clear there were some amazing waves to be caught. One wave even sent me crashing into a random surfer on the beach…oops! Nevertheless, we all managed to stand on our boards and ride some waves, looking pretty sweet in the process. With more practice, we’ll all be regular surfer bros and chicks, living to ride the waves!

The Sydney Botanical Gardens

Beautiful botanical gardens! Sydney, Australia is known for its iconic Opera House located right in the heart of downtown Sydney, with a beautiful view from the Harbor Bridge. What some might know, however, is the beauty of the Royal Botanical Gardens located right next door! Venturing from the Opera House into the botanical gardens revealed spectacular landscapes of some of Australia’s beautiful flora. These beautiful gardens are no recent phenomenon, for the history of these gardens dates as far back as 1816. One might compare the establishment of the gardens to the famous Central Park in New York City. Like that icon of New York, the botanical gardens here in Sydney can be found in the middle of a bustling downtown. With its free price tag and impressive views, it is a great place to explore when venturing into the city.  From Fig trees, to the classic Wollemi Pine, the botanical gardens had it all. In fact, it is impossible to walk through the gardens without encountering some spectacular birds. It is quite easy to get lost in the beauty of the gardens. As a matter of fact, we found ourselves exploring the gardens for hours. One of the memorable aspects of the garden is the wishing tree, which guarantees ones wish, after walking a complete circle around it, to come true. As far as my wish is concerned, I’m in Sydney, Australia half-way across the world having the experience of a lifetime. I do not think there is much else I could ask for!

Leisure Activities

In our spare time away from the classroom, we are constantly occupying ourselves with different activities. From shows at the Opera House to sporting events, there isn’t a time when you find yourself bored while in Sydney. At night some of us wanted to dive into the Australian culture so we went to various bars and clubs to meet some Aussies. It was a great way to socialize among the group and mingle with Australian students our age. The night culture seemed very well behaved and appropriate at all of the places we went. Another notable part from our days off was the walk from Coogee beach to Bondi beach as the sun was setting. It definitely was a long walk, but it was worth every step in order to admire the setting sun over the ocean path.

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Posted in blog posts, New South Wales, Sydney

Photos from Queensland

Posted on July 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Here are some shots from the Daintree and Cairns…

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Posted in Cairns & the Great Barrier Reef, Photos/Videos, Queensland, the Daintree Rainforest

Some awesome journal illustrations

Posted on July 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Here are some great out-takes from our  journals  We have some real artists in our group- “every picture tells a story”!

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Posted in blog posts, class notes, Photos/Videos

What Liz & I saw on our day off

Posted on July 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Liz and  I took a little walk in the northern suburbs of Sydney yesterday.  We wanted to get a bushwalking fix, one of the guidebooks suggested the Bidjigal forest reserve, part of the homeland of the Dharug tribe.  Winter is a great time to go bushwalking in NSW, since its cool and moist.  Its also a great time to find mushrooms, and we saw plenty!  At least 30 species of were fruiting, including  polypores, agaricomycetes (mushrooms), and a variety of diverse lichens.  Some nice plants in flower as well, including serrated Banksia and some pretty wattles (Acacia spp.)

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Posted in blog posts, New South Wales, Photos/Videos, Sydney

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Sydney Part 2

Posted on July 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

by Dana Middleton, Darya Cheng, Sarah Garland, and Jordan Cole

UNSW- University of New South Wales

Here in Sydney, we are studying at the University of New South Wales, located in the Kensington (and near Kingsford and Randwick) suburb of Sydney. While
UNSW was founded in 1949 and is thus relatively new, it’s now recognized as one of the “Group of Eight” leading universities in Australia and is ranked #49 in the QS World University Rankings (and if you were wondering, Duke is #19!). UNSW is a research-focused university, and its main areas include Arts and Social Sciences, the Australian Defence Force Academy, Australian School of Business, Built Environment, College of Fine Arts, Engineering, Law, Medicine, and Science. With around 46,000(!) students, UNSW is a huge school, but during our stay we haven’t seen too many of the regular students, as it’s currently their winter break! UNSW’s campus is 38 hectares, or about 94 acres, with several smaller campuses scattered throughout Sydney. While we all had a bit of trouble getting around at first, we’ve all quickly figured out how to get to our classroom, located in the Goldstein Hall on the northeast corner of Quadrangle Lawn, and our favorite study spots around campus. With so many different, distinct buildings and high rises,including one designed to evoke Uluru, the iconic standstone rock formation of Australia, the UNSW campus has a very modern feel, and it is quite unlike Duke’s more sprawling campus and its gothic architecture.
In addition to its academic and administrative buildings, UNSW also boasts eight residential colleges, each with its own “personality” and different requirements for the students who want to live there. Shalom College, where our group is staying, is located at the southwest corner of UNSW, next to the Village Green. Run by the Shalom Institute, Shalom, which means “hello” or “peace” in Hebrew, has many ties to the Jewish community in Sydney, and observes many Jewish customs. Some of these customs include placing a mezuzah at every doorframe in the building and keeping kosher, which means meals are separated by dairy or meat, and foods that aren’t kosher can’t be brought into the building. Despite its Jewish ties, however, Shalom is open to everyone. Interestingly, though, it seems that students must apply to many of the colleges, and are selected based on academics and activities (similar to applying for university in the US), rather than simply choosing by lottery as at Duke. In any case, all of us are extremely excited to live here! Shalom College is one of the newest residential colleges at UNSW, and with many recent renovations, Shalom is very nice to live in. Since we were housed in the newer wing, we all have single rooms with private bathrooms – a luxury I wish I had in every dorm room! Additionally, many of us also have balconies overlooking the courtyard or the street. After several weeks of hostels and tight quarters, all of us were really excited to be able to stretch out a little!

 

Wine Tasting Tour

On our first full day in Sydney, three of us embarked on a tour of some of the best wineries in Sydney’s wine country, Hunter Valley. To our delight, the first stop on the wine tasting tour was not to a winery at all, but to the Australian Reptile Park. Why were we so excited for this detour, you might ask? Well, the reptile park did not primarily house reptiles, but was a popular site for tourists to pet and take pictures with the most saught after animals in Australia. That’s right, the celebrities of the marsupial family, the kangaroo and koala. This was the first time anyone in the program had encountered these creatures, and the three of us made sure the properly document the occasion with loads of photographs. As biogeography students, we still left the park perplexed as to why it was called the “Reptile Park,” however we were too involved in looking at our prized pictures to give this confusing name much thought.

After that adventure, we headed to our first winery for the day: Lindeman’s. We were told that this was the classiest winery we would be attending that afternoon, and soon discovered that this was in fact undoubtably true. As we entered, we noticed the walls were covered with beautifuly-decorated bottles of very fine, old wines. We were brought upstairs to the tasting room and presented with six different kinds of wine, the first and last we tried were white wines and the middle for were different styles of red. The highlight of the entire day was the last red wine at Lindeman’s. This dessert red was called Sweet Seasons and had all of the girls in the room wanting another glass. Many purchased bottles at a generously discounted price as we left and headed to the next location.

Lindeman's wine selections

The next winery, Mount Pleasant, seemed to put more of an emphasis on quantity then Lindeman’s. Although we were at both locations for the same amount of time, Mount Pleasant fit in twice as many wine selections, however none could top the Sweet Seasons red from earlier that day. The large variety allowed many students to explore their taste for wine and discover what varieties they liked. It can be a challenge to find the perfect wine on a budget, but most people on the tour left with a better idea of where their preferences fall. Personally, I learned that I prefer red to white, and dessert red to full red. The other Duke girls at the tasting shared this opinion. We ended the day at a causal bar-like winery, McGuigan Wines, were we had the option of a few final wines to try. This allowed us to use what we learned throughout the day and really pick the ones we would enjoy most. It was a great end the the afternoon and a wonderful way to start off our adventures in Sydney!

The Sydney Aquarium

Our first all group excursion when we reached Syndey was to the Sydney Aquarium, one of the leading visitor attractions in Australia. Set in the heart of Sydney on beautiful Darling Harbour, the Aquarium showcased over 12,000 aquatic animals from 650 species, including the world’s largest Great Barrier Reef exhibit and great underwater viewing tunnels. We were able to see many sharks, an elusive platypuses, beautiful seahorses, giant turtles, jellyfish, thousands of tropical fish, gigantic stingrays, and much more. When we entered the building, we were greated by an enormous 15 foot statue of Poseidon made entirely of Legos! Yes, Legos. This amazing display heald our attention for quite some time before we enventually ventured inside to see the exhibits.

The first exhibit came across was a small pool filled with different species of sharks and stingrays. While listening to a staff member discuss the ecology of these creatures, a few of us noticed one animal that seemed to be a cross between the stingrays and sharks in the tank. It was as if the two species merged together to create this unsual half shark half ray species. The front of its body resembled a stingray, with a flat, circular shaped upper body and its mouth on its underside and eyes on top.  However, as our gaze moved further back, we saw the tail of a shark complete with shark like fins on the top and sides of this tail. After the presentation, we asked the marine biologist what this unusal create was, to which he replied “a Shark Ray, or Rhina ancylostma.” Of course it would be that simple. We all laughed a bit and moved on to the next exhibit.

Japanese Spider Crab

Another highlight of this excursion was the viewing tunnels from which we could see sharks, huge stingrays, turtles, and many tropical fish. It was fun being surrounded by these animals on all sides, and we were able to get a spectacular view of the underside of many species, especially the turtles and rays, as they swam above us. This was not as exciting as actually diving with these creatures, which we had the chance to do a week earlier in Cairnes at the Great Barrier Reef, but it was still an amazing way to get a close up view of these amazing aminals without having to get wet! The most unusal animal we saw at the Aquarium was the Japanese Spider Crab, of Macrocheira kaempferi. This crab was huge! We learned that it has the greatest leg span of any arthropod, reaching up to 3.8 meters from claw to claw. The body along can grow to a size of 40cm, with the whole crab ewighing up to 19kg! Despite its ferocious appearance, the crad is reported to have a gentle disposition, which was reassuring for all of us incase we ever visit Japan and come across this crabzilla. In the midst of all of these amazingly interesting creatures, my favorite of the day was the simple cowfish, which we saw many of while diving in the reef. These fish were moderate in size, but magnificent in color and pattern. Each one had a different elaborate design covering its body, reminding me of unique snowflakes. We were all fascinated with how beautiful the different type of cowfish were, and tried to snap a few pictures, but they proved too fast for or cameras.

NRL and AFL Matches

Duke students are known for their lively spirit at sporting events. In Sydney, we Cameron Crazies decided to turn our attention to rugby and Aussie Rules “footy” matches and experience the Australian crowd. The first game we went to was rugby – the Wests Tigers vs. the Bulldogs.

Our most vivid memory from the night was how cold we were, especially when it started to rain! We went and bought orange and black scarves, supporting the home team, so that we could brave the weather. The fans were not as intense as we were hoping after watching the very popular “State of Origin” rugby matches on television, but it was still a fun time!

The next night, we went to a Sydney Swans vs. Brisbane Lions Aussie Rules football match. The set up of the game was different than any other sport. They play on an oval shaped field with eighteen players from each team on the field at once. At each end of the oval are four posts – two tall in the middle and two shorter ones on the outside. If the ball passes through the two tall posts, it is called a “goal” and is worth six points. If the ball passes through the outer posts, it is worth one point and called a “behind.” The ball can be kicked in any direction, on the ground or in the air, but can never be thrown. Players can run with the ball but it has to touch the ground every fifteen meters so they occasionally bounce it if they have a break away run. The game starts by the umpire bouncing the ball on the ground and players standing in a circle around the center fight for possession. To get the ball back in play after it goes out of bounds, the umpires do an interesting blind backwards throw to the awaiting players. It appeared to be a very impartial way to restart the game. While the ball is in play, the rules seemed to be virtually non-existent with men running and all over the field without distinct positions, stealing the ball, and tackling each other. For us, it was a strange combination of soccer, American football, and lacrosse. The fans were much more exciting than at the rugby match. Everyone was dressed in red and white Sydney Swans jackets, scarves, and hats. We felt like we were in a “Where’s Waldo?” book! Overall, we had a wonderful night at the footy match, devouring meat pies at half time and cheering loudly with the animated Australians!

The Taronga Zoo

On Friday evening, July 6, David Sakyi and I set out with our sleeping bags and cameras to spend a night at the Taronga Zoo.  Being the only two Duke students taking part in this activity, we were unsure what to expect.  Little did we know we were in for an exceptional treat.

We caught a bus to Circular Quay with about fifty other students – all American, from the other UNSW study abroad groups – and from the wharf we took a ferry across the harbor to the zoo.  We arrived around 5:30pm, and it was already almost dark.  Four keepers met us at the entrance and led us to the education center at the top of the zoo.  I should take this moment to explain that Taronga Zoo is situated on a (rather steep) hill: we were definitely tired by the time we were ready to head back the next day!  Anyways, after dropping off our packs and eating, we were split into two groups and led out into the zoo.  The keepers carried big flashlights that shined red, so that our night vision would not be affected.

It was very cool to discover that many animals are still active after the zoo closes at night.  To name a few species, we saw giraffes, a tapir, a bongo, and fennec foxes doing their nightly routine.  We were also lucky enough to spot a wild brushy tailed possum up in one of the trees.

One of the highlights of the night walk was the Himalayan tahr exhibit. These mountain goat-like creatures seemed very social, with a male ranking system where there is a  second-in-charge who learns from the alpha-male and takes over when he gets too old. We were lucky enough to watch a young lamb climbing on an almost vertical rock face and “bullying” its older family members by jumping all over them.

Giraffe with Sydney skyline in background

We came back from the night excursion and got to meet some of Australia’s native reptillian species up close and personal.  The keepers brought out a diamond python, long-necked turtle, blue-tongued skink, and baby saltwater croc.

That next morning, we rose at 6:15 in order to get started before Taronga opened to the general population. Before setting out to explore the zoo again, though, we got to pet and learn about some endemic Australian mammals. The echidna was especially interesting to feel; it has thick spines made out of keratin (hair and fingernail material). That animal is unique because along with the platypus, it is the only mammal that lays eggs.  We also met a quokka (a small wallaby) and a flying fox.

Sumatran tiger

Around 8am, David and I set out to see the rest of the zoo. Taronga has an impressive array of species, so I won’t list them all here. But we were lucky enough to see some rare creatures, such as the Komodo dragon, snow leopard, tree kangaroo, dhole (an Asian wild dog), and binturong (a curious creature, almost a mix between a cat and a bear, from Malaysia). We witnessed three Sumatran tiger cubs play-fighting, Tasmanian devil joeys feeding on scraps of meat, and fur seals frolicking in the water.

Perhaps the most memorable experience, however, was when we walked into the aquarium room. There was a huge wall of glass that looked into the leopard seal’s pool. David and I were the only two people at the exhibit, and we watched as this huge, ten-foot-long beast glided through the water right up to the glass in front of us.  The leopard seal probably stayed there for about a minute, looking at us as we stared back in awe. What a formidable Antarctic predator.

David and the lorikeet

We caught lunch at Cafe Harbourview, where spectacularly colorful lorikeets fearlessly attacked our food. Besides being a magnificent zoo with respect to species representation and conservation efforts, Taronga also boasts an extraordinary view of the Sydney skyline. We rode the Sky Safari, a gondola that runs from the top of the zoo to the bottom and back: this allowed us to see almost all of downtown from across the harbor.

Saturday/Sunday Markets
There’s a lot of shopping to do here in Sydney, but for a more local experience, one of the many outdoor markets are great for more unique items than the souvenirs found at the airport! While there are quite a few here, Dr. V had recommended the Saturday and Sunday markets to us, so we made plans to visit them. Since we didn’t have class on Saturday, we all got up early and took the bus downtown, then walked down Oxford Street until we reached the Paddington Markets. Once there, we took our time strolling through the many stalls located on the school grounds of the Paddinging Public School. There were quite a few tempting food stalls, but the majority of the stands held handmade art, whether it was jewelry, paintings, or (my favorite) a stall that sold handmade wooden items decorated with iconic 
Australian animals. Another great stall that we found sold pop-up cards – not 
just the kind that you received on your birthday as a kid, but intricate paper structures that simply collapsed in on themselves as you closed the card.

On Sunday, we once again got up early to head downtown to explore another outdoor market. This one, known as The Rocks Market, is located in The Rocks shopping district of Sydney, almost at the very foot of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Originally an open air gaol (jail, for us Americans), the Rocks housed many of the original settlers of Australia: British convicts. Today, however, you can eat lunch and relax in some of the oldest buildings in Sydney. Similar to the Paddington Markets, the Rocks Market was a bustling hubbub of activity, with just as many locals as tourists. A tremendous variety of items were sold here: license plates and license plate art, fudge, Christmas ornaments, carved wooden clocks, nougat, boomerangs – we found just about everything there!

 

 

All in all, our entire class has had a fantastic time in Sydney over these past two weeks. We did our best to explore the nature, food and culture this city has to offer.  To be honest, fourteen days probably wasn’t even enough time to discover the entire city, but we were grateful for every hour we had here.  So many good memories of Sydney will come back home with us – how couldn’t they, with all the great pictures we took – and I know at least some of us, if not all, will be back again soon.  It’s hard to believe Duke in Australia 2012 is already coming to an end.  But even though we’re all going our separate ways tomorrow, we’ve made friendships that will last longer than any trip could.  Cheers Dr. V!

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Blue Mountains

Posted on July 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

by Sarah Garland, Jordan Long, and David Sakyi

With a name like Katoomba (that sounds even funnier than the spelling) we weren’t exactly sure what to expect from the small mountain town. We were well aware that our 3 hour flight and 3 hour bus ride were taking us to the Blue Mountains, but after the excitement of Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, many of us were secretly hoping for that bus ride to somehow return us to Rydges Hotel in Cairns so we could repeat the activities of the previous two days! Of course, we were eager to gaze at the vistas and go hiking, but part of our experience was to be determined by our lodging and the interestingly named city of Katoomba – located 2 hours west of Sydney in New South Wales.

About 2 hours west from downtown Sydney (Click to enlarge)

We arrived at the Blue Mountains in the late afternoon and quickly realized this was going to be a cold visit. Once we got off the bus, people started putting jackets on as it felt and looked like a chilly ski town. This was much different from the hot 70-90 degree weather we had been used to in Darwin and Cairns. It was reaching the low 40s, however, once we bundled up and settled into the hostel, we were ready to see the town.

It was a slight shock when we realized that 7pm was closing time for this town on a mountain. We quickly divided into small groups of starving American students and went out searching for a reasonable meal. Some of us succumbed to the safety and familiarity of Dominos Pizza while others trekked on farther up the darkening hill to find a meal that would satisfy an entire day of traveling. We also had interesting Australian encounters when two different groups encountered a couple of comical looking teens who appeared to be holding a plastic gun…

YHA Blue Mountain Hostel

After quieting our growling stomachs, we all returned back to our impressively modern hostel that quickly gained positive reviews in comparison to our lodging at Daintree’s PK’s Jungle Village. Due to the inability to truly see the town of Katoomba upon our late arrival, it wasn’t until the next morning that we all woke up to see that Katoomba does, in fact, have residents who brave the inclines each and every day. We joined these locals as we made our way down a steep hill to spend the day amazed by the sights of the Blue Mountains as well as the loud, yet pleasing, sounds of the birds that populate the region.

A bit of history

Ever since the arrival of the first British ships in Sydney, the European population in Australia continued to grow steadily. The colonists needed land to expand for their farms and to accommodate the large numbers of people. The Blue Mountains were a major obstacle for this development because they needed to be crossed in order to get to the land on the other side. Many different explorers attempted to cross the region, but none could find a path through the dense, hilly forests and large sandstone cliffs. Finally, in 1813, Gregory Blaxland discovered a safe way to cut across the mountains. The building of roads and a railroad soon followed.

Bush

The Blue Mountains began to have lots of visitors in the late 1800s to avoid rapidly spreading disease in Sydney. The misty air was also thought to help a variety of ailments, causing people to venture to the picturesque mountains for vacation. Cities around the Blue Mountains greatly increased in population during World War II when there was fear of a Japanese invasion of Sydney. After a lot of debate, the Blue Mountains National Park was established in 1959. Today, it is known for its 140 km (about 87 miles) of walking trails, diversity of plants and animals, and aboriginal significance.

The Three Sisters

As we a walked to the Blue Mountains from our hostel, many of us were under the impression that we would be climbing upwards – after all, we were in the mountains. However, we were pleasantly shocked to see that the Blue Mountains were in the Jamison Valley making the beginning of our hike downhill. Continuing out to the popular Echo Point lookout, we could see a shield of clouds covering the tops of the trees 1000m down.

Jamison Valley

Once we arrived at Echo Point, we could easily see the Three Sisters rock formation towering over the valley. The gentle sandstone of the mountains had been eroded over many years by rivers and wind to stand high above the valley floor. These three rocks ranging from 906m to 922m tall and for the aborigines, they represent three sisters (Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo) who are prominent characters in their spiritual beliefs. As we learned more about the Three Sisters, we reconnected with our knowledge of the Aboriginal Culture that we had heard so much about in Kakadu, specifically the “Dreamtime” creation story, in which the three sisters play a part. However, there are two different stories that are said to be about these sisters. The first one involves forbidden love between the sisters and three men from the adjacent Nepean tribe. Unsatisfied with the laws of marriage, the three men captured the sisters, causing tribal battle. In order to save the three sisters, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe turned the sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. Before the spell could be reversed, the witchdoctor was killed leaving the three sisters as stone. The other legend of the three sisters involves their father, Tyawan, protecting them from the much feared swamp creature Bunyip. According to the story, Bunyip turned the sisters into stone with his magic bone. Then, as Bunyip came towards Tyawan, he turned into the Lyre Bird, but by doing so, also lost his magic bone. Although they were all safe from Bunyip, the sisters were trapped as stone forever.

The Three Sisters

After admiring the Three Sisters from a lookout, we began our hike by carefully inching our way down nine hundred narrow, steep, very slippery steps. That’s right, nine hundred steps. Two people walked down less than 900 stairs because they had the pleasure of slipping and sliding down a few! However, once at the bottom, all bruises in inconvenient places were forgotten as we found ourselves in the middle of the forest.

 

Flora and Fauna of the Blue Mountains

The forests of the Blue Mountains were composed of different plants than we had seen before. First, it was hard to miss the prominence of eucalyptus. In the Northern Territory, we had seen eucalyptus, but mainly just one species (Woolly Butt). In contrast, the Blue Mountains are home to hundreds of different kinds of eucalypts. In fact, the Blue Mountains got their name because of a low, blue haze over the landscape that is created by the eucalyptus trees giving off their oils.

We also saw a lot of beautiful Sheoak (Casuarina) trees. These trees seem like they would be related to pine with their thin, dusty green needles gracefully draping downward. However, they are in a completely different family. Banksia, the bottle brush plant from the family Proteaceae, was also common to see on the trail. All but one species of Banksia are endemic to Australia so it was a treat to be able to see many of them as we walked. Another wonderful part of the hike was looking up at majestic trees from the family Araucariaceae, which includes the ancient Wollemi Pine. The Wollemi Pine is one of the world’s most rare species – there are only about one hundred individuals that remain. The Wollemi Pine is special because it dates back to the time of the dinosaurs and was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the wild in 1994. The family Araucaricaceae is thought to be 200 million years old!!

Ash Forest

When we were in the heart of the forest, we noticed that it felt a lot like the rainforest we had experienced in Daintree. The forests of the Blue Mountains are actually considered rainforests for many reasons including many different layers of plants growing on top of each other and very little sunlight reaching the forest floor due to the thick canopy overhead. The main difference between the rainforest in Daintree and what we saw on our hike in the Blue Mountains was what kind of plants were forming the environment. In Daintree, we saw a variety of palm species filling many different niches and creating a lush green forest. In the Blue Mountains, the palms were replaced my numerous tree ferns. Tree ferns are different from other trees because they are not seed plants (plants that reproduce using seeds). Seed plants have bark and wood like most trees we are used to seeing all around us. Tree ferns, unlike seed plants, only grow vertically, and the growth is from the top of the tree. The trunks can reach up to 80 feet tall and the fern leaves can be many yards long. Fossils of tree ferns date back to the Triassic period, which was about 250 million years ago. Tree ferns were abundant during the Jurassic period (dinosaurs would have seen them every day!) and continued to thrive during the Cretaceous period. The tree ferns we see today really only came into existence during the Cenozoic period. This time reference is interesting because it shows that the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period had a big impact on the tree ferns, along with the vast majority of organisms on earth. The mass extinction caused a lot of ecological niches to become available because the organisms that previously occupied them were gone. Empty niches allowed lots of diversification in plant and animal species, causing the evolution of the tree ferns we observed in the Blue Mountains. Of course, in addition to the tree ferns, lots of mountain ash (a species of eucalyptus) stretched grandly all the way up beyond the canopy and into the sunlight.

Tree Ferns

Birds were all around us in the forest. There was never a quiet moment with bird calls ranging from the sound of bells to a cracking whip to the whistles of R2D2 were heard throughout the day. We were lucky enough to see two of the very rare Superb Lyre Birds (yes, “Superb”) which are endemic to Australia. Their elegant tails truly are superb, but what we learned about them after the sighting was even more fascinating: they can imitate almost any sound they hear around them! The more variety of sounds they incorporate into their calls the more attractive they are to potential mates. They can even make the sounds of chain saws used by workers in the forest!

Katoomba Falls

We hiked about 5-6km through the valley until we reached the other end. Some people decided to take the steepest inclined railway in the world and save some energy on the way back out of the valley. Others enjoyed beautiful views of Katoomba Falls while climbing stairs to the top.

Cable Car Tracks

 

A highlight at the end of our stay in Katoomba came after our hike when we returned to our hostel and were treated to an amazing Italian dinner by our Team Head Chef Lynn Theprungsirikul and her wonderful helpers. This group dinner (made from scratch) capped off a great day of steep climbing and “superb” sightings.

 

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Litchfield National Park

Posted on July 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

By Charles Taylor, Kaitlyn Bacon, and Coulter Knapp

Departing from Darwin before sunrise and heading south, we began our trip to Litchfield National Park.   Named after Frederick Henry Litchfield, an explorer that conducted an expedition through the area in  1864, the park is a 1500 square km piece of land approximately 100 km southwest of Darwin.

Location of Litchfield National Park in relation to Top End

Litchfield National Park location in relation to Australian continent

It is home to a variety of flora, fauna, exquisite geology, and breathtaking waterfalls. Rich in Aboriginal history, this park is also home to several tribes including the Koongurrukum, Marranunggu, Werat, and Warray Aboriginal tribes.

The landscape of Litchfield differed immensely from the area surrounding Darwin. Coastal geology and flora changed to rocky ground, tall grasses, and rising peaks as we made our way into the park. Interspersed with hundreds of termite mounds rising into the sky, the escarpment landscape painted a picture that offered a look into the ancient history of the land shaped by water and time.  The central sandstone plateau was covered by Eucalyptus species including the Darwin Wollybutt and the Darwin Stringybark as well as banksias, grevilleas, terminalias, and a wide variety of other woodland species. Areas around the waterfalls were home to monsoon rainforest, a testament  to biodiversity of flora throughout the park formed over thousand of years of wet seasons and flowing water.
Giant Termite Mounds

Termites ( order: Isoptera)! When most people hear that word, they immediately think of the wood-eating pest which so many home-owners fear. On our trip to Litchfield, however, we were able to get a glimpse into the intricacy of termites and their habits. Most notable with the termites, simply due to their sheer size, are the massive termite mounds these termites construct over years. In fact, if left alone, the cathedral termite mounds can reach over eighty feet, such as the one we ourselves were able to view below. These termite mounds towered over us as we gazed above. We were amazed at their size!

Cathedral Termite Mound

Contrary to what the greater population may believe, termites are more than simply wood-eating insects. For instance, the structure of their colonies is quite fascinating. The King and Queen of the colony are reserved solely for reproductive purposes, thereby ensuring the continuation of the colony. Meanwhile, the workers can be found bustling around the mound to build tunnels and passageways, gathering food from decomposed wood or grass, or repairing damage to the mound. Nevertheless, these tiny creatures are not alone. They are constantly plagued by meat-ants, which jump at any opportunity to infect the colony and feed on the termites.

Ants roaming around the outside of the termite mound

The termites, however, are quite cunning. If a section of the mound becomes infected with the meat ants, then the workers will dispatch to the location to immediately seal it off from the rest of the mound. Meanwhile, when the workers are busy repairing damage or sealing off the mound, the soldiers are there to protect them from any ensuing threat of danger. One might argue, the social hierarchy of these termite colonies is similar to that of any country; the rulers, the citizens and the military. The marvels of these termites do not end here, for when constructing their mounds, the termites also give consideration to the positioning of these mounds. They build them in relation to the movement of the sun, therefore resulting in suitable conditions for the termites to live in. Termite mounds built in the North-South direction are referred to as magnetic termite mounds. They can be found exclusively in black soil unlike cathedral termite mounds that grow in red dirt by the tree line. By the grave yard of magnetic termite mounds, we saw a wallaby jumping around the lush green grass.

Magnetic Termite Mounds with Wallaby

Yes, termites are quite marvelous creatures! Perhaps the next time they are mentioned, you might just reconsider your opinion of the small but brilliant herbivores!

Florence Falls

After stopping to see the termite mounds, we headed to Florence Falls and took a hike to the bottom of the rain forest gorge. Florence Falls is a good location to spot rock wallabies (petrogale) as the gorge is lined with large slabs of sedimentary rock, perfect homes for these agile creatures.

Florence Falls

Our class was lucky enough to spot a rock wallaby on our hike taking cover in the forest’s fauna. Rock Wallabies are of the genus Petrogale. They are usually medium sized and brown in color. Rock wallabies are nocturnal animals that use their rugged, rocky habitat to seek shelter during the day. They hunt at night, so it was really surprising we saw one in the forest. The rock wallabies need to seek refuge enables them to live in small colonies. Individual wallabies share overlapping ranges. These animals are very territorial. Even at night rock wallabies do not move further than two kilometers from their home base. Since European colonization, the number of rock wallabies as declined due to foxes, other competing herbivores, disease, and reduced genetic health due to colony isolation. Most populations in the south are extinct.

Also while hiking in the monsoon rainforest, we saw many different plant species. The plant life in the forest was very thick because burning had not taken place here unlike in many other places in the Northern Territory. One of the unique plants along the walk was the clumping palm (Hydriastele Wendlandiana). This palm is found only in a few places along the Top End. It is an Arecoid species with short, flat leaves with 2-3 thing stems on each clump. We also saw large Allosyncarpia trees that are endemic to Northern Australian along creeks in sandstone areas. The plant is grown in areas that are not prone to wildfires. Also common to the creeks around Florence Falls were carpentaria palms (Carpentaria acuminata) and aquatic pandanus (Pandanus aquaticus).

Pandanus Palm

Cypress pines (Callitris intratropica)grow around Florence Falls’ upper slopes.  We saw many hollow trees that along the path that animals will burrow in. Aborigines also use these hollow trees to make didgeridoos. Half way through our hike, we made it to the bottom of Florence Falls. Many of us jumped across slippery rocks to get a better view of the picturesque twin waterfalls.  Luckily, no one slipped into the water.

Part of the class climbing at Florence Falls
Exploring at the bottom of Florence Falls

Wangi Falls 

After our stop at Florence Falls, we headed to Wangi Falls further deep inside Litchfield National Park. Wangi Falls is an absolutely beautiful waterfall that flows into a giant natural pool year round. It is safe from crocodiles so many people use Wangi falls as a water hole for swimming.

Wangi Falls
Wangi Falls

Prior to having lunch at Wangi Falls, the class took another hike through the surrounding forests. Many of the same types of trees could be seen the forests around Wangi Falls. Two eculypts that dominated the forest were wollybutt and stringybark. Wollybutt eucalyptus has flaky, decaying bar on the lower trunk with smooth, white bark elsewhere.

Wollybutt Eucalyptus

Stringybark trees have bulky, fibrous bark.  Banksia and Acacia trees also grow within the forest. These two are flowering plants that attract insects and birds. Non-Australian Acacias tend to be thorny, while Australian species are not.

While we were hiking in the forest, we were fortunate enough to see a group of flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) or fruit bats resting in the trees above. It was surreal to see all these bats simply hanging upside down in the trees above you like it was the easiest thing to do in the world. Flying foxes belong to the genus Pteropus and are the largest bats in the world. The oldest living ancestor of the genus Pteropus to appear in the fossil record appears almost exactly like today’s current flying fox. They lack the ability to catch insects in the air like other bats. All species of flying foxes eat only nectar, fruit, and pollen. Flying foxes are beneficial to plants as they are pollinators and disperse seeds. Babies are born while the mother is hanging upside down. The mother will carry her young with her at all time for the first few weeks. When the baby can keep himself warm, the mother may leave the baby at some times to go hunt. However, the mother must be able to carry the baby long distances even when the baby grows a little older because food becomes scarce easily. Some species of flying foxes are becoming extinct because they live in the same areas as humans and construction has destroyed their homes.

Flying fox hanging in the tree

After our hike through the forests around Wagni, we had a lovely barbeque of sausages, fried eggs, and grilled vegetables at the park’s free barbeque station. The food tasted sensational after a long day of hiking throughout Litchfield. To top off our afternoon, some of the group went swimming in Wagni falls. The water was a lot colder than the pools we had swam in Kakadu, but it was an amazing experience to feel like you were swimming in paradise. After a long swim out to the edge of the water fall, some people climbed up the cliffs. There was even a “hot tub” if you were adventurous enough to climb up the rocks. The water fall’s current was very strong, but the feeling of floating underneath the water fall was magical, an experience you can only have here in Australia.

Summary

Our day to Litchfield National Park was full of adventure and excitement. From various termite mounds to breathtaking waterfalls of Wangi and Florence Falls, we were able to experience nature at its fullest. We saw many endemic animals like rock wallabies and flying foxes and many tree species that we had become previously familiar with during our journey, such as banksia and eucalyptus. Though this was one of our shorter field trips, we learned a lot about Australian flora and fauna, reinforcing much of what we had previously seen in other parts of the Top End.

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Posted in blog posts, Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory

Cairns/Great Barrier Reef

Posted on July 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

by Stephen Clement, Han Jun Kim, and Eason Abbott

Moderately warm air filled our lungs as we stepped off the plane in Cairns in the northeastern part of the continent. On the way to the hotel students kept noticing the various billboards advertising hundreds of different adventures. Tourists here have the ability to go cruise the reef, search for whales, fish, and many other water-related activities. This is the city that invented ecotourism, and the efficiency of the industry showed as we walked down the main streets. The people in Cairns were very active, proven by the packed beaches and full barbecues. After settling, most of the class took to the water to try the hand at fishing. Two boats were rented and then navigated towards the edge of the mangrove-filled shoreline. Several flounder and other assorted fish were caught, but the highlight was the view of the city from the water.

Part of group fishing in Cairns.

To cap off the last day in Cairns, the class went to the Woolworth’s to pick up food for a great barbecue. Kangaroo steaks, sausages, and chips were enjoyed before people headed to various backpacker bars to immerse themselves in the tourist culture.

Next day we woke up early to head out to the highlight of our trip, the Great Barrier Reef. We got on a pretty good sized ship with about 40 other people as the crew greeted us enthusiastically. As we departed the Cairns marina toward our first point for exploration, the marine biologist on deck gave us a quick lecture on the Great Barrier Reef and its inhabitants. Coral reefs are made up of individual coral polyps that live together in vast colonies. The body of a polyp has the mouth facing outward, surrounded by tentacles which they use to catch their prey. Its digestive tract progresses inward, with the basal plates at the end firmly attached to an object. While similar to sea anemone, coral polyps differentiate themselves by secreting hard exoskeletons made up of calcium carbonate to support and protect their bodies.

Diagram of a coral polyp.

Closeup of coral showing the individual polyps. © Stephen Clement 2012

The corals form a symbiotic relationship with a type of algae called zooxanthellae (genus Symbiodinium). The coral houses the zooxanthellae and provides nutrients for it and in return, the coral receives some of the glucose that the zooxanthellae make through photosynthesis. As much as 90% of the corals’ energy is made by the zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae are held near the skin of the coral polyp and are what gives the coral its color. Together the coral and zooxanthellae create and excrete limestone which becomes the base on which the coral lives.

Parrotfish swimming near many varieties of coral. © Stephen Clement 2012

Coral reefs are often called the “rainforests’ of the sea, due to the fact that they occupy less than 0.1 % of ocean’s surface but provide niches for 25% of marine species. The similarities between the rainforest continue when one examines the fact coral reefs flourish in ocean waters that provide few nutrients. While reasons for extraordinary diversity of fish species in coral reefs remain somewhat controversial, it is clear many species of fish are dependent on coral reefs for their environment. From fish that either feed on small species near corals or coral itself, over 4000 species of fishes, sharks, rays, crabs, sea turtles, and marine mammals inhabit coral reefs.

White-tipped reef shark. © Stephen Clement 2012

Clown fish in an anemone. © Stephen Clement 2012

The Great Barrier Reef is a very fragile ecosystem. The factors required for the formation of the reef are so specific that small perturbations can have a very large impact on the ecosystem. Among the many threats to the reef are water quality issues, climate change, natural predators, overfishing, shipping issues, and cyclones.

Although this is a very long list of threats, many of the human-caused threats have been mediated through conservation efforts.  A large portion of the reef is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park whose management works to preserve to reef. Over one third of the reef is protected from species removal of any sort. Shipping routes are well charted to help prevent groundings, although they do still occur on occasion. To prevent anchoring damage from boats visiting the reef, there are permanent mooring lines floating above the reef for boats to tie up to. However, while there have been great strides taken to reduce human impact on the reef, runoff of pollutants is still an issue and has been causing an array of problems including disease epidemics and stress from variable salinity.

Map showing GBR Marine Park.

Despite these many human caused threats to the reef, the most significant one is natural. The corals are currently living very near to their maximum temperature allowance, so weather patterns such as El Niño and global climate shift that cause and increase in water temperature, which is causing coral bleaching. When the coral is stressed by increased temperatures, they expel their symbiotic zooxanthellae and which results in a loss of the coral’s color. If the water cools within a month, the coral can regain its zooxanthellae, but if not it will die.

Example of bleached coral. © Stephen Clement 2012

Another major natural threat is the crown-of-thorns starfish. This starfish feeds on the coral polyps and a single starfish can consume over 6 square meters of coral each year. In recent years there have been huge outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish that have devastated the reef. Although these outbreaks seem to occur in a natural cycle, human influence, such as overfishing the starfish’s predators, has worsened the effects.


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Posted in blog posts, Cairns & the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland

Kakadu National Park

Posted on July 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

by David Lung, Darya Cheng, and Lynn (Jomkuan) Theprungsirikul

Location of Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory

Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is about 170 km Southeast from Darwin, and the Ranger Uranium Mine is located within the park. The park is one of the most ecologically and biologically diverse park in the world comprising of over 1700 plant species, over 280 bird species, about 60 mammal species, and about 117 species of reptiles.

Day 1: Crocodile Jumping Cruise, Adelaide River

Baby Wallaby at Crocodile Jumping Cruise

On our 4th day in Australia, we left Darwin for a 3 day camping trip
to Kakadu National Park, which is one of the few places that is listed
as a World Heritage Area for both its cultural and national values of
international significance. It is home to 68 species of mammals, over
120 reptiles, 26 frogs, more than 2,000 species of plants, and 10,000
species of insects. The park is located in the Alligator Region of the
Northern Territory, approximately 3 hours away from Darwin and was
established in stages with the last one occurring in 1992, making it a
relatively new national park. However, while the park has been
established for almost 2 decades, Aborigines have occupied the area
for over 50,000 years. Aboriginal traditional owners work jointly with
the Director of National Parks to preserve and the immense
biodiversity, rich cultural significance and breathtaking natural
beauty of Kakadu National Park.

We arrived at the park during the Wurrgeng or cold weather season, one
of 6 seasons that Aborigines recognize within the park. Northern
Australia in the tropical regions typically recognizes only 2 seasons:
wet and dry. However, Aborigines’ six seasons have small variations
that transition from one to another. The other seasons include Gudjewg
(Monsoon season) in December to March, Banggerreng (Knock ‘em down
storm- violent, windy storms) in April, Yegge (Cooler but still humid
season) in May to June, Gurrung (hot dry weather) in August to
October, and Gunumeleng (pre-monsoon storm season) in October to
December.

Greeny and Tina were our amazing and very knowledgeable Aboriginal
guides who informed us of the various fauna, flora, and also
significance of major Aboriginal sites throughout Kakadu National
Park. As we passed the city limits of Darwin, the landscape changed
drastically with wetlands replacing the arid scenery. We caught a few
glances of wetland birds such as egrets and water buffalos as we made
our way to our first stop, the Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise
where we had some breakfast and also had the opportunity to handle 2
pythons: the carpet python (Morelia spilota) and the olive python
(Liasis olivaceus). All of us could sense the incredible coordination
of their muscles as the pythons wrapped around us and curiously
slithered along our shoulders. As some of us handled the pythons, we
were joined by another member of the crew, an adorable baby wallaby!
While it hopped around exploring the station, all of us had the chance
to pet and play with it. Eventually, the joey hopped back into its
makeshift pouch, and we were on our way to a breathtaking experience
on the Adelaide River where more than 80,000 saltwater crocodile
(Crocodylus porosus) roam.

Crocodile Jumping, Adelaide River

As we set out on the river, our guide gave us a few fun facts about
crocodiles. Normally, you can’t see crocodiles. Often, they are hidden
beneath the river or basking under the sun along the shore. However,
crocodiles are calculating and patient predators, stalking and
memorizing the patterns of their prey for possibly weeks before
striking. The crocodiles in the Adelaide River know the vibrations
from the river boat and come out from hiding for a free meal. After a
few minutes of speeding through the river, our guide stopped the boat
while his assistant pulled out a fishing rod made of bamboo and tied a
piece of buffalo meat at the end. She tapped the water several times
as we waited for any signs of a crocodile. It did not take long until
we suddenly noticed a head poking out from the murky water and heading
straight for the boat. The crocodile patiently floated below the meat
before jumping for it, extending out of the water to almost half of
the length of its body. It truly was a spectacular sight, leaving us
gasping in surprise and awe at the extraordinary display of power.
Despite being normally timid animals, if our guide saw crocodiles that
were close to each other, he would drive the boat between them to
prevent the crocodiles from going after each other. We saw much
evidence of cannibalism among the crocodiles with several missing a
leg or more limbs, but crocodiles are extraordinarily resilient
animals and do not appear affected by the missing limbs. Their
dominance of the river is still unquestioned and their presence
inspires both a sense of caution but also admiration from all
organisms.

White Bellied Sea Eagle, Adelaide River

After feeding the crocodiles, a circle of whistling kites (Haliastur

Whistling Kite, Adelaide River

sphenurus) hovered above the boat as we sped off. Our guide’s
assistant pulled out a few pieces of buffalo meat and showed a piece
in her hand as the kites drew closer. In an incredible display of the
kites’ keen vision and deft acrobatics in the air, the kites easily
snatched the pieces of buffalo the assistant threw in mid-air. Of
course, another larger bird of prey soon joined the kites, the white
bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster). As we quickly passed the
sea eagle, it appeared that it did not see our guide’s assistant
presenting a piece of buffalo at the end of the bamboo rod, but before
we knew it, the sea eagle quickly caught up to the boat and snatched
the chunk of meat in a matter of seconds before roosting far away to
enjoy its meal while we were left in awe and wonder. The Spectacular
Jumping Crocodile Cruise was an unbelievable start to our adventures,
leaving us eager to explore and experience what else Kakadu had to
offer.

Before arriving at our camp site, we surveyed the landscape for
wallabies that are a common sight among the fire-resistant trees such
as the Eucalyptus, dry grasses and termite mounds, another quick
environmental change from the wetlands. The bush resembles a savanna
that stretches for miles, but another common feature of the area is
bush fires. Aboriginal caretakers practice mosaic burning to burn away
the dry grasses in small patches, which allows new vegetation to grow
and prevents fires from becoming uncontrollable. We spotted several
wallabies traveling in packs, hopping along the landscape, a fitting
sight for our first day in the bush.

As we continued to our next destination, we noticed several cars
parked randomly on the side of the road, and Greeny told us we just
entered the Exclusion Zone of the Ranger Uranium Mine, one of the most
productive uranium mines in the world. Prior to any mining activity,
Aborigines who were exposed to high levels of radiation for a period
of time became sick without any evident cause, leaving many to believe
it was cursed. Today, environmentalists strongly oppose further
exploration of Kakadu for uranium due to fears that waste from mining
will contaminate the wetlands and billabongs that are extremely
important breeding grounds for wetland birds and crucial water sources
for other wildlife and Aborigines, which would devastate the
biodiversity of the area. Greeny informed us that further development
of uranium in other areas has currently slowed down, and he and many
other environmentalists hope the Australian government recognize the
importance of protecting the biodiversity of Kakadu and prevent
further damage within the park.

Ubirr Rock, East Alligator Region

As we passed the entrance of Kakadu, we headed towards the East
Alligator region where we had our first taste of Aboriginal culture at
Ubirr, an area famous for rock art that dates back tens of thousands
of years. While we stopped to admire the paintings, Greeny told us of
their significance, which ranged from ensuring abundance of wildlife
for hunting to moral lessons. X-ray painting styles were common among
the paintings, often featuring barramundi, waterfowl and turtles,
which shows the abundance of food available within Ubirr. Many of the
paintings focused on the environmental conditions of Ubirr and
depicted the rich resources of the East Alligator River as well as the
Nadab floodplain that many Aborigines exploited. At times, Greeny
paused in some of his cultural explanations, telling us that they
would make more sense if we knew the whole story. However, due to
their customs, we were not allowed to know the rest, which only
increased the mystery and our fascination with Aboriginal culture.
Despite living in a modern society, Greeny’s convincing presentation
coupled with our surroundings gave Ubirr a mystical feel and none of
us questioned the significance of these sacred sites. Walking through
the woodlands, we eventually began to climb Ubirr Rock, which gave us
a stunning view of the Nadab floodplains as well as the woodlands.

View from the top of Ubirr Rock

As incredible as the biodiversity of Kakadu has been, the geological
variation was also a stunning sight. Kakadu is an ancient geological
area with granite intrusions that date back to 2.5 billion years ago,
but Kakadu was once submerged under a shallow sea 140 million years
ago, which was a critical event that shaped much of the landscape.
Many sea cliffs can be seen near waterfalls such as Gunlom, Jim Jim,
Twin Falls, as well as at Nourlangie Rock. Igneous intrusions that are
more resistant to erosion lie randomly in the grasslands and are
highly conspicuous on the flat landscape, ripple marks on sandstone
throughout Ubirr are remnants from an ancient river, and conglomerate
rocks dominate much of the landscape within the sandstone. We spent
about half an hour internalizing the scene and resting for our final
trip of the day to our campsite.

Campground

Tired from our travels, we made our way to our campsite where we
waited for a surprise dinner. When dinner was served, nothing seemed
out of the ordinary with a salad, potatoes, garlic bread and what
appeared to be steak. It wasn’t until we were almost finished that the
cooks finally told us that we didn’t have steak but kangaroo!
Definitely an unexpected surprise! After dinner and spraying a great
deal of bug spray, we ended our first, eventful day with a beautiful
and mesmerizing night sky, stargazing at the astonishing number of
stars that we could never see in the States. Our first day was nothing
short of amazing, making significant impressions on all of us on the
majesty of Kakadu.

Day 2 at the Kakadu National Park

Gunlom Falls

Termite Mounts

Early the next morning, on our second day in Kakadu, we headed out towards the Gunlom Falls, located in southern half of the national park.  On our way there, Tina stopped to show us a termite “cathedral” mound. Made of mud and termite saliva, these mounds can grow up to 25 feet tall and serve as high-rise “apartments” for the termites during the wet season when low-lying lands flood. The mounds also help to maintain humidity, as many of the worker termites are relatively thin skinned and are quite susceptible to dehydration. Tina also told us a bit about the phylogeny of the termites. While termites might look a lot like ants, and are frequently referred to as “white ants”, termites are actually much more closely related to cockroaches. This confusion isn’t helped by the fact that ants often take over exposed areas of the termite mound for their own use, thus coining the popular moniker “anthills” for what are really termite mounds. After snapping a few pictures, we were on our way again.

Sundews

 

Not too long afterwards, we arrived at Gunlom Falls, one of the many stunning waterfalls in Kakadu.  After stopping briefly to change into swimwear and to admire the waterfall from afar, Greenie led us up a steep, 30+ m (100+ ft) climb to the top of the falls. Hot and sweaty after the climb (while it’s winter here in the Southern hemisphere, northern Australia is located well within the tropics), everyone quickly jumped into plunge pools to cool off, relax, and enjoy the spectacular views of Kakadu.  While several of us explored the several pools closer to the edge of the falls and admired the scenery, some of the more adventurous members of our group climbed up the smaller waterfall towards the back of the pools and dove off cliffs into the beautiful water.  All too soon though, it was time to head back down. We were really quite reluctant to leave, but the thought of lunch was too good to resist! Back at the bottom, we went swimming again in the pool at the bottom of Gunlom Falls while we waited for lunch. Having missed out on the climbing at the other site, this time I wanted to go climbing too.  After clambering up the rock face, we were able to get right up next to the waterfall itself. In the meantime, Lynn and some other friends did some exploring at a nearby billagong and found some very beautiful and unusual plants. The red ones are sundews, genus Drosera. These carnivorous plants secrete a sweet, sticky substance in order to attract hapless insects, which are then trapped by the sticky fluid. The sundew then curls its tentacles inwards and begins digesting the insect in order to supplement what the plant receives from the relatively nutrient-poor soil. The yellow one, on the other hand, is a bladderwort, genusUtricularia, which doesn’t need a response from the plant but instead traps insects mechanically. On the bladderwort, a small, empty bladder rests underwater. When a water insect swims by and triggers the hairs on the opening of the bladder, the bladder pops open, sucking the insect in to the digestion area as water rushes into the lower pressure area inside the bladder. Luckily for us, our lunch was ready too, and we all enjoyed our sandwiches and wraps.

Gunlom Falls, Kakadu National Park

Sated – and able to concentrate again! – we all sat down for an in-the-field class session to examine and identify the native Australian fauna growing around us. Among the plants we observed, quite a few were eucalyptus (also known as the gum tree). With over 600 types of eucalyptus are present in Australia, it’s no surprise that we saw so many in Kakadu! Dr. V showed us two main forms: the smooth bark eucalyptus with roundish leaves and the stringy bark (and fire-resistant) eucalyptus with pointed leaves. Dr. V also found several different gum nuts, the fruit of the eucalyptus from which the eucalyptus derives its nickname. Additionally, we also saw several wattles, the common name for trees in the genus Acacia. These trees had clusters of bright yellow flowers at the tips of the branches – two hints that they were wind pollinated, rather than bird pollinated, which would have required bright red flowers to attract the birds. The most interesting plant, or so I thought anyway, were the figs. In return for carrying its pollen, these trees allow tiny fig wasps to crawl inside the fig flowers and lay wasp eggs. As the fruit forms, the wasp larvae are encased inside the fig, sheltering the wasps from the dangers of the outside world and providing nourishment. Because of this close association between the two species, each type of fig tree has co-evolved with the wasps to have highly specific relationships in which each fig species pollinates and protects only one wasp species.

Tired from our long day, we soon headed back towards camp, stopping once or twice to learn more about Kakadu. One of the hottest things we saw was a bush fire (sorry, couldn’t resist!), which was actually blocking our way. Bush fires are an extremely important aspect of the way that Australian biogeography developed. Throughout history, the Aboriginal peoples of Australia have practiced firestick farming, in which the ground cover would be burned off in controlled fires to both encourage the growth of plant species that would attract food animals and make travel throughout the country much easier. This caused a gradual shift from scrubland to grassland throughout Australia, increasing the numbers of grass-eating herbivores (such as the kangaroos) while also potentially causing the extinction of large Australian animal species. To this day, controlled fires are still used as a method of maintaining the park and other lands, and we were lucky to see it up close. We quickly detoured around the fire (though it’s clear from the picture that not everyone did!) and drove on to the Yellow Waters billabong, where we stopped on the boardwalk to watch the sun set over the wetlands. Despite enjoying the dramatically colored sunset, we were all ready to leave as soon as the sun fell below the horizon, as the mozzies were out in full force, but not before we stopped to marvel at the massive golden orb-weaver.

Later that night, after dinner, Dr. V led us on a night hike where we tried to spot the nocturnal wildlife. To do so, you hold a flashlight by your eyes, pointing out in front of you, and then look for the sparks of light reflecting from the animal’s eyes. I can’t help but feel that most of the time everything within a 100 foot radius can see and hear us coming as we tramp through the forest, but that night we had a particularly fruitful hike. In addition to the ever-present cane toads, a toxic, non-native alien species that’s quickly spreading and killing off many of the native species, we also spotted flying foxes (which are really a type of very large bat), a sugar glider, and something that we couldn’t quite identify, but which may have been a rock wallaby. Once we got back from our hike, we headed straight for our tents – we knew we’d be up early again the next day!

Day 3 at the Kakadu National Park

Yellow Water Billabong

Campsite at Kakadu National Park

On our third day at Kakadu National Park, we woke up as the cool breeze was blowing gently through the mesh of our tents. The stars were slowly fading away after the Sun had risen at the far horizon edge of Kakadu. The water drips on our tents started to evaporate when the cool breeze was warming up by sunlight in this part of the downunder land. With birds chirping welcoming another new day, people in other tents started to move and we heard zipping down sounds as they roll out of their sleeping bags. Today, our plan was to pack up and leave the campsite to visit Aboriginal Cultural Center and head back to Darwin.

Willie Wagtail at the Yellow Water Billabong

Since the Aboriginal Cultural Center opens

Rainbow Bee-eater at the Yellow Water Billabong

at 9 o’clock in the morning, we decided to stop at the Yellow Water Billabong before to observe some wild life. We saw many different kinds of birds and spiders such as Kingfishers, Rainbow Bee-eaters, Willie Wagtails, Golden Orb spiders, and also some aquatic plants such as beautiful lotuses. We applied extra insect repellent because there were a lot of mosquitoes at this site since we were walking on a walkway above billabong (an Aboriginal word for a stagnant pool) which served as a great habitat for mosquitoes to live and breed. Some people were already fishing on the deck as we walked back to the bus.

Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Center

When we arrived at the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Center, we were introduced into an exhibition of the Aboriginal people and their cultures. The cultural center building was built in the shape of pig-nosed turtle which is called ‘Warradjan’ in Aborigines,

Pandanus Tree in front of Northern Territory Museum, Darwin

hence, became the name of the center. In this area, Bininj means Aboriginal people and Balanda means non-Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people believe that Mimi (spirit ancestors) were the first people to paint on rocks and created the rock arts. Bininj are told never to spoil (touch up) somebody else’s painting as it could hurt the spirit of the painting. However, it is fine to paint over the top of other arts.

Recent deaths usually caused too much sadness, so according to Bininj’s custom, the death’s names cannot be spoken and the photographs of them cannot be seen for at least a year. Those people who passed away will be given new names replacing their actual names. Bininj hunt according to what is seasonally available in their areas. We saw different types of hunting weapons displayed at the exhibition; each serves specific purpose in hunting. Buffalo hunting is very common among Aboriginal people since buffalos can damage land and food resources. When buffalo became scarce, they started to hunt for crocodiles and dingoes.

Pandanus trees (An-yakngarra) are used for tucker, medicines, weaving fibers, and fuel for cooking. The tender parts of the leaves are good to eat. They can be crushed up and mixed into a paste to be applied to bruises, sores, or swelling areas. Aboriginal people commonly use fire (Gunak) to take care of their country. The bark from melaleuca or paperbark tree is used to wrap old people when they die. Aboriginal people tend to reside under rocks for shelter, so we usually find rock arts in those areas that are comfortable enough to be a shelter and home.

Nourlangie Rock

Nourlangie Rock locates between Jabiru and Cooinda in the Kakadu National Park, and it is about 3 hours drive from Darwin. It was a 1.5 km loop walk that took us through ancient Aboriginal shelters and their life stories embedded in the outstanding rock arts as if they were canvases.

Australian Bottlebrush at Nourlangie Rock

On our way up to the Gunwarddehwardde lookout spot to view the Nourlangie Rock, we encountered several rock paintings. Our guide told us that sometimes buffalos and wild hogs rubbed their bodies against the rock art so they have to build the rail to protect animals from getting into contact with the paintings. The colors that the Aboriginal people used for painting usually come in 4 shades. Red color came from Haematite, yellow color came from Limonite, white color came from Pipeclay, and black color came from charcoal. We found some Australian bottlebrush (red, brush-like flowers) along our trail and it has sweet nectar that if you dip the flower into a water bottle, it will sweeten up the water for you to refresh yourself.

Namarrgon-Lightning Man Rock Art

We walked pass paintings such as Namarrgon-lightening man and Nabulwinjbulwinj (a dangerous spirit), and we explored the relationship between the people and their culture. We learned that Aboriginal men and women enjoy dancing which adds to the life and vigor of most ceremonial events, making them something to look forward to. The view of the Nourlangie Rock was very beautiful contrasting with the bright blue sky in the background.

Nabulwinjbulwinj Rock Art

After we hiked down the trail back from the Nourlangie Rock, we continued heading back to Darwin. On our way back, we stopped at a picnic place in Jabiru (just off the Arnhem highway) for lunch and saw many White Cockatoos and many Eucalyptus species. Lunch was great with crocodile sausages and sandwiches with picnic tables overlooking a lake. In the lake, there were many water ferns (red seaweed-like plants) on the edge near the land. Some crocodile cages could be seen on the opposite side of the lake to catch crocodiles for survey purposes. By the end of that day, we reached Darwin safely. It was a long trip but very worthwhile and we will miss every details of our trip and moments we shared together during our 3 days in the Kakadu National Park the memories that will never be forgotten.

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Aboriginal Culture

Posted on July 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

By David Lung, Coulter Knapp, and Stephen Clement

During our time in Australia, especially in the Top End, we had a lot of interaction with the indigenous Australians: the Aborigines. Here is a bit about them:

Aboriginal Australians are the indigenous people of Australians and
there are currently over 500,000 Aborigines that live in Australia.
They have been custodians of Australia for approximately 50,000 years
and while we may speculate their origins through genetic studies and
other scientific means, the Aborigines clearly picture their origins
as well as the creation of the world through a time called
“Dreamtime.” This was a period when the Nayuhyunggi or Rainbow Snakes
began all life and shaped the land with different landforms and bodies
of water before becoming djang or dreaming sites upon resting when
Dreamtime ended. Despite the end of the creation period, the
Nayuhyunggi are still active today, overseeing that their laws are
followed as well as influencing weather patterns. The Aborigines
strongly believe in a close relationship with the land that provides
for them. The Biniji (keepers of the land) were taught by the
Nayuhyunggi on how to maintain the land and these beliefs served as
the basis for their ceremonies, laws, and language.

A map of the Aboriginal Languages.

Aborigines welcome visitors to learn about their culture; however,
there are some restrictions for how much non-Aborigines are allowed to
know. Much of Aboriginal culture is expressed orally in the form of
storytelling. Throughout our travels within Kakadu, Greeny rarely
simply informs us of the significance of a place we visit or artwork.
He first begins with a story that details an important event in
Aboriginal history before enlightening us on how a place or object
holds such a meaningful part within their culture. What we may see as
a normal landscape or straightforward piece of artwork, there were far
more important implications than we could have imagined, which
continuously broadened our outlook and appreciation of an ancient and
fascinating culture. One of the most important embodiments of
Aboriginal culture is in rock art.

 

Rock Art:

Rock art of many paintings painted over each other.

Spirit ancestors or Mimi were the first of the Nayuhyunggi to paint on
the rocks. They taught some Aboriginal people how to paint, but
according to Aborigines, some of the paintings are actually djang,
resting site of the Nayuhyunggi. Warramurrungundi is one of the most
prominent Nayuhyunggi who created the river systems, billabongs, as
well as the plants and animals of Kakadu and after her journey was
completed during the Dreamtime, she rested and changed into a large
rock, which marked her resting site. While some djang sites can be
visited by visitors, there are several highly sacred ones that require
proper protocols and following strict laws in order to avoid
disturbing the spirits that reside within the site. As a result, most
of the sacred sites can only be viewed by senior men or women who
fully understand how to interpret and interact with the djang sites.
Disturbing these sites can cause catastrophes such as fire, floods and
sicknesses.

Other rock art depicts various aspects of Aboriginal life including
hunting where animals are painted in order to increase their abundance
and ensure a successful hunting season, ceremonies, creation stories,
moral lessons, sorcery, and magic. Interestingly, Aborigines consider
the act of painting as more important than the painting itself, which
is evident in several paintings painted over each other. Because
painting originated from the Nayuhyunggi, doing so puts the artist in
touch with the Nayuhyunggi, a powerful and intense experience, and
because of this, only Aborigines with prior knowledge of the painting
subject is required. Paintings also reflect the progression of
Aborigines throughout life with young Aborigines and non-Aborigines
being told the “public story” or most basic level of understanding,
and they will be told the “full story” based on ceremonies, interest
level and willingness to bear the responsibility of such knowledge.

Rock art that depicts a moral lesson of not being greedy and sharing with your community.

A painting of Barramundi that was painted to ensure an abundance of Barramundi.

As mentioned before, the Aborigines have been in Australia for 50,000 years and, in all that time, their culture has not changed significantly. The Aborigines see themselves as custodians of the land, living in harmony with nature in order to preserve it for the future. They have always operated as a hunter-gatherer society, having never developed agriculture. Even with the bringing of agriculture and industry by Europeans, most Aborigines don’t desire to adopt their ways.

About 50 million years ago, the climate of Australia began to shift from dense rainforest to arid eucalyptus forest. These eucalypts drop leaves and branches year round which, combined with the dry climate, results in a large layer of dry ground litter that decomposes very slowly. Naturally started fires would result in a massive, destructive blaze. In order to prevent this, and for many other reasons, the Aborigines intentionally ignite the bush every year in a process called mosaic burning. They light a small patch of the bush, which allows all the animals to run to an adjacent part that doesn’t catch. Later, when the first fire is all out, the adjacent patch is lit reciprocating the process.

Burning the bush, in addition to preventing large fires, has allowed the Aborigines to move more easily across the land and has facilitated their hunting efforts. The plants in the bush have become particularly adapted to the fires. The trees have special bark adaptations to prevent being harmed by the flames and the undergrowth are able to grow right back. Within days of a burning, the green tips of new grass can be seen poking out of the ash. However, these burnings have been the center of controversy as some have gotten out of control and destroyed property very close to city centers.

Bushfire along the road.

To this day, the Aboriginal culture is preserved through oral tradition. Although at one time there were over 200 aboriginal languages in Australia, and today at least 50 are still spoken, there has never been a written form of any aboriginal languages. Some parts of it have been spelled phonetically in order to help the Aborigines explain their culture to Europeans. The wealth of ancient knowledge preserved in the minds of the Aborigines is incredible. For example, our guide, Greeny, told us how recently his grandfather told him a story about an animal that the Aborigines used to hunt. He told him about where it would live, what it ate, and where it traveled. This story is a scientifically accurate description of the Thylecine, a marsupial wolf that disappeared from Australia 6000 years ago. So, just like all their other stories, this one has been passed down orally from one generation to the next over thousands of years.

 

Rock art depiction of a Thylecine at Ubirr.

In Aboriginal society, there are no ages; instead there are 5 stages of life: infant, toddler, young boy, man, and elder. The transition from young boy to man is a very central event in Aboriginal society. The transition is concluded with Ceremony, an event that involves the entire clan. In fact, neglecting to participate in Ceremony can result in expulsion from society. Like many central aspects of their culture, what actually occurs at Ceremony is kept secret from outsiders. The Aborigines keep almost everything about their society secret; all that is divulged is just enough to help outsiders to gain an appreciation of the culture and respect it. As an Aboriginal gets older, they are allowed to learn more and more secrets. Although the tenets of the culture is kept secret, it is not a closed society. It is not uncommon for non-Aborigines to be accepted into their society, go through Ceremony, and even become elders.

Additionally there are no family names. Instead, there are kinship names that describe blood relationships. Depending on the size of a clan, there can be anywhere from 8 to even 32 kinship names. These kinship names allow the Aborigines to keep track of bloodlines in order to prevent marriage between relatives. The kinship names are arranged in pairs and one can only marry someone with the kinship name most distant from their own. These kinship names can also be used to extend other family relationships. For example, any woman with the same kinship name as one’s mother can be referred to as “mother.”

There is a very harsh punishment system in Aboriginal society in order to prevent misconduct. For example, the punishment for incest is to be pinned to the ground by having a spear driven through each leg. For the rest of their lift, that person would carry the scars from punishment, reminding everyone of the consequences of breaking the law.

The assimilation of aboriginals into the alien European society has been, and to this day still is, one of many difficulties. Aboriginals have undergone many struggles in the past in regards to coping with modern society, and many factors are the reason for this clash of cultures.

Today, there are still many aboriginals who are significantly disadvantaged in Australia. Statistically,  aboriginals have poorer health, educational opportunities, life expectancy, and employment opportunities.  Many also have to deal with negative social attitudes from the general public, which has contributed to difficult assimilation into the modern culture. The biggest issue between aboriginals and the European society has been concerning land ownership. The natural land of Australia has always been an integral part of the aboriginal way of life, and issues of encroaching cities, agricultural and mining prospects, and depleting natural resources are at the head of the problems between both cultures. One of the biggest problems with land ownership and claims have arisen from modern day land laws. In order for an aboriginal tribe to claim right to an area of land, they must prove the significance of the land and its  link to their culture as well as their maintenance over it for a significant period of history. However, this has proven difficult as aboriginal tribes do not keep written records. Subsequently, the present system of land determination has led to many tribes losing much of their land.
Furthermore, the poor health status of aboriginals in today’s society is a leading cause for concern. The arrival of European’s to Australia brought many diseases that the aboriginals have not been exposed to for thousands of years and therefore many populations have subsequently suffered. Also, the introduction of alcohol into aboriginal culture has proved difficult as well. Unlike those of European decent, aboriginals have not been exposed to alcohol for thousands of years and therefore are not able to biologically break down alcohol efficiently. This has led to a rise of alcoholism within the aboriginal populations as well as the health concerns associated with alcohol.
While assimilation has been difficult, many measures within present society have been made to help. The Australian government has done much to help this, including offering social benefits and equal health care, but there is still much to be done.

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