So today we went to Ballina, although the intended destination was Byron Bay (we missed a turn at some point haha). We left at about noon and got there around 12:30-1:00pm. We drove down to the beach and man was it packed, what can you expect on a beautiful, sunny day?
We began with a little bit of tossing the ball around on the beach, which eventually lead to keep away. Then we got a little too warm and hopped into the ocean for a swim. A few of us were throwing the ball into waves and trying to catch it as the wave brought the ball back, much more difficult than it sounds (trust me). Before we knew it one of our friends (that can't swim) was being swept out to sea. Sounds intense right?! We were lucky that one of our other friends had a surf board and was able to paddle out and grab her before she got too far out, but it was definitely a tense situation.
After that, everyone was a little sketchy about swimming for a while, so we went back onto the beach and played some ball again. But, eventually we got too warm again and went for another swim. Our friend with the surf board offered us to use his board, but the waves were breaking to close to shore to learn :( So hopefully I will be able to go with him sometime this week and get another opportunity. That pretty much sums up the day though.
Expect another post coming this week, I'm going on a day trip to a waterfall (don't know the name yet, but I will soon) with the outdoor education professor. Will be getting plenty of pictures and video, keep tuned!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Newcastle/Catherine Hill Bay/Giraween National Park
SO! It's been about a month since the last blog, but I have plenty to tell again.
Starting with my trip to Tamworth, Newcastle and Catherine Hill Bay, I left Lismore on Wednesday, August 17th, and stayed until Sunday, August 21st. We drove for about five hours until we got to Tamworth on Wednesday night. When we (my friends Garrett and Sarah) arrived we went to a friend's house where we stayed for the night. That night we went downtown to go bowling. The girls, Sarah and Tashana, were talking a big game and decided to make a bet that they would beat Garrett and I. Of course they didn't, but it was a good time anyways. After bowling we went to Domino's to get some dinner. We took the pizza back to Tashana's place and watched a movie before heading to bed.
The next morning we were off to Catherine Hill Bay, did I mention bright and early, and that it was pouring rain? We stopped at Sarah's dad's work to switch cars, and then we stopped at the Golden Guitar in Tamworth. Tamworth is Australia's Nashville, so it was their main attraction. We got to Catherine Hill Bay sometime in the afternoon and went straight down to the beach. After we explored the beach a little we decided to go unpack and get settled into the beach house. We went downtown and got some groceries for the weekend before it got too late. That night Sarah's grandma made us a really great dinner and some sticky date pudding for dessert. While we were at the beach house our days consisted of: Waking up, having breakfast, going to the beach, boogie boarding, exploring, and plenty more.
By the time Sunday rolled around I was pretty sad that it was time to leave, but it was nice to be headed back to Lismore. I hopped on a train that went to Newcastle, then a bus to Taree, a train to Casino, and a bus to Lismore, which finally got me home at 4:45 a.m. on Monday morning.
Now onto the really awesome stuff! For my Outdoor Education class we went on a trip to Giraween National Park. We hopped on a bus September 2nd, at 7:00 a.m. heading off for our weekend of hiking and caving. We arrived at about 9:30 a.m. and began our hike. I was in a group of eight, six of us were American, and two were Australian. Over the course of the trip we hiked around 45 kilometers, climbed five different summits (Bald Rock, South Bald Rock, Mt. Norman, No Name Rock, and West Bald Rock), and explored a bunch of caves. We saw an underground creek and went swimming in a little pond, which sort of gave us a bath, but we still reeked. We saw echidna, feral goats, kangaroos, wallabies, poisonous snakes, wild pigs, and other wildlife too. We got lost a few times during our navigation excursions, and let me tell you, the Australian bush is much different to the woods back in Wisconsin! On one of the days we saw a few rare plants that were just discovered a few years ago, and we are part of a small group that has ever seen them! We saw the sun set and rise from a few different summits. By the time Monday came around we were all excited to get back to Lismore and have a nice shower and real meal. Until next time!
Starting with my trip to Tamworth, Newcastle and Catherine Hill Bay, I left Lismore on Wednesday, August 17th, and stayed until Sunday, August 21st. We drove for about five hours until we got to Tamworth on Wednesday night. When we (my friends Garrett and Sarah) arrived we went to a friend's house where we stayed for the night. That night we went downtown to go bowling. The girls, Sarah and Tashana, were talking a big game and decided to make a bet that they would beat Garrett and I. Of course they didn't, but it was a good time anyways. After bowling we went to Domino's to get some dinner. We took the pizza back to Tashana's place and watched a movie before heading to bed.
The next morning we were off to Catherine Hill Bay, did I mention bright and early, and that it was pouring rain? We stopped at Sarah's dad's work to switch cars, and then we stopped at the Golden Guitar in Tamworth. Tamworth is Australia's Nashville, so it was their main attraction. We got to Catherine Hill Bay sometime in the afternoon and went straight down to the beach. After we explored the beach a little we decided to go unpack and get settled into the beach house. We went downtown and got some groceries for the weekend before it got too late. That night Sarah's grandma made us a really great dinner and some sticky date pudding for dessert. While we were at the beach house our days consisted of: Waking up, having breakfast, going to the beach, boogie boarding, exploring, and plenty more.
By the time Sunday rolled around I was pretty sad that it was time to leave, but it was nice to be headed back to Lismore. I hopped on a train that went to Newcastle, then a bus to Taree, a train to Casino, and a bus to Lismore, which finally got me home at 4:45 a.m. on Monday morning.
Now onto the really awesome stuff! For my Outdoor Education class we went on a trip to Giraween National Park. We hopped on a bus September 2nd, at 7:00 a.m. heading off for our weekend of hiking and caving. We arrived at about 9:30 a.m. and began our hike. I was in a group of eight, six of us were American, and two were Australian. Over the course of the trip we hiked around 45 kilometers, climbed five different summits (Bald Rock, South Bald Rock, Mt. Norman, No Name Rock, and West Bald Rock), and explored a bunch of caves. We saw an underground creek and went swimming in a little pond, which sort of gave us a bath, but we still reeked. We saw echidna, feral goats, kangaroos, wallabies, poisonous snakes, wild pigs, and other wildlife too. We got lost a few times during our navigation excursions, and let me tell you, the Australian bush is much different to the woods back in Wisconsin! On one of the days we saw a few rare plants that were just discovered a few years ago, and we are part of a small group that has ever seen them! We saw the sun set and rise from a few different summits. By the time Monday came around we were all excited to get back to Lismore and have a nice shower and real meal. Until next time!
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