Audrey (Australia)-Traveling

So my traveling can in no way compare to KO's trials in Senegal but apparently it still takes a long time to describe...Good luck with the epic post!

The first thing I did after the last entry was go to Tasmania. It's an amazing island and an interesting place to study what's going on the in the Australian environment. About 40% of Tassie is a World Heritage Area (WHA) because of it's ecological and cultural significance. Within the huge WHA there are mountains, lakes, and impressive old-growth Eucalypt forests. It was strange because it was so different than any other forest I have ever been in. Many of the plants in Tassie are the same as when the continent split from Antartica and when you look at the giant ferns it is easy to imagine dinosaurs roaming through this same land. I also saw: a platypus, an enchidna (porcupine-ish), a wombat (badger-like), and multiple pademelons (very miniature kangaroos). Although I liked Tasmania the whole time I was there I was very concious of being on an isolated island at what feels like the end of the world. It was a little comforting to get back to the familiarity of a city.

Next I spent five days in Melbourne which was great. I really needed a chance to recover because packing my bags and driving for hours every day in Tassie got old really quickly. I stayed in North Melbourne which was great because it wasn't touristy or ritzy. I felt as though I was really seeing the city. In many ways it reminded me of Chicago. I met up with my friend Sarah who was staying in South Melbourne and we sampled international food, admired architecture, and tried in vain to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert for less than $100.

On the train back to Byron Bay I saw my first kangaroos! It was so exciting and so strange to watch them hop around. Somehow it just doesn't seem natural.

Next we went on a three day Aboriginal camping trip. It was certainly the strangest camping trip of my life. We were mostly in the Byron Bay/Lismore region which for some reason I hadn't been expecting. During the trip we were forbidden cameras, watches, and anything to read or write with. However, we were around that sort of technology all the time so it was interesting to get an outsiders perspective. Most of all I was impressed with how open and friendly everyone was to us. There is certainly a vast amount of knowledge to be gained from Aboriginal cultures and it is ridiculous to me that most Australians have never even met an Aboriginal. Staying with our hosts also impressed on me what an amazing loss these people have endured and what it must be like to live in a cutlure that is consistently marginalized and misunderstood. It was a sobering and painful realization.

After our Aboriginal camping trip we spent two quick days in Byron Bay before going to Fraser Island. Fraser was amazing. It all seemed like one big vacation even though we really learned quite a bit about the ecology of the island. Fraser is the biggest sand mass in the world and another WHA. It is accessible only by four wheel drive (FWD) and the roads are really atrocious. The best way of getting around is driving on the beaches at low tide. Driving on the beaches felt a bit like a guilty pleasure but it was also an amazing way to get around. Every morning we would get to wake up by driving down a gorgeous sand beach on our way to 'class.' The ocean isn't much good for swimming because of bad rips and sharks but there are gorgeous lakes that were amazing to swim in. We also got to look at some more rainforest areas in the center of the island. Our teacher, John Sinclair, was incredibly inspiring because he has been the main figure responsible for conserving Fraser Island. He stood up against logging and sand mining in the 1970's when those industries were supported by the government and no one would else would fight them. Despite enduring legal battles, smear campagins and the like John perservered and eventually achieved his goal.

Now I'm back in Byron Bay and we're working on getting things wrapped up before we leave for our ISP's next weekend. I will be working with an organization called Green Collect in Melbourne for mine, studying how this group has been able to integrate principles of environmental sustainability and social justice. I have a big final to study for on Friday and our final ISP proposal on Thursday so I will definitely being schoolwork.