Went to see a golf course today where supposedly over 1,000 kangaroos live! They are all tagged and have collars on with I think their names on the collar. They were so much bigger than the ones that I saw and played with in Newcastle. Its nice because they are able to be wild here at the golf course but they are also wild and in a natural environment! We walked around the course and counted probably 100 at least. They stayed in packs and we saw quite a few babies with the mama’s too! It was awesome to see them. Some of them were probably bigger than me when standing tall, and I’m 5’9!! This one is the picture above is just posed so perfectly by the green!

Hattie

On Thursday last week Kiki and I decided that we should take a trip to somewhere and Melbourne is where we chose! We booked our flights and left this Thursday. We were there until Tuesday and had so much fun. We stayed with Kiki’s family in a small town outside of Melbourne called Tourquay. This is where the brands Quicksilver and Rip Curl were started. We also went to Geelong where Billabong was started. We spent 3 days in the City of Melbourne, wandering around and seeing our friend Iris who is going to school out there at La Trobe University. The rest of the days we hung out in Tourquay. We got to do a drive along Great Ocean Road thanks to Kiki’s family who took us the whole way. Kiki and I thought the whole thing would take a few hours, after returning 9 hours later we were pretty wiped out. We stopped along the way to see the Twelve Apostles and see some awesome view points along the way and to stop in a cute town to look around and get lunch.

Great Ocean Road Entry

The Twelve Apostles

While we were in Tourquay we also got to go on a road which is infamous for having lots of Koalas in the trees and we saw so many! Some were really close to us and some were further away, we saw one baby and one just walking on the road.

Chillin’ in the trees

Hattie

Food in Australia is so much different that I could have ever imagined. We eat pretty much the same foods we would at home but the variations of things are different. As well as just simply not tasting the same as food does in America. I do miss the food in America quite a bit though. I would love to have a good ol’ Voodoo Doughnut and a Dutch Brothers coffee. Here is some of the meals that I have had while abroad. Still pretty American but the meals still have their Aussie twist.

Pizza with Kiki at Manly Beach- biggest slices ever! YUM!

Mixed noodle pasta made by all of our friends in Newcastle

Scrambled eggs and Aussie style bacon! With a tasty hot chocolate on the side!!

An afternoon tea after horse back riding in Cairns with a snack!

Hattie

This first week back from mid-semester break has been terrible to adjust to! It would be so much fun to be back in Cairns just chilling at the town Lagoon or the pool at our hostel. But don’t fret because we had a lovely Tuesday afternoon at the Manly beach aquarium. The aquarium was so much fun, even though we missed the daily penguin show. We still got to watch the cutie penguins play in the water. We also got to walk through a glass tunnel of sharks, sting rays, and other wild sea creatures. I haven’t been to an aquarium for so long so it was fun to see all the different stuff. We were able to hold shark eggs and baby star fish too!

A crazy looking fishy!

Glass tunnel with some sharks!

Hattie

Cairns is really treating me well, I love the small town and have been having so much fun! We’re staying in an awesome hostel and have met a bunch of other Americans, as well as Germans, Asians and a few British people. The atmosphere here is awesome and has been lots of fun! This week we decided to go horse back riding in the jungle. The horses were awesome and so pretty. They were huge too, one of them was previously a race horse and was worth $900,000! We got to go swimming with the horses and ran with them through lots of streams and ponds.

This horse is called Whistle

Hello from Cairns!!!!
The weather here is unbelievably perfect, in the high 80′s every day and warm at night time. I’m in love with it so far! The first day we ventured out to the beach, a small beach town called Palm Cove. By the time we got there it was late afternoon and the sun was quickly setting so we weren’t able to stay very long cause it was so windy and chilly. We played in the ocean and laid on the beach for a few hours though which was nice. After it started getting cold we just walked around the town then went back on the bus to go back to our hostel in town.

Here’s a view of the beach when we walked out onto the dock for Fisherman

cutie sign in town

While in Cairns we also went snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef! The pictures do not do the actual reef any justice! The reef was so pretty and it was huge once we got out there. We rented an underwater camera so that we were able to capture some pictures of the fish and coral. Also we were able to get some pictures of ourselves while underwater which is fun to do. The reef was such a fun day, but afterwards we were so tired out and a little bit sunburned. They were right, the sun is just stronger in Australia.

Kiki & I taking silly pictures of ourselves under water

So close to a whole school of these fish! They were huge.

Huge colorful clam

Hattie

Well, it’s about that time for mid-semester break! Going from trimesters (terms) to a semester and getting a two week mid-semester break, I’m in love with this style of schedule. I have had a great time so far with school and this week I’m so busy with finishing up all my papers and getting all my assignments turned in on time. My closest friend while abroad, Kiki and I took a study break and headed into the city to walk around the town and explore a little bit. Maybe a little bit of retail therapy as well We love going out into the city and people watching, trying new foods and finding new malls or shops. Getting out of Marsfield (where my school and condo are) is important to staying sane while I’m here. Its nice to get away from the small town, and get into a big city, outside of my comfort zone.

There are all kinds of boats taking people from The Harbor to various areas around the coast, this is one of them

Hattie

This week (Sept. 19) was a big day for a fellow American that I have met on my trip thus far! She is turning twenty one! Turning 21 in America is a big deal for most college students and friends. But, in Australia 18 is the official drinking age. The 21st birthday is a much different celebration here. Everyone’s 21st birthday is more of a celebration and a family, friends, co-workers party. They rent out big rooms in restaurants and invite everyone who has been an important part of their lives up until this point. These celebrations are more similar to a wedding reception because there are toasts to the birthday boy or girl, and dances. These celebrations are much different and sound like a much different approach to a 21st birthday celebration.

Our friends from Newcastle, a three hour train ride came down for the celebration and we got all dressed up and went out to a new bar in downtown Sydney. The bar was right on the harbor which is beautifully lit at night! Below is all of us before going out!

The Newcastle girls and us before we head out to The Harbor

Not the best picture but here is the Sydney Opera House all lit up at night! So pretty! For big occasions the lights which light up the Opera House are changed colors so that it looks various colors, not just white.

Hattie

After being here a little bit over a month I think that I am really getting a feel for the Aussie lifestyle. My life is much different here than it is at home, and I’m not complaining. School is in full swing and my classes are awesome. Being in health classes they often talk about America when talking about what other countries find in the area, the other day in a lecture my professor talked about Oregon specifically. Talking about our alternative lifestyles and our proactive approach to health. I’ve met some awesome people and have been having so much fun getting to know all of them. I seem to be meeting more Americans than Aussies, us study abroad kids tend to stick together. I found these pretty birds outside my condo one morning. They are such cuties.

They are so colorful, I can’t believe they live outside my window.

Hattie