This morning we left the hostel in the Daintree Rainforest and hopped on a bus to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, the first place in Australia to breed crocs in captivity and focus on crocodile conservation and management. On the way, we spotted two cassowary birds! This was very exciting, as it is estimated that as few as 1500 cassowaries survive today.

Southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)! Photo credit: Carmen Hoyt

Once we arrived at Hartley’s, we took half an hour to explore animals living in wildlife habitat. Koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, snakes and cassowaries were just some of the amazing Australian native fauna that we appreciated up close. We were lucky enough to spot a baby kangaroo and pose for photos with a baby crocodile.

Baby crocodile! Photo credit: Carmen Hoyt

Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus). Photo credit: Carmen Hoyt

After a quick lunch break, we embarked on a boat tour of feeding demonstrations around Hartley Lagoon. Safely behind bars in an enclosed boat, we spotted Ted, a 100-year old, 900-kilo crocodile. Because Ted is so old, he had lost all of his teeth and is losing his eyesight as well. Luckily he is surrounded by 8 male and 15 female crocs to keep him company. At Hartley’s, crocodile gender manipulation is conducted by altering the temperature of crocodile eggs during incubation. Eggs kept over 30 degrees result in males and eggs kept under 30 degrees result in females, and manipulation of this process allows Hartley’s to maintain a stable 6:4 male to female ratio. We were treated to croc feedings, watching in awe as they jumped for chicken. We were assured that the crocs do not rely on the tours for food, and are still able to scour the lagoon for unlucky fish.

Ted (Crocodylus porosus). Photo credit: Hannah Aird

Next, we had a guided tour of the crocodile farm. On the way, we spotted male and female Jabirus, Australia’s largest wading bird. Hannah pointed out that the females are distinctive looking due to their striking yellow eyes. We then made our way to the outer edges of the enclosed crocodile habitats. Our tour guide informed us that people hunted crocodiles for their skins and 300,000 to 500,000 were sent overseas illegally in the early 1900s. Crocs nearly became extinct until 1975 when they finally became protected throughout Australia. We watched the crocs bask in the sun and learned that 11 out of 24 species have commercial value and this reduces hunting pressure on wild populations and encourages public acceptance of the animals.

Jabiru (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus)! Photo credit: Hannah Aird

Crocodile farm. Photo credit: Hannah Aird

Walking out of the farm, I took a look at the Croc-Files, fliers available for tourists to further educate themselves about crocodiles and croc management strategies. I found it interesting that Hartley’s provides a list of principles highlighting the benefits of biodiversity. They emphasize that decisions regarding treatment of crocodiles should be supported by significant biological knowledge about population dynamics of the animals. It is pointed out that establishing a commercial value for crocs encourages Australian landowners to place importance on them and therefore their habitats and other species. Although their appearance and reputation make crocodiles seem less appealing, we have all learned the importance of caring for these creatures.

Tomorrow will be an exciting free day to enjoy Cairns! Whitewater rafting, visiting Fitzroy Island, learning to scuba dive, snorkeling, and visiting an aboriginal art museum are just some of the activities that we have planned.

On July 17th, we experienced the Discovery Centre Canopy Walk.

Our guide Martin introduced us to two ancient gymnosperm genera, Lepidozamia and Bowenia. These plant species can be traced as far back as the Jurassic. Martin also told us about the plethora of primitive angiosperms (flowering) plants present in the reserve as well. Thirteen families are unique to the Australian Daintree Forests since the continent’s split from Antarctica. Martin noted that 80% of the flora in Daintree is recent and 20% of the flora is Gondwanan in heritage.

Gondwanan gymnosperms. Photo credit: Thomas Klug

Martin warned us about the Wait-A-While Palms, an odd winding and scrambling plant with sharp spikes used as climbing devices. These stranglers cover and kill plants, often woven and intertwined with another tree’s branches. Epiphytic ferns are parasitic plants that take advantage of other plant species.

Wait-a-while palm (Calamus muelleri). Photo credit: Hannah Aird

Epiphytic ferns. Photo credit: Hannah Aird

Rainforests typically have a closed forest canopy but this feature was not present in parts of Daintree. Martin explained that seasonal cyclones (tropical storms) were responsible for ravaging and opening the closely woven forest canopy.

At the base of the creek, Martin pointed out several plant species. He described the king fern (an ancient gymnosperm), natural ginger (possessed large strap-like fronds), and the infamous stinging tree (with heart-shaped leaves). The stinging tree possesses neurotoxins that can induce intense pain (lasting months) if placed in contact with human skin.

The gympie-gympie stinging plant (Dendrocnide moroides). Photo credit: Hannah Aird

Martin told us that the water quality of these streams was extremely pure due to natural filtration on it’s journey from the mountaintops. This also causes the water to be quite cold.

The forest floor had an apparent lack of color and very few flowers were present. We did, however, come across a Freycinetia which, despite its flower-like appearance, is actually an edible fruit.

Next on our walk, we ascended the canopy tower to get a clearer view of our surroundings. This preserve was home to roughly 100-120 species of large tree. Interestingly enough, much of Daintree would not be around today if it weren’t for this region’s isolation. When the Europeans arrived, they cut down much of the land’s red cedar for logging. Logging in the Daintree region was begun but stopped as it was no longer seen as economically viable.

The Australian government enforced the protection of this land from exploitation and it was even listed as a World Heritage Site. The government purchased roughly 95% of the land in the region as Cairns was growing and being subdivided into rural and residential blocks. The government purchase of this land also prompted its swift revegetation.

The revegetation process did not take many years because many species of tree were fast growing, some up to 10m in just 4-5 years. Fortunately, much of Daintree is original forest, safe from exploitation.

The Daintree rainforest canopy. Photo credit: Thomas Klug

The expansion of the Daintree rainforest may have increased the number of cassowaries in the area. Considered endangered in Australia, it is estimated that 4,400 are left. The migratory range of an adult cassowary is about 250 acres and they are responsible for eating cassowary plums, aiding in their germination.

The metallic starling (a migratory bird) nests in pencil cedars near the top of the forest canopy. Ambitious pythons and goannas are the bird’s main predators, having to climb great heights to have a meal.

Nests built by the metallic starlings (Aplonis metallica). Photo credit: Hannah Aird

From the top of the tower, we also see Thornton’s Peak which is Queensland’s third highest mountain peak. The reason that Daintree is able to sustain itself year round is due to the unusually high amount of rainfall it receives during the dry season. Martin told us that sea level in the last 20,000 years (since the last Ice Age) has shrunk Daintree’s size as well.

Last on our tour, Martin showed us the strangler fig tree. The strangler seeds germinate high up on a host tree and send roots downwards to pick up ground nutrients, simultaneously causing the host tree to fall over.

Strangler fig tree (Ficus sp.). Photo credit: Thomas Klug

Nearby, Martin explained how Alexandra Palm trees can be dated by counting the rings along their trunks and that heart of palm (the bud near the top) was considered a delicacy. Commenting on the notable absence of weeds in the area, Martin explained that weeds struggled to take hold in this part of Daintree because of fierce competition among native plants for nutrients and light. The pond apple (a relative of the custard apple) is seen as an invasive species in the region. The pond apple, however, is adored by the cassowaries. The creeper vine from Asia is also a new threat to the Australian rainforests, but Martin felt confident that it would not take over Daintree as the forest is quite resilient and has dealt with destruction in the past.

A young cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) we saw on the way home, enjoying some fruit! Photo credit: Hannah Aird

After a fantastic morning at the reef and a bit of unwinding time back at PK’s resort, we put on our tennis shoes (or hiking boots) and eagerly waited for a van to pick us up for our Daintree Rainforest night hike. At the hike site, two guides led us into the base building and showed us a huge display of charged flashlights. Properly armed, we were guided to a bush in front of the building and promptly told to turn off all our lights. Suddenly, we saw rectangular shaped objects glowing underneath the bush and a collective series of “ooh aah”s could be heard from our circle.

Showing off our miners’ torches (flashlights). Photo credit: Katherine Chernova

Waiting for the other half of the group to arrive. Photo credit: Katherine Chernova

The head guide, Marina, explained that this was called “glowing fungus” and was an inspiration for the designers of Avatar! This glow particularly stood out to David Cameron and made the cut for the movie plan. She explained that this phenomenon is caused by the fungus and attracts female fireflies, because they like to lay their eggs in the glowing crevices. In turn, male fireflies want to be near the females to fertilize the eggs, which ultimately helps spread the fungus to other trees as tracks of the fungus are carried on firefly feet and wings. However, she warned us not to take photos because the glow was too particular for cameras to pick up.

Afterwards, we were split into two groups and taken to two different parts of the rainforest. Marina led my group of twelve people, and as we left to go on our trail, we were struck by how dark our surroundings were and how important it was to shine your light primarily on the path to avoid tripping but also to notice occasional glowing eyes in the dark. However, everyone was too excited to keep the flashlights only on the ground and it all turned out for the best, because members of my group had some incredible sightings!

Firstly, Marina pointed out some trees including the spur mahogany, which was home to an intricate web with a small spider in the center that she called the “green orb spider.” As we walked on, she told us to keep our ears open for sounds of large thuds because tree kangaroos were in the area. However, we barely had time to comprehend that amazing fact before Spud (Victoria) asked, “Is that a snake?” Sure enough, her flashlight was aimed at a huge python with beautiful brown scales crawling to the right of our path, further into the rainforest!!! Marina exclaimed “what a find!” in excitement and hurried over to get closer. We all ventured a bit into the woods for a better look as she told us that this five-meter snake was the non-venomous Amethystine Python. After gaping for a bit, I remembered that I had a camera and got the image below of its tail as it finally left.

Amethystine python (Morelia amethistina). Photo credit: Katherine Chernova

We proceeded to immediately praise Spud, and the adventure continued. Although this pit spot was our most impressive and notable, other things we saw included a huge female Huntsman spider, a white tropical termite mound, two sleeping orange-footed scrub fowl (we even saw their large nesting mound), and a strangler tree. The strangler tree particularly impressed the group because it looked like a regular tree enveloped with vines, running all the way from the top and spreading intricately at the bottom. Marina explained that this tree spreads through bird poop, which germinates the strangler seed and is afterwards dropped on top of trees. The seed’s vines then grow from the top of the tree and dangle to the bottom, looking to root themselves down. Once in the ground, the roots continue to grow, taking away the original tree’s nutrients, essentially killing it off and leaving only an interesting mass of vines around a hollow center where the old tree once stood.

Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda sp.?). Photo credit: Katherine Chernova

Strangler Tree (Ficus sp.). Photo credit: Katherine Chernova

The other group sadly did not see large creatures, but, according to Gina, they did see a sleeping butterfly and a variety of flora that included the strangler tree, wait-a-while palms, and supposedly the “world’s ugliest flower” which looked like a mushroom with a pink top.

Look at those buttress roots! Photo credit: Hannah Aird

The world’s ugliest flowers? Photo credit: Hannah Aird

After a very long and exciting day, the van picked us back up, and we headed back to PK’s for some much needed sleep.

Team Python(?) Photo credit: Katherine Chernova

Today began bright and early for the group as we prepared to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.  The adventure was scheduled earlier than expected, but the excitement was still at an all time high. After receiving our wet suits, we walked to the shores of the beach to board the Ocean Safari boat. After boarding, we cruised out into the open sea to where we would be snorkeling.

All ready to snorkel! Photo credit: Darbi Griffith

We’re on a boat! Photo credit: Darbi Griffith

We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef near the Daintree Rainforest because it is listed as a World Heritage area.  To be listed as a World Heritage area, the site must have outstanding universal value, having special culture or physical significance that requires protection of the area. This has an important impact on the area of the Great Barrier we were at because the rainforest is one of the oldest living tropical rainforests on earth. This leaves the reef pristine and undamaged by common agricultural practices.

Brown boobies (Sula leucogaster). Photo credit: Darbi Griffith

Once we arrived at the location we would be snorkeling at, we were given a crash course in snorkeling, armed with pool noodles, and allowed to take to the water. Not only was the reef a spectacular sight, it was teeming with aquatic life. There were many variations of coral, blue sea stars, and sea turtles. And this list could go on and on.

Thumbs up to snorkeling. Photo credit: Darbi Griffith

Swimming with a sea turtle! Photo credit: Darbi Griffith

An interesting species we saw was the Crown of Thorns Sea Star, and the name is just as daunting as its effects on the reef. The Crown of Thorns Sea Star is an destructive native to the coral reefs. Normally it plays an important role in feeding on fast growing corals, allowing slower growing coral species to form colonies. This helps increase the coral diversity. However, there has been an outbreak of the invertebrate, causing a decline in coral cover of the reef by about 50 percent over the past 30 years. This sea star is responsible for about half of this decline. There are currents efforts underway to thwart the outbreak, however this has caused some controversy over the idea of interrupting a natural process.

Crown of Thorns Sea Star (Acanthaster planci). Photo credit: Darbi Griffith

After snorkeling for about two hours, the group boarded the boat once again and sailed back to shores, graced by the postcard-picturesque view of the Daintree Rainforest. This was not only one of my favorite memories of this trip, but also a very memorable moment of my life.

We conquered the Reef! Photo credit: Darbi Griffith

***Editor’s note: As today was action-packed with memorable experiences, we split it into sections and asked several students to blog about it, in order to present the snorkeling experience from different points of view.***

How does one describe the GBR?

I for one used mostly high-pitched squeals and incoherent sounds of delight. Some of my more eloquent peers used terms like “incredible,” “breathtaking,” and “unforgettable.”

We started our morning early at PK’s Jungle Village. The air was cold as we groggily ate breakfast – unbeknownst to us that our interpretation of the aquatic world would soon change forever. We trekked a lengthy distance across the street to Ocean Safari where we met Kane – a soul more pirate than landlubber. He gave us our wetsuits and as soon as we all were dressed as hot seals we walked by our friends the mangroves and arrived at the ocean. Soon our vessel arrived, yellow & buoyant, and we met the skipper of our pirate ship –  Jason. We hopped aboard – some of us got to go full adventure and sit on the side of the boat where the likelihood of ‘man overboard’ increased exponentially.

Shoes into the bucket (for dryness) and onto the boat! Photo credit: Victoria Green

Our pirate ship, with pirate included (Cane). Photo credit: Victoria Green

We took a break on our short journey out to the reef to look back at the iconic Daintree Rainforest – the oldest continuous rainforest on earth (take that Amazon!). To add to the rarity – it is also home to where two World Heritage sites overlap (Daintree & GBR). Also learned today that locals don’t call the reef GBR. #weird  The forested mountains loomed over the flat blue sea. I can confirm it was prettier than any postcard they had in a gift shop.

After parking, we added mask and snorkel and fins to our ensemble and jumped in. Bright Blue Sea Stars (Linckia laevigate) were chilling on beautiful corals. Giant clams, (Tridacna gigas) over a meter long were fluttering on the ocean floor. If you were lucky you spotted Nemo’s cousin the Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindyos) darting in and out of anemones. A major highlight was finding a Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) and swimming with it for a while (check out our #seaturtleselfies). The colorful Parrotfish (Chlorurus sp.) was picking at the coral – fun fact it’s estimated that about 30% of the sand on the reef is actually broken down coral excreted from Parrotfish (poop)!  The anomalously long Trumpetfish (Aulostomus sp.) was slowly drifting between the coral. Also rich in species were the invertebrates responsible for it all: corals. We spotted Brain Corals, Plate Corals, Table Corals, and many more (corals have easy names – if it looks like a brain, it’s probably a brain coral)! Everyone had unique animal sightings – so talk to your favorite Duke in Australia student for more incredible species.

Unique underwater ecosystem. Photo credit: Victoria Green

Snorkeling! Photo credit: Victoria Green

Corals and fish! Photo credit: Victoria Green

Giant Clam (Tridacna gigas)! Photo credit: Victoria Green

The Great Barrier Reef stretches over 1500 miles along the Australian coast and is comprised of over 3000 individual reefs. Kane emphasized how it’s not “the world’s largest organism” but rather the world’s largest natural structure. On our trip we visited the Mackay and Undine Reefs, sampling just part of the incredible biodiversity the Reef has to offer. For many, it was the most extraordinary day of the trip and the Reef will forever have a place in our hearts.

But our adventure wasn’t over! We had the afternoon off to nap, tan, read Dodo, cry, and then that evening we went on a night hike through the rainforest! We beheld some fascinating glow-in-the-dark fungi and the straggler fig  (Ficus sp.) which both served as sources of inspiration for the highest grossing film of all time Avatar! Some of us spotted a 5-meter long Amethystine python (Morelia amethistina) and had a Steve Irwin moment as we followed it through the rainforest! I heard rumors that some saw the ugliest flower in the world but that’s yet to be confirmed. It was perhaps the best day ever but the jury is still out.

Today we went to Botany Bay, which is famous for being the place where Captain Cook and the crew of the HMS Endeavor landed on August 29, 1770.  On our way to the beach, we got to see an Araucaria cookii tree planted by the Duke of Clarence on August 9, 1881.  Cook was the first to identify the species as separate from the Norfolk Island Pine. At the beach we found oysters, sea squirts, snails, limpets, and sea anemones on the shore and within sandstone that had undergone circular weathering.

Araucaria cookii. Photo credit: Gabrielle Wilson

Sea anemone. Photo credit: Gabrielle Wilson

Circular weathering of the sandstone. Photo credit: Gabrielle Wilson

Little gastropods. Photo credit: Gabrielle Wilson

After learning about the marine life, it was time to try to see some humpback whales at Cape Solander.  The walk to where the whales were was supposed to take about half an hour to 45 minutes, but we were aiming to get there in ten.  It had just rained the previous day though, so parts of the path were completely flooded.  We made it through eventually, but unfortunately we didn’t see any whales.

Walking through the bush to Cape Solander. Photo credit: Gabrielle Wilson

We then hopped back on the bus after eating lunch and made our way to Garie Beach at the Royal National Park.  We then set off on a five-kilometer hike through the woods.  Eventually we made it to a clearing where we could see the coast again.  In the clearing there were several little shack-like houses.  Our guide told us that the houses were originally built during the Great Depression as some Australians decided to live off the land.  The descendants of the original homeowners have been able to keep the houses within the park so long as they live there for only one week a year, maintain the houses and the land around it, and don’t try to sell them.  There were pockets of these little houses all over the park and everyone agreed that they would be ideal summer homes.

Garie Beach. Photo credit: Gabrielle Wilson

Coastal appreciation. Photo credit: Gabrielle Wilson

Upon leaving the clearing, we arrived at another beach.  This beach was littered with pumice from fairly recent volcanic activity in the Pacific.  The pumice wasn’t the only exciting thing about this beach since Tori Green also found five cuttlefish bones there.  She smuggled them out of the park in her backpack, but it has yet to be determined if she will be successful in getting them out of the country. ***Editor’s update: no cuttlefish were smuggled into the USA! They were left in Sydney due to importation concerns, and their general smelliness after a couple of days.***

After heading up and down another hill, we saw a mound of Aboriginal-deposited seashells. Our guide said the mound hadn’t been in use for about 200 years.  He also talked to us about how Aboriginals were decimated by disease upon European arrival and the subsequent mistreatment of indigenous people in Australia.

Aboriginal midden (seashells were the only remains of meals, so this is basically a garbage dump). Photo credit: Gabrielle Wilson

Once we learned about the mound, it was time to get back.  We had to climb up this huge hill.  It had stairs, so it wasn’t that bad, but many of the stair steps were covered in mud puddles.  After trudging through the mud, we finally made it over the hill and across the beach to our bus.

It was a long and muddy hike, but thoroughly worth it for the views! Photo credit: Gabrielle Wilson

Overall, the day was beautiful and jam-packed with incredible organisms, Australian history, and geological phenomena.  It was also a nice distraction from our papers.

On Saturday July 11^th, there was a slight change in plans. Instead of taking a trip to Manly Beach, we decided to visit the Convict Museum in downtown Sydney. The day started out pretty cold because it had just rained the day before, but it quickly warmed up to what I would consider a fall day in Durham. As we boarded the bus, people seemed pretty excited to have a day that would not be as physically taxing.

Upon reaching the Convict Museum, we were greeted by one of the workers, and she gave us a quick lesson on Australia’s convict past. As a British penal colony, Australia’s first settlers were those convicted of crimes in Britain or any land part of the British Empire. The men, women, and children first transported here faced many hardships, and they frequently relied on help from the Indigenous people to survive. Our museum guide also told us about how for a long time Australians were ashamed of their convict history, and those who had ancestors that were convicts did not willingly share this information. However, now it seems that Australians are embracing their convict history, and attractions like the Convict Museum are helping Australians share this history with the rest of the world.

Layers of history in the fabric of the building. Photo Credit: Nicholas Ngare

Photo Credit: Nicholas Ngare

The museum itself is actually a historic site, as it was one of the barracks used to house convicts. Later on, this building was utilized as housing for many of the women who immigrated to Australia, and even later, the building was used as a legal office. One of the exhibits that I found particularly interesting was the model of a portable prison. It was basically a trailer that held beds for the prisoners to sleep in as they worked on the assignment they were given. For example, if a group of prisoners were given orders to build a road, then they would tow the portable prison along with them. This reduced the time the convicts would have spent commuting, and therefore increased their productivity. The museum also had some interactive exhibits like trying on the clothing a prisoner might have worn at this time, or listening to the stories of the many women settlers who stayed in this building. Everyone ended their tour in the last room on the third floor. This room was modeled after the sleeping quarters that the convicts had. It was quite large, but it did not seem like a room that could hold hundreds of men comfortably every night.

A model of a portable prison. Photo Credit: Nicholas Ngare

Trying out the convict sleeping quarters: apparently people were much shorter back then! Photo credit: Hannah Aird

The museum had a small café right next to it, and a few of us decided to get a snack before we left. Some of us ordered milkshakes, and we were surprised to find out that the milkshakes we were used to in America were nothing like the milkshakes we received at this café. Instead of a drink with an ice cream-like consistency, the waitress gave us milk with different flavorings. Even though it was not what we expected, we were able to laugh about it and move on.

A well-deserved milkshake. Photo Credit: Katherine Chernova

After leaving the Convict Museum, we were given the day off to explore Sydney. Some of us accompanied Dr. Glass to the Natural History Museum, and others went off in different groups to different parts of the city. I decided to go with a few people who wanted to see the outdoor market that is held Wednesday through Sunday in Paddington called Paddington Market. Russ, the TEAN member in charge of our trip, told us that this market is for up-and-coming fashion designers in Sydney to exhibit their products. I enjoyed going around and looking at the different designers’ clothing, and there were also other artisans who specialized in jewelry, natural soaps and other hygiene products, and food and drinks. Altogether, it was a great experience, and it gave us a chance to mingle with locals.

The day ended with a rugby game at the Olympic stadium that was optional. The game was between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Brisbane Broncos. It was pretty cold, but the fans from each team were all in good spirits. Most of us who attended the game had already watched rugby on TV, so we understood a few of the rules. Rugby resembles a higher paced game of American football mixed with soccer. The game never stops unless a penalty is called or one of the team scores, and each team essentially get five tries to get the ball into the end zone before they have to kick it away. Close to halftime, the heavens opened up, and it began to rain pretty hard. Most of the people in the stands decided to move up into the sections of the stadium that are covered by the overhang. However, the players seemed unfazed by the weather change, and they continued to play a pretty competitive game with the Broncos holding the lead.

Rugby in the rain. Photo Credit: Nicholas Ngare

We decided to leave the game a bit early to beat the rush to catch the train back to UNSW. The day was finished, and we were able to say we had experienced three parts of Australian culture.

On our seventh Sydney day, we traveled to Bondi Beach. The afternoon was a bit cold and dreary, but some sunshine rays did stride through the clouds. The chilly weather hindered us from taking a dip into the Pacific Ocean, but it didn’t stop us from examining a World Heritage Site staircase, a cricket field of buried treasures, and a surprisingly historical golf course.

The sky was amazing. Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

Our first stop was an inconspicuous staircase built into a rock wall. It was wet, but not dangerously so. Through this site, we learned of Sydney’s most prevalently used rock, Hawkesbury sandstone (not Oxbury nor Rocksbury). This rock dates to the Triassic Age and is also found in the Blue Mountains. By examining its sedimentary layers, we learned of its depositional background. Millions of years ago, a large coastal region from an area to the southwest of Sydney (perhaps Antarctica) fed sediment to this area. The true dip of the rock’s cross bedding structure also indicated the deposit’s direction – from the southwest to the northeast. Finally, these layers were interspersed with small pebbles. This indicated the presence of high-energy waters. Only such an environment could transfer both pebbles and sand; a sand dune could not have done so.

A short walk up the stairs and we found ourselves in the middle of a cricket field. Alex started his lecture by showing us a photo of the area from Google Maps. He pointed out portions of the field that were distinctly different in color. We looked around and noticed that this could be easily found. Apparently, Alex told us, the difference in coloration and texture was due to soil disturbances from long ago. Such disturbances were attributed to the Buckler gun, a 20-ton gun barrage with two attached bunkers built in the 1890s. In fact, the area, unbeknownst to most of its neighboring residents, was a famous archaeological find called the “Hugh Bamford Reserve”. It took about three weeks and 35 horses to bring the gun to this area. A road had to be built in order for that to happen! The gun could lop 9.2-inch shells for eight miles, but it was never used, only tested a few times. While most guns used to defend Sydney were sold off after World War II, the Buckler gun was not. Since no one wanted to buy it, they decided to bury it with sand and cement. For the most part, people forgot about it until it was excavated in 1984. Still, no one wanted it, so they then reburied it.

After talking, we walked over to the edge of the field and saw this beautiful overlook:

Sydney. Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

Our next stop was a golf course! Unlike the cricket field, there were people playing, so we had to traverse carefully. We went to a fenced cylindrical figure overlooking beautiful, but dangerously unfenced cliffs. This figure was a remnant of Sydney’s largest sewage system. In fact, it was one of the largest underground sewage systems in the world, and it was carved into the Hawkesbury sandstone. The cylindrical figure was the vent that had been used to release the gas built up from the sewage run off. This system, however, was not perfect. It simply pushed the population’s excretions into the Harbor and created a brown mess. The engineers were, however, ahead of their time in considering the necessity to brick in such a system. They predicted that without brick, the sewage sludge would get into the porous mountainside. They were right. We were all very grateful for such foresight. Otherwise, who knows how polluted this area would have been? Today, this system is still partially active.

A picturesque sewage treatment system. Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

Nearby, we found rock art carvings from the local Aboriginal population. It depicted a variety of animals, none of which could be officially determined. Unlike the art of Ubirr and of other Northern Territory areas, these carvings were not enclosed or necessarily protected. Alex told us that this was due to today’s lack of Aborigines in the Sydney area. We later found out that in the first twenty years of European settlement, 80% of the Aboriginal population in the Sydney area died, primarily from disease and at times, from war.

Rock carvings. Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

Rock carvings. Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

After that, we continued to walk along the cliff towards certain geological formations. Carefully walking down a grassy slope, we then stood overlooking the sea, listening to Alex talk to us about the rocks below and the rocks above. Within the sea, there were two large rock formations. On the left, the rocks looked relatively familiar. They were sedimentary Hawkesbury sandstone. On the right, however, the rocks looked a bit different. Rather than being somewhat flat, they were chaotically placed. These rocks were not sedimentary; instead, they were igneous rocks. They were not cut evenly, but were irregularly cracked.

Igneous rocks. Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

Then, we looked to our right and saw a fantastically different rock formation. It had vertical cracks along its sides, but also included somewhat scaly polygonal structures. Alex told us that these were actually extremely rare rock formations called “columnar jointing”. Normally, such formations can only form in igneous rock, but here were some in sedimentary rock! This occurred as the result of contact metamorphism and was a cooling feature in displaced basalt. Today, there are only three places in Australia with this feature, and one of them was here in Bondi Beach.

Columnar jointing in sandstones! Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

We spent the rest of the day walking alongside of the cliff and discussing a variety of other features. We looked at multi-million dollar houses built on perilously sharp cliffs. Apparently, these houses could be in for a surprise drop in a few hundred years.

Lovely view, but yikes! Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

Here are a few other photos from our brilliant day together:

An Overlook of Bondi Beach and its Suburbs. Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

Alex enjoying the rocks. Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

Waiting to use a ladder to climb onto the rocks! Photo credit: Ingrid Tablazon

On our sixth day in Sydney (our time is half way over here already!) the group spent the first few hours of the day discussing papers and learning about geographic history before receiving a special assignment from Alex and Hannah.  We were all split up into groups and told a specific plant family to go look for in the Sydney Botanical Gardens. We had walked quickly through the gardens on our first day in Sydney, but this assignment allowed us to visit the gardens and really appreciate everything it had to offer. Every group also had to present a five to six minute presentation on their plant during the next class.

The Eucalyptus group. Photo credit: Sierra Tolbert

We embarked on our journey into the city together and all got on bus 393. We were told during our orientation that any bus within the 390’s would get us into the city, which is true, but this bus drove past our usual stop and continued driving. Our “quick” assignment ended up including a nice stroll through the entire city of Sydney. Some groups took taxis, others buses, but my group decided to walk the extra thirty minutes.

Where we ended up (red), versus where we were trying to be (yellow). Oops. Picture credit: Sierra Tolbert

The Royal Botanic Gardens were beautiful and every group was able to find a few species of each of the plants they needed. During our search we also discovered that the gardens will be 200 years old in 2016 and that it is the oldest botanic garden in Australia. To celebrate this special time, the gardens labeled every plant they estimated to be at least hundred years old. My group was lucky enough to find one of the trees, a Eucalyptus grandis.

Eucalyptus grandis. Photo credit: Sierra Tolbert

This red gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) is actually believed to be a direct descendent of one of the trees that stood when the gardens was established in 1816.

Eucalyptus tereticornis. Photo credit: Sierra Tolbert

The gardens are also home to the “dinosaur tree” or Wollemi pine, which is believed to be 200 million years old. We learned about this rare tree before at the Blue Mountains, where it was discovered in 1994.

Wollemi Pine. Photo credit: Hannah Aird

Wollemi pine bark and needles. Photo credit: Hannah Aird

The garden is also so large that it supplies an online database that you can use to help find certain plant species. This came in handy for many groups, but my group had the most common plant in Australia, the eucalyptus. We found six labeled species throughout the garden although there were many growing naturally around us.

Park Entrance. Photo credit: Sierra Tolbert

Three of the Eucalypt species we found in the park. Photo credit: Sierra Tolbert

After getting pictures of our various plant species we were able to get dinner, return home to our papers, and work on our presentations!

It was day five in Sydney and we all had an exciting time the previous night exploring the wonders of this harbor city. Rising blurred eyed from our singles some of us rushed toward breakfast hoping to grab a quick bite before running off to class while others found humor in their mad dash as they had been up, showered and eating for the last hour. Today was an exciting one, as all of us had been eager for today’s afternoon excursion. For today was the day of the Sydney Sea-Life Aquarium. Before we were able to embark on that adventure it was time for class to learn all about the beginning European settlement and discovery of Australia through the journals of James Cook, Joseph Banks, Arthur Phillip and the less than impressed Charles Darwin. We focused on the discovery of Botany Bay and the initial treatment of the aboriginals that would make the coming days excursions that much more rewarding. Following this student run discussion it was time for a quick lunch before hoping on a public bus to the heart of Sydney to learn about the various wonders of the sea.

Sometimes you have to see it to believe it. Like many scientists when the first Platypus was shipped back to Europe, the class just wasn’t ready to believe it existed until we saw it without own eyes. Although we had read a great deal about them in the previous week, so we were all quick on our toes with Platypus facts, after a missing encounter at the Jenolan Caves with the wild Platypus some of us were beginning to doubt. Almost as if the Sydney Sea-Life Aquarium knew our exact thoughts the first exhibit was two Platypuses going about their daily lives. With only two inches of glass separating us, we were able to believe again.

Platypus. Photo credit: Kristen Slappey

Walking through this Aquarium was unlike any other any of us have been to. With three twenty meter circular tunnels with fish, sharks and sting rays we felt we could just reach out and touch them.

Stroking a shark? Photo credit: Victoria Green

Walking through the tunnels we felt swept away by the angles of marine species many of us had never seen before.

Under a shark. Photo credit: Victoria Green

It seemed as if they had sliced out a section of the ocean and we were staring at a cross section of what we couldn’t see under the water. It was exhibits like these that we had to stop and stare and really appreciate the inside looks we were at this marine ecosystem.

A slice of ocean. Photo credit: Victoria Green

There were moments when we were swimming with the fish without getting wet.

Swimming with the fish. Photo credit: Victoria Green

Along this journey we were introduced to many new species such as the Dugong with are endemic to the Dugong Island. We saw the two Dugong Pig and Wuru who are the only two in Australia and account for two of the five on display anywhere in the world.

Dugong! Photo credit: Victoria Green

This trip also served as a way to make us all very excited for our coming snorkeling adventure in Cairns. Watching the fish of finding nemo swimming in the 10 meter long Coral Reef Panorama we were making sure to take note of all the species we saw in the tanks in hopes to see and Identify them out in the Great Coral Reef ourselves.

Clown fish. Photo credit: Aurora Krom

Moorish Idol. Photo credit: Aurora Krom

After making it through the Aquarium at our own pace we had the rest of the day to ourselves. Some of us rushed off to explore the shops Russ had shown us two days before, while others wanted to try the local Cafes. By the time we made it back to UNSW we were ready for the sleep and comfortable bed waiting for us.