Katie Armstrong, the Buckeyes Abroad North Queensland Sustaining Human Societies and the Natural Environment 2015 student blogger, writes:

My second week in Australia has been equally as amazing as the first. I spent last week mostly in Port Douglas, a popular tourist location. We then moved on to Cape Tribulation where I sit now, surrounded by the Daintree Rainforest. 

In Port Douglas we snorkeled at six different locations on the Great Barrier Reef and went to Wild Life Habitat Port Douglas where we were able to hold a koala, feed kangaroos and view other wild life native to Australia. At night and in the afternoon we enjoyed the restaurants and shops in town. 

At first we were disappointed to leave our somewhat luxurious apartments in Port Douglas for cabins in Cape Tribulation. But after a walk through the Daintree Rainforest, we realized the significance of experiencing these two vastly different locations. 

Had I come to Australia on my own, I would have stayed mostly in tourist areas, like Port Douglas. However, I now know that if I had, I would have been missing out on everything else Australia has to offer, including the rainforest and outback.  

As a tourist I also wouldn’t be doing so much schoolwork. Although the quizzes and essays can be a little stressful at times, I appreciate that they force me to learn about the environments we have been surrounded by. Our quizzes come from field lectures led by our guides, who are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their fields, and make the learning interesting and fun. 

Today and yesterday we were led by Dr. Martin Cohen, who can answer just about any question about the Daintree Rainforest, and in great detail. Similarly, our Great Barrier Reef guide, John Rumney, knows everything there is to know about the Great Barrier Reef and what is effecting it. I loved their enthusiasm, it made learning about the rainforest and reef more exciting. Of course, actually being able to walk through the rainforest and snorkel in the reefs helped a lot too! 

This trip has been a great experience so far and I still have just over a week to go. I still have a trip to the outback and our homestay to look forward to, as well as our final destination; the city of Cairns.