Caversham and King's Park

Yesterday was the busiest day so far, so this post is going to be a little long, but I promise not to ramble too much. In the morning, we visited the Caversham Wildlife Preserve, an educational preserve located north of Perth. On the way back to Murdoch, we stopped in Perth to visit King’s Park, the main park in the city.

This is the Caversham Wildlife Preserve, where Ranger Jess, our guide for the morning, met us. She was very helpful and told us all sort of interesting facts about the animals, the few of which I remember I’ll share with you here.  The first stop was to visit the kangaroos.

There were three kinds of kangaroos in the pen, red kangaroos, grey kangaroos and a special white pigmentation of the red kangaroos. Jess was quick to point out that they were not albino, as their eyes retained a brown pigment. She gave everyone some kangaroo feed, and we were able to get close enough to pet and feed them. My favorite kangaroos were a mom and her joey. The mom was very sweet, and the joey was hopping in and out of her pouch.  As we were leaving the pen, Jess opened the gate so they could hop into the adjoining field. I caught a video of a white kangaroo hopping by me into the space. While his brothers and sisters lounged in the sun, he was eager to stretch his legs.

Kangaroos lounging in the sun, feeling like celebrities

Mom and her joey

Me feeding mom while her joey shies from the camera

Look at this guy go! He is one of the white (not albino!) variety.

Next, we visited the dingo exhibit. Jess shared that dingoes arrived in Australia by Asian trading vessels, where they were originally wolves kept as pets by merchants. Purebred dingoes are actually very shy. When dogs arrived in Australia, however, they began to interbreed. The offspring retained the pack-like tendencies of the dingo, but also the boldness of a domestic dog. The hybrid dingoes are the dangerous ones. Unfortunately, those are mostly all that are left.

He was checking out the people walking by and posed for a picture.

We also passed a European fox exhibit. They were brought to Australia to hunt for sport, but apparently the Europeans weren’t good enough at hunting. They spread like wildfire over all of Australia, from one coast to the other in a hundred years. To compare timelines, the koala and wombat have been in Australia for millions of years, and their habitat is restricted to the eastern states.

You can tell he's sly. Look at those eyes, hes plotting something.

Lastly, we visited the koala exhibit. Jess informed us that although many people compare them to sloths, koalas actually move quite quickly. Luckily for us, they were sleeping, so I had a chance to pet them. Their fur is as soft as it looks.

Taking a nap

He's so fluffy!

A close-up of the little guy behind me.

After Caversham, we went to King’s Park near downtown Perth. I would describe it as a souped-up version of Eden Park in Cincinnati. There was a WWII war memorial, gardens with plants from around the world (including California!) and a treetop glass bridge, where the view of downtown Perth is best. There was a beautiful water garden, with a waterfall cascading down the enormous hill into a pond. In the summer, Kings Park holds concerts by that garden. The gift shop was beautiful as well, with artists providing glasswork, jewelry and pottery to be sold as a fundraiser for the park.

The Swan River, with the Swan River Brewery in the foreground.

The entrance to the treetop bushland trail

The glass bridge overlooking the city

A zen garden/meeting area

A small part of the water garden waterfall

The water garden pond, with the glass bridge in the background

Christine frolicking in the field nearby

Tomorrow through this weekend, we are going south to Denmark, Australia for a nature hike and a swim in the southern ocean. I can’t wait to share it with you!

           

                                                                                    Check back next week,

                                                                                    Sarah

Pictures!

I haven't had a chance to upload any pictures until now, so I thought I would take a moment to share with you all the highlights of what I have seen thus far.

This is the path leading into the Murdoch University Student Village, where I live along with the international students as well as many Aussies from other states.

This is the Round House, the oldest building in WA. Fun fact - it was also the first prison. I visited here the first day we were in Freo. It's not much, but it is amazing that its still around after 182 years.

This is the beach behind the Round House. The group went there and took pictures by/in the water. It felt so nice. It's hard to believe that this is the dead of winter for WA after looking at a view like this.

Lastly, I'd like to share a video of an Australian magpie with you. If you listen closely, you can hear its call. These birds are actually dangerous in the spring, when they are making their nests, because they swoop down on pedestrians and try to rip their hair out. I've been told that the only way to combat this is to wear a hat with googly eyes to distract them. I'll let you know if I make one.

My First Few Days

I’m sorry that all of my posts are coming at the same time - getting Internet access was a little bit challenging. But, it was totally worth it, and now I am ready to post as soon as I am finished writing! The past few days have been a little blurry due to the jet lag, but I’d like to fill you in on the highlights so far.

My first meal at Murdoch was classic American – Domino’s Pizza. It was delicious. If Domino’s was made the same way in Cincinnati, I would say it tasted better than LaRosa’s. Unfortunately, I was so exhausted that I didn’t really meet anyone. I went to bed as soon as possible.

On Sunday, the group had a short orientation with Paul, our advisor, on Australian culture. According to Paul, the biggest adjustments I will face are; cars driving on the opposite side of the road, Australian slang, a higher cost of living (minimum wage is 15 dollars!), and a much warmer climate (Perth has almost no ozone, most people burn within ten minutes without sunscreen). Two things that I am accustomed to by now are the drinking age (I can drink anywhere now, its not so special) and grading on a bell curve (Thanks for the prep, Vandy).

Afterward, Paul took us on the public bus to nearby Fremantle, a port town where the downtown is right on the harbor. The locals know it as Freo. Paul bought the group lunch at a deli, and then set us free to roam for the rest of the day. Fremantle was absolutely beautiful. There were open-air markets selling anything imaginable, from fruit to Brazilian samba CDs. The buildings were all built in a Parisian style, very similar to the French Quarter in New Orleans. The streets were lined with boutiques, second hand bookshops, and bars. There was even a hostel for backpackers in the middle of the shopping district.

At the end of the shopping district is the oldest building in Freo – the first jail ever built there. It didn’t look like much; it was really a mud and stone hut. I am glad, however, that this historic building has been preserved, especially considering that it is in such a lucrative real-estate area. Apartments nearby start pricing at 1,000 dollars a week. Behind the monument was a small beach, where the group unwound by dipping our toes in the surf. The Aussies walking by probably thought we were all crazy, as 70 degrees is very cold to them, but we Americans loved it. It was a nice way to end my first day in town.

Yesterday was relaxing. We spent most of the day in orientation, but in the afternoon we were able to go to a nearby shopping mall. The major difference that I noticed was that there were two separate, full size grocery stores within the mall. I don’t know why they were both there, but it was interesting to see them so close to each other. That evening, Paul took us out to Clancy’s, a pub in Freo. The food was delicious – I had stuffed mushrooms with a green salad, French fries, and chocolate ice cream. I was surprised at how many people were in a pub on a weekday night. I think it is a comparable experience to going to BW-3’s after work. We found out that they have a weekly trivia night – I think we are going next week.

Today was another round of orientation meetings, but the highlights were that we had a chance to meet the U.S. consulate and the rest of the international students. In the morning, we met with the consulate to learn about its role in our safety and wellbeing while we are abroad. We also had a chance to ask the representative about working in the Foreign Service. It seems to be a very demanding profession. After listening to some of his stories, I truly respect that line of work. They take great measures to ensure our safety abroad. It is remarkable. 

For dinner, we went to a welcome dinner, where we were accompanied by all of Murdoch’s international students. We played games to get to know each other, the best being an Australian-themed aluminum foil sculpture contest. Subjects included; platypuses, kangaroos, boomerangs, surfboards and didgeridoos. I was able to meet students from Norway, Canada and Malaysia. They were all very friendly and easy to get along with. I think we are making plans for a shopping trip soon.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Caversham Wildlife Preserve, where I’ll be meeting marsupials and other native animals of all kinds. Prepare for some cute photos.

                                                                                    Until next time,

                                                                                    Sarah

I've Arrived!

G’day, the adventure has begun! I am finally in my room at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia.  I started in Cincinnati, drove to Lexington, then flew to Dallas, Brisbane, Sydney, and now Perth. It’s a little surreal, I’ve been waiting and preparing for this trip for what feels like forever, but it still hasn’t quite hit me yet that I am at my new home for the next five months. Well, it sort of did when a man dressed as a kangaroo gave me a high five upon my arrival at customs. I wanted to take a picture, but I didn’t have enough time. From now on, I’ll be better about photos.

Before I left for Perth, I asked for travel and living advice from various friends and family members. I’ll share my favorites with you.

When making tomato sauce, add a prune to make it sweet.

Take a picture with a koala.

Wear winter clothes. (Winter here is mild, but chilly, like Nashville.)

Hike in the outback, go snorkeling and try surfing.

Visit the wineries near the Margaret River.

Avoid hanging a clothesline outside, if possible. (There are no automatic clothes dryers.)

Do whatever my Australian friends are doing, within reason.

Watch Australian TV, as it contributes to the overall experience.

Ask my professors how I am progressing, as the tests are late in the semester.

Visit Bali, Singapore and/or Hong Kong.

Be knowledgeable about American and Australian news.

Take advantage of every opportunity that is available, regardless of current energy level.

Do you have anything else to add? I’d like to hear your thoughts. This early in the trip, I need all the help that I can get.

                                                                                                Until next time,

                                                                                                Sarah