George Hayward, 2012 North Queensland Sustainability student blogger, writes:
May 22
Today we had our usual breakfast and then journeyed into Townsville via the ferry. Once there we went to Reef HQ, which is the National Reef Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. After a short introductory video, we broke into groups of about eight and took a tour of Reef HQ’s aquarium. Reef HQ has the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium.
Our guide Ed sharing his wisdom
Our guide, Ed, was super-knowledgeable about all the exhibits we passed. We talked about fish species, coral, plant life and so on. The highlights of the tour for me were leopard sharks (they have the oldest in captivity!), crown of thorns starfish, crocodiles, shrimp, jellyfish, flashlight fish, hammerhead sharks and pretty much the whole cast of Finding Nemo!
Next, we had two lectures: one on reef diversity and usage and one about Aboriginal Health, culture and history. They were both very interesting and definitely altered my perspective of their topics. After a lunch break, we were given two more lectures, one on water issues and sustainability and the other on sustainable tourism. I especially liked the one on water issues, for I thought the presenter was engaging and the information was all-new to me.
At the conclusion of the presentations we now had a free night in Townsville! Can you say
Fascination inside Reef HQ
P-A-R-T-Y? Well, actually, nothing of the sort ensued. My first goal was to find an Internet café and let the loved ones back at home know I’m doing well. We found a place not too far from Reef HQ, and I indulged in the best hour and a half of Internet in my life. It’s amazing how much more efficient we can be when we have to pay for the time we use!
After this I was perfectly content to take the ferry back home to Magnetic Island and enjoy a sandwich for dinner in my room. With the addition of some evening reading, I was all ready for bed by 10 p.m. Trust me, you’ll be tired too at this time!
May 23
Examining nature on our hike
Is there any way to spend a free day other than hiking the wonderful and scenic mountains on Magnetic Island? Well, probably, but I chose hiking. Two female classmates and I left at 9 a.m. for a 5 kilometers trail that starts only ten minutes from our hotel. What a journey it was!
It took two hours and ten minutes to finish the outbound trip. We saw lizards, birds and even a rock wallaby as we climbed and climbed what seemed to be Mount Everest. As we got close to the top, the views became increasingly spectacular. Rolling, lush landscapes flooded our views, and for a short while, I just meditated on how cool it would be to be a
bird and soar above it all. Corny, I know. Also on our outbound journey, we passed trees that looked like something from a Dr. Seuss book. It was pretty unique. Then again, most of Australia is!
Despite walking the first half of the journey in over two hours, our return trip home was only an hour and a half. I think the pressing need to eat, be out of the sun and relax propelled us like rocket fuel up and down the hilly terrain until we arrived home.
Unbelievable views on our hike
