SandyU’s Neighborhood

With finals coming up next week, I decided that I needed a break from studying and paper writing so I went to my friend's house on the lake again for a couple days. It was once again a great time and was very relaxing. However, it didn't make me want to start studying anymore than I did before I left. On Tuesday we went for a canoe ride across the lake to a little river that took us to the blue lagoon, which was created by some sort of mineral in the clay-like soil that colored the water. Then we found a rope swing and took full advantage. After paddling back for some lunch, we went to the beach at Noosa for a late afternoon swim.

On wednesday, we went to the beach again for a bit, and then decided to climb one of the Glasshouse Mountains, which are located between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. They are really cool looking and are the plugs of volcanos, meaning that they were once hot magma that filled the volcanos, which have eroded, exposing the hardened lava. The climb itself was actually harder than I thought it would be, with a large section that required quite a bit of actual climbing. The incline was not completely vertical, but it still required the use of foot and hand holds, and a fall would have not ended very well for anyone. Thankfully, we made it to the top and the view was completely worth the sweat it took to get there.

The time for my departure from Australia is fast approaching, with my classes wrapping up last week. Now I have a week off to study followed by final exams. I still can't believe that the semester is practically over, and although I am really excited to come home and see my friends and family, part of me definitely wants to stay.

As of today, my parents will be arriving in Brisbane in three weeks, and we will be driving down to Sydney, making stops along the way. Then, we will head to New Zealand to see the beautiful landscapes. I am quite excited for some more traveling especially since I won't be constrained by a student's budget, which means no more hostels or cheap food, yay!!

Last weekend I had a chance to play in the Australian Ultimate Disc Mixed Nationals tournament held right here in Brisbane (Mixed meaning men and women play on the same team). I played for the UQ team, and I had a great time. We got to play against some really good competition including current and former players from the Australian World's team for both men's and women's. Our team finished 18th out of 24, which is good considering we were seeded 23rd. Also, we were one point away from making it to top 16 but lost after a really exciting and emotional game. I actually got a layout D (pictured below) in the final point that could have set us up for victory, but unfortunately our player was called for a foul on the guy who threw the pass, so the D didn't count. We then lost a few passes later. O well, it was still a lot of fun.

On the final day of the tour we went to Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls. Since the dry season was just ending, neither of the falls were actually flowing, but they were still quite spectacular. It was really hot that day and we did get to go for a swim at the large basin of Jim Jim Falls. We couldn't swim at Twin Falls because of the risk of crocodiles. In order to get to both sites we had to go 4x4 off-roading on our tour vehicle. This meant that we were driving for about an hour through thick forests on a windy narrow dirt road full of uneven bumps. We also had a cross a river that was about a meter and a half deep.

Jim Jim Falls was the first stop and it is called Jim Jim Falls because "jim jim" is the aboriginal term for a palm type plant that grows profusely in the area. It was a tough hike because we had to kind of boulder and rock hop to get there, and when we made it to the swimming area I couldn't get into the water fast enough to finally cool off.

The ants in the picture below were really cool looking, and our guide had some of us (who were willing, so of course I did it) grab one of them and lick its green butt. They release an acidic compound that tastes alot like really tart lime juice. It really was quite intense as soon as your tongue touched them. Also seen below is a croc trap that has a pig's leg inside to attract saltwater crocs. Plus the white foam is scented in order to make crocs bite it. If the bite marks are big and wide, there is a saltwater croc in the area.

Next we did some more off-roading to get to the Twin Falls. Here we didn't really have to hike, but instead took a boat to get to the falls because the cliffs make it impossible to hike to. Apparently, they used to let people swim down the river on kickboards, but now the danger of crocodiles is too great. The views were really cool here, and I could only imagine how awesome it would be to see it flowing.

That wraps up my posts for the tour. I hope you enjoyed them.

After swimming at Barramundi Gorge, we drove to what turned out to be possibly my favorite stop of the whole tour, Ubirr. Ubirr is a spot located right on the fringe of escarpment country, which is made up of rocky cliffs, and a large floodplain, which floods during the wet season. Many aborigines lived in these types of areas because of the natural shelter of the rocks and the plentiful food found on the floodplain. Therefore, Ubirr had tons of Aboriginal artwork, with some being over 2,000 years old! The artwork was really cool looking and it was crazy to think about how old it was.

After peruseing the artwork we headed to a lookout to watch the sunset which was incredible. The view was amazing and the way that the colors reflected off of the billabongs on the flood plain was breathtaking.

For our first full day actually inside Kakadu National Park we went to Barramundi Gorge for a hike and yet another swim. This area is really nice and is one of few monsoon forests that are nestled near constant areas of water throughout Kakadu. As you can see this area has been known to have crocodiles, but they assured us that none would be in the area we were swimming in. Although I couldn't help but be struck with a bit of paranoia at one point while swimming and peering into the blackness below me. At that point I could have sworn I was about to be dragged to the bottom by a crocodile at any moment, haha. The feeling passed and I was, of course, not attacked.

After going to Litchfield, we went for a late afternoon cruise on the Mary River to check out some wildlife. It was really neat to see all the different animals in their natural habitat. The highlight of course being the crocodiles, both freshwater and saltwater, although mostly freshies. The saltwater crocodile was by far the biggest and is the last crocodile in the string of pictures. It was hard to get the camera to focus on them since they blended in so well with the surroundings.
Other animals we spotted include sea eagles, a black-necked stork (or jabiru) which was really cool looking, kites, whistling ducks, cormorants (the one drying its wings), and wallabies. The sea eagles were very impressive and magestic, and we had one swoop within 10 meters of the boat!

On the first leg of the tour out of Darwin we went to Litchfield to check out some termite mounds and do some swimming in rock pools and at a waterfall. The termite mounds were really cool and REALLY big. The large ones that look like towers were built by cathedral termites, while the blade-shaped mounds that look like headstones are created by magnetic termites. The reason for this name is that each mound points exactly north-south, in order to harness the maximum amount of sunlight at morning and evening, while avoiding the direct rays when the sun is in peak position. Quite incrediable architecture for such small creatures!

Next we went for a dip at the Burley Rockholes, which was quite relaxing.

Then we were off to Florence Falls for, you guessed it, more swimming (it was really hot).

On the third day of the trip to Darwin we stopped at Katherine Gorge for a kayak cruise down the river. It was really fun and when we got to the end of the kayakable (if that's a word) part we had time for some swimming which also included leaping in the the deep water from nearby rocks. Many times there are freshwater crocodiles (the ones that won't kill you) visible along the river, but none of us spotted any. I would have more pictures, but of course my batteries in my camera died because I was no where near my bag. O well, I'll throw in the pics from the campsite we stayed at the night before the gorge. There were a couple of kangaroos kept there, that kept boxing each other which was quite interesting.

On the second day of the Alice to Darwin trip we swam at the Mataranka hot springs, which is like a pleasant oasis in the middle of the harsh outback. The hot springs are warmed to a balmy bath water temperature by the heat of the rocks over which the water flows. One thing I did not expect was the huge amount of flying foxes that inhabited the region. They filled to trees all around the spring, living off of the fruit found in the upper branches. It was a really cool sight to see, and a excellent stop that refreshed everyone.

On the first day of the three day trip to Darwin from Alice Springs, we stopped at a cool location named Devil's Marbles. This are was formed by a large section of rock that had grid like cracks in it. When these cracks broke apart and began to erode, the square sections were rounded to create large circular rocks that seem to be balancing on each other, but are in reality still connected by a small section of rock. The aboriginals believed that these rocks were the eggs of the great creator spirit that took form as a large serpent. See if you can spot the egg that they believe had already hatched.