Cuddling Koalas and Feeding Kangaroos

Today I had the amazing experience of cuddling a Koala!! My mom and I went the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where over 130 Koalas live. I now feel like Eileen in my adoration for these adorable animals!

It is predicted that there were over a million Koalas before the British came to Australia but now there are less than 100,000. Therefore, Koalas are endangered species here in Australia and luckily the government protects them. The only problem is that their habitat is not protected. This means that the trees that they live in have been taken down for housing developments, farming, and paper making. There are efforts being made to help protect their trees being made like recycling paper as well as buy/ using recycled products.


Also at the Lone Pine Sanctuary were lots and lots of kangaroos. I was even able to feed some of them! These animals are quite large and awkwardly graceful. When they get up on their hide legs they use their tail to keep steady. But, when they hop they look like they are floating across the ground. Now Kangaroos are not under any threat in the wild like the Koalas. They are more like deer are back in the States. I have yet to see them in the wild but I hear that they are really easy to spot outside the city.

Brisbane, Neither Sunny nor Warm on the Gold Coast

I am currently in the city of Brisbane, which is in the southern part of Queensland on the East coast of Australia. It was sprinkling when we arrived yesterday and has not let up since, sometimes raining harder. So I thought I would focus on something sunnier for this entry instead.
The Australian people are very aware of the sun and its potential harm. So they make it easier for everyone to stay safe and in the shade. At every playground there are tarps that shade it.






Back in Cairns there is a public pool called the Lagoon. Around the pool and over the water is provided shade. Also, around the pool are information stations where you can find out the temperature as well as the UV level for the day.

Moral of the story, when the summer comes again, in 7 months, wear your sunscreen!

The Great Barrier Reef

On Thursday my mom and I went on a day trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. This is the Largest Reef in the world and it can be seen from space (Therefore, it was easy, an totally cool, for me to see is when we flew into Cairns). It was a two-hour boat ride out to the Reef. We had two stops today the first was at Oyster Reef. Here we saw lots of fish and the most beautiful coral. There was even blue coral that looked out of place but was fascinating. We even saw a HUGE sting ray but it did not have a tail so there was no chance of getting stung.

After lunch on the boat we traveled to Upolu Cay, which is a sand island that is only a few yards wide, surrounded by spots of reef. Here my mom and I took a glass bottom boat ride. We saw some GIANT Clams that closed up when the boat traveled over it.


Here I am with the reef behind me:

All in all the Great Barrier Reef is an AMAZING natural wonder that deserves to be protected.

Traveling to the Land Down Under

I left my house in Michigan at 7:00 AM on Sunday morning, 40 hours later I arrived in Cairns, Australia at 12 noon on Tuesday. To help fight Jet Lag my mom and I stayed up as long as possible exploring the city. We had dinner with a friend named Nathan and went to bed at 7 PM. Twelve hours later we woke up to get ready to travel to the rain forest called the Daintree.

The Daintree is an ancient rain forest that dates back 125 million years!! It is located 2 hours north of Cairns just on the other side of the Daintree River. To cross the river we took a boat ride to look for crocodiles. Here is a picture of the only one that we saw.
It was a young one only a couple of years old and only a few yards long but a 9-10 yard croc has been spotted in the river before. Our captain made sure to tell us that there are Crocodiles in all the waters in the area unless it is really cold. Also he told us that the most dangerous Crocodile is the unseen one, because he is under the water watching and waiting for you!

We continued on and went for a hike on a boardwalk through the rain forest. Here we saw trees that were 100s of years old but were still quite small. Their ancestors were around during the time of the Dinosaurs!

Packing for 3 weeks

Hello All!
I am getting ready to take an adventure all the way to the other side of the world, to Australia and New Zealand! There are a lot of things that I have to be prepared for. I have to pack for three whole weeks, what would you bring with you if you were going to be away from your house for three weeks? How many shirts, pants, socks, and pajamas? During my travels I will be experianceing temperatures ranging from 40F (at night in Queesntown, New Zealand) - 84F (during the day in Cairns, Austraila). How does that change how you will pack? How big of a suitcase would you need?

I will also be travleing for almost a full day to get to Cairns (say Cans), Austraila my first stop on my trip. It will take me 5 hours to fly to Los Angeles, Califorina where I will catch my second plane that will take me from Los Angeles, USA to Brisbane, Australia. This will be a 13 hour and 45 min flight. Longer than you are at school!! What would you pack in your carry on bag? Once I arrive in Brisbane I will need to catch my third flight that will take me to Cairns. This flight will take me about 3 hours.

I am super excited to share this trip with you!! I hope that you have fun reading about it. Make sure that you post comments and questions you have about the places I am going or even the plane ride!


Ms. Kipp