North Stradbroke Island

Hello from Straddie!
      We’ve been taking our first class, Coastal Resource Management, at the Moreton Bay Research Station on North Stradbroke Island for the past week and a half. To get here we rode a big “Red and White” Brisbane bus south to Cleveland and then drove onto a long blue ferry with other cars. During the beautiful ride past mangrove trees, shallow sandbanks, and spectacular turquoise ocean our group clambered out of the bus for a lovely view. Moreton Bay is a “multiple-use” marine park where fishing, trawling, and tourism are allowed only in certain zones.
      As soon as we arrived at the research station (a few minutes’ drive from the ferry dock in Dunwich on the bayside of the island) we endured a very long, detailed orientation session covering everything from making our beds properly to disposing our waste correctly. But that afternoon was definitely a favorite. After divvying up our rooms (four people in an area built for one!) we drove up to Point Lookout— appropriately named, as our jaws dropped in awe at the waves crashing on a long sandy beach beneath us. North Stradbroke Island is the second largest sand island in the world! Marisa and I took many pictures at Fishermen’s Beach and then wandered along an ocean side trail that brought us past eucalyptus trees and rocky cliffs. We ended the day with a perfect swim at Eighteen Mile Beach, which spans the entire ocean side of the island. As we jumped into the breaking waves we saw hundreds of tiny fish riding within the crest.
      The next morning (Monday) we were in for a bit of a shock as the real academics set in. Coastal Resource Management reminds me of the Earth Systems classes I have taken, emphasizing interdisciplinary scientific knowledge to implement sustainable plans. In fact, even though I am the only humanities major on this trip, my various science classes have well prepared me and I feel as if I am at the same level as the others. I like that I think differently, but at least have a basic scientific background.
      On that first morning we enjoyed a visit from Matt Burns, a cultural officer from the Quandamooka aboriginal tribe. Indigenous people have lived in the bay for more than 25,000 years, and Matt talked a lot about this history as he led us on a short walk explaining the medicinal value of many different plants. He even demonstrated playing the didgeridoo, a very long tubular instrument on which he grew up learning to imitate various birds and animals.
      Also that day we were introduced to the Australian tradition of “morning tea” (cookies around 10 AM) and “supper” (bread, teas, coffee, and hot chocolate eaten in the evening after dinner). The night before many of us had watched the hilarious movie Priscilla: Queen of the Desert— about three drag queens touring the vast Australian desert on a small bus— and completely missed out on this new supper custom!
      On Tuesday we embarked on a daylong “island transect by bus”— in other words, a field trip to Point Lookout (where I saw a wild kangaroo and kookaburras for the first time!) with the afternoon at Brown Lake, a “perched lake” in the center of the island created by rainwater and tree tannins. (Another nearby lake— Blue Lake— is a “window lake,” created when the topography dips below the water table.) Brown Lake was quite charming, somewhat like Walden Pond. After having lunch there we stopped halfway down Eighteen Mile Beach to witness firsthand the parabolic dunes forming the island. On the other side of the dunes is Eighteen Mile Swamp!
      Another highlight from the early part of the week was an afternoon trip to the mangrove trees at Myora Springs. Six or seven of us crowded into the back of a big white jeep and Jock, our course assistant and doctoral student specializing in mangroves, guided us through the brackish water past short bushy trees with long circular roots that curved out of the sand beneath them. Eventually we reached the beach, and took lots of pictures wearing our funny black booties!
      Our main project of the week was to evaluate a hypothetical development at Amity Point, north of Dunwich and west of Point Lookout. On the third day we trooped through the “site,” examining the caravan (trailer) park, mangrove trees, creek, heath land, and community center complex to be demolished for a hotel and marina. I felt comfortable with this group assignment because of my parents’ experience with the massive 40B development planned for the wetlands across our street. I know that construction involves both environmental and social considerations, and I liked working on this local case study because it incorporated a lot of the same issues. In fact, when our group held a comical mock town meeting one night, my parents and neighbors were attending a real ZBA meeting back home!
      Thursday was definitely one of the most interesting. We rode the bus to an environmentally friendly sand mine operated by CRL (Consolidated Rutile Limited) that extracts zircon, rutile, and ilmenite. A very informative and friendly educational officer explained the process of sand mining as we hiked over enormous white dunes jutting into clear blue skies. The day was excruciatingly hot and I drank my entire Nalgene bottle in less than two hours. The officer also took us to a portion of land undergoing an impressive rehabilitation program. Because the mine is slated to close within about six years, CRL experts will carefully restore and monitor the rest of the land as well. To me CRL certainly seemed like a committed company ready and willing to ensure minimal environmental impact.
      Unfortunately, we spent Friday and Saturday furiously completing our individual and group assignments. I wrote a short fact sheet about the resident Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins of Moreton Bay whose acoustic behavior is affected by boat traffic. They are also harmed by boat strikes, as are the dugong— an endangered marine mammal that looks much like the manatee. One of the world’s largest populations of dugong lives right in Moreton Bay! I would have loved to see one.
      On Saturday my group spent 14 hours preparing for Sunday’s presentation! We assumed the role of the Queensland EPA to assess the hypothetical development at Amity Point, designing a weighted ranking system to incorporate the various environmental issues. I really liked my group members and felt like we all contributed— a feeling I have very rarely experienced at Stanford. And even though we were the absolute last to present on Sunday afternoon I think we did well.
      After the eight group presentations on Sunday we all breathed an enormous sigh of relief. Everyone was thrilled to be outside after a grueling day and a half! Some people played rugby with one of our professors on the grassy green lawn, and Marisa and I went to collect seashells on the beach in front of the research station. Afterwards I settled in small nook to read my book. We were all really happy, especially because we found out at lunch that Stanford’s football team beat USC in an absolutely incredible game! That night Jock persuaded the bus driver to bring us to the bar at the Point Lookout Hotel… and needless to say, most people did not wake up until noon the next day!
      Some of us, however, went back to Point Lookout Monday morning to observe the annual humpback whale migration. Every fall about 7,000 whales swim south from their birthing and breeding grounds on the Great Barrier Reef to their home in Antarctica. They pass Point Lookout, and if you’re patient you’ll see them surface and spout far out near the horizon. For two hours my roommate Atiqah and I sat on a craggy rock face and stared out to sea. We counted three whales— what we think was a mother and baby— and even witnessed two of them breaching! Before long pods of bottlenose dolphins were jumping beneath us, their graceful bodies slicing the shallow ocean water. The group at Point Lookout is the largest resident bottlenose dolphin in the world! We were so happy that spotting at least four cute little sea turtles bobbing below us made us even more ecstatic. They popped up every so often and then quickly dove back down again. That morning was definitely one of my absolute favorites yet.
      In the afternoon our time on Stradbroke shifted gears as we started our Coastal Forest Ecosystems class with ecology professor John Hall. John is by far one of the best lecturers I’ve ever had, as his presentations are informative, accessible, and entertaining. He gave us a brief rundown about Australian vegetation before taking us into the field to complete an incredibly lengthy plant classification exercise. We split into groups to identify plants in various transects, and while such a task many sound boring, I really enjoyed learning how to distinguish very similar vegetation that I never would have noticed if I were just passing by. Plus, our group was incredibly lucky to witness a giant black monitor waddle across the dirt road! Monitors are big lizards that look a lot like gila monsters.
      I went to bed early that night to wake up for laundry and John’s 6:30 AM bird walk. It was drizzling and hazy, but we still managed to see some beautiful birds. I wish I knew more about birds and birding, as there are certainly some experienced ornithologists in our group. My favorites that morning were rainbow lorikeets (a gorgeous, vibrant, and multi-colored small parrot considered a pest) and black seagulls with white heads and orange beaks and feet.
      We went on another extended field trip that day, this time learning about the importance of fire for Australian vegetation. We completed exercises at two different field sites— the first a forest of “grass trees” (amazing plants that burn periodically and send tall, skinny, meters-long shoots that taste like honey into the sky afterwards), and the second a heath land, where trees don’t really grow but there is much plant diversity. In the afternoon we returned to Brown Lake for lunch and free time. My friends Jenny, Gwen and I went on an epic swim to the beach on the far side of lake— forty minutes there and half an hour with the current back! We felt great afterwards— and ready to conquer the heavy rain and thunderstorms that later soured a short hike up a large hill for beautiful island vistas.
      The next morning our group met for another bush hike through Blue Lake National Park in the center of the island, an important area for the Quandamooka aboriginal people. The destination lake was pretty, although without a beach. Afterwards we trooped along a small path near Point Lookout to climb an enormous parabolic sand dune! We were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the ocean and more steep white sand dunes as soon as we ascended. Being twenty-one and invincible, some of us ran all the way from the dunes’ highest point to the bottom!
      This last adventure was definitely an excellent way to say goodbye. Too soon we boarded the ferry for the mainland… but with great excitement for what lies ahead.

Brisbane

G’day from Australia!
      I’ve been in Brisbane for more than a week, adjusting to the time difference and participating in the Stanford program’s Orientation week. About fifty of us are here for a quarter-long ecology program at the University of Queensland. On Sunday (September 30) we’ll travel to the Moreton Bay Research Station on North Stradbroke Island for the week, and then spend some time in Lamington National Park. After that we’re off to the Heron Island Research Station for two weeks before driving up the Great Barrier Reef to the Daintree Rainforest— followed by a week in Sydney. We won’t return to Brisbane until the end of November!
      Although Brisbane certainly doesn’t seem very exotic (it reminds me of both Florida and southern California), some aspects of life are very different. I’ve been most impressed by four changes— the incredible wildlife, the unusual plant species, the funny Australian twang, and the fact that everyone not only drives but also walks on the left hand side of the street!
      I never imagined that hours after landing (door-to-door a thirty one and a half hour journey) I would be strolling through a gorgeous riverside park (South Bank) with enormous and colorful Australian birds literally pecking at my feet. I followed my map across the bridge to the Botanical Gardens and then over a wooden walkway through mangrove trees past large weathered houseboats bobbing in the river. Near the end of the park was a quaint little lily pond with many ducks of different eye markings. But something clinging to the edge caught my eye and I did a double take— an iguana! I knew then that I had arrived in Australia… halfway across the world.
      I also walked through Brisbane’s CBD (Central Business District) that first afternoon, admiring its mix of contemporary and historical architecture. I observed the colonnaded Customs House set against skyscrapers with blue glass windows, and then St. Stephen’s chapel and cathedral, built in 1850 and 1874, respectively. But my favorite part of the CBD was the Shrine of Remembrance, a flame that burns constantly to commemorate those Australians who died in both world wars. Because I read Edward Facey’s epic A Fortunate Life before I came— a book written by an eighty nine year old Australian man who survived a gruesome childhood as well as the horrific campaign of Gallipoli— I understood the significance of this memorial. A huge proportion of Australian men perished in World War I.
      Another highlight of my life here has been public transport on the City Cat— a catamaran that continuously chugs up and down the muddy brown river that snakes through the city. Days are hot and muggy but a ride at the bow of a City Cat is instantly refreshing, beautiful, and a gorgeous way to see Brisbane. On my second day I rode the ferry all the way from my motel to the last stop, past charming “Queenslander” style homes that very much remind me of the French Quarter in New Orleans.
      Next I tackled the Queensland Museum, part of the Queensland Cultural Centre on South Bank. The museum is a fascinating three levels representing all aspects of Queensland culture and history. I enjoyed fabulous exhibits on Queensland icons (such as Bundaberg rum), various modes of transportation (including the smallest boat ever to circumnavigate the globe, the twelve foot Acrohc Australis, its stern stamped BRISBANE), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, “Queensland’s Vanishing Wildlife” (such as the extinct Paradise parrot, perched on an gravestone bearing the letters R.I.P.), and my favorite, the Animal Parade, with lengthy rows of more than 700 stuffed animals lined up from small species to big. Visiting this museum was an excellent introduction to Queensland, the “Sunshine State” where I will be living for the next three months. Afterwards I continued to the Queensland Art Gallery, a museum containing many different pieces of work from all time periods. Upon entrance I descended an escalator across a cement bridge through a pond of little floating silver balls (like Christmas tree ornaments) bobbing up and down in the water that each reflected an image of my body. But I was surprised when I left to be showered by pouring rain outside!
      The next day I met up with the rest of the Stanford group at the Riverside Hotel, directly across the street from the library and Cultural Centre. We spent the day settling into our rooms, greeting a steady influx of friends, and exploring the city. I was thankful for those two days on my own to catch up on my sleep (the first night I collapsed at 7:30!) and grab some last minute supplies at the nearby Toowong Shopping Center, a huge mall and food court with “travelators”— inclined flat moving walkways like those in airport terminals— instead of escalators. A group of us walked through South Bank again, poking into the Nepalese pagoda and the bustling shops and restaurants of Stanley Street Plaza. There is also Streets Beach, a manmade lagoon that should be reconstructed by the time we’re back at the end of November.
      I went to the Queensland Museum again with some others, and was happy to revisit some of its incredible displays. One room features enormous floor to ceiling cases filled with stuffed animals from every phylum. A nearby library houses an impressive collection of historical and scientific books as well as some interesting stick critters that live on leaves inside plexi-glass cages. Some of them were smooth, long, and green while others were brown and prickly. Next I visited the Gallery of Modern Art, located in a lovely location right along the riverbank. Despite the beauty of its full glass panels highlighting the river, I didn’t like a lot of the pieces. But I loved the rooms on indigenous art. After visiting so many European museums in the past month I had been contemplating switching my major to Art History— and standing in front of those swirling, colorful, meticulously dotted aboriginal paintings definitely sealed the decision for me.
      On our first day of orientation we rode the City Cat all the way to the University of Queensland (about half an hour from the CBD, plus a fifteen walk on each end) and one of the program coordinators helped us navigate to the lecture hall. We were introduced to Ron Johnstone, Associate Professor and second-in-command (we have yet to meet the professor in charge, apparently Australia’s leading expert on climate change and coral reefs). Ron’s enthusiasm instantly made us feel welcome— especially when he ordered us all coffee! We ended the day with a delicious catered meal of “fish and chips” (fried shrimps, salmon cakes, and more) in the “Secret Garden” of the Biology building. Afterwards, some of us attempted to activate our UQ library and e-mail accounts (a huge challenge) and then met up with one of our course tutors— a Stanford alum researching at UQ on a Fulbright Scholarship— for some Australian beer. Later that night some people were eager to check out the club scene in the city, but given that it was a Monday we didn’t have too much luck and just settled into a small bar off Queen Street.
      The next two days were spent acclimating ourselves to our courses. We are taking four— Coastal Resource Management, Australian Studies, Coral Reef Ecosystems, and Coastal Forest Ecosystems— and one research class in which we design and implement our own project. I’m still formulating mine, but will probably incorporate my wildlife photography as Ron is extremely supportive. The other classes seem wonderful and I am especially excited to read the literature and watch the cultural movies assigned for Australian Studies— not to mention learn more about Australia’s incredible biodiversity in Coastal Forest Ecosystems! Our lecturer, John Hall, explained that Australia supports such unique wildlife because of its old, dry, nutrient poor soil and its variable climate due to El Niño. One night on our way to a delicious Thai dinner my roommate Laurie, my sophomore year roommate Marisa, and I saw our first Australian marsupial— a cute little possum scurrying up a tree!
      In fact, I can’t believe how many animals I have seen at the University. For me the most beautiful moment was observing a flock of raucous white cockatoos waddling over a big grassy field. I stood so close to them that as they flew to a nearby tree I was able to spin around and film them in flight surrounding me.
      On Thursday I spent more than four hours reconfiguring my cell phone… but compared to the efforts of others four hours is next to nothing. I researched the price and coverage of various carriers, finally bought a pre-paid SIM card to insert into my phone, but then had to “unlock” the phone so it would accept the new SIM card (this involved trekking to the library to use the internet to look up Cingular’s international customer service number, going to a newsstand to purchase a special phone card, and finally scrambling to single-handedly open my wallet so that I could rapidly insert extra coins in the local payphone as the price of the call quickly exceeded the allotted amount on the phone card). Finally I registered myself online. Now I can coordinate with others in the program who have jumped through similar hoops to activate their phones. I can also receive international calls for free!
      On Friday our group took an intriguing trip to the Gold Coast, an area south of Brisbane that enjoys a notorious reputation for extreme development, theme parks, and wild nightlife. First we visited a sugar cane refinery to witness one way in which humanity has altered the coast. Next we disembarked at a lookout in a small park where many beautiful homes had been built along man-made canals, much like Florida. Finally we drove through an incredibly unattractive residential development as our Australian Studies professor, Bill Casey, informed us that more than 1,000 people move into the Gold Coast each week, putting enormous pressure on the land and water resources. We ended the day at the heavily commercialized Surfer’s Paradise, the Gold Coast’s hub— a long beach with booming shopping, restaurants, activities, and clubs. Here I took my first dip into the western Pacific Ocean! On the way back we stopped at a beloved roadside restaurant for delicious individual fruit pies.
      Later many of us ventured into the CBD for a night of clubbing and dancing at Victory and Down Under. The city was exploding with people, many of them college students. The next morning my roommate Laurie and I took a very slow bus to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary— definitely the highlight of my week in Brisbane! One of the biggest reasons I came to Australia was to see its magnificent wildlife, and this reserve certainly met my expectations. Upon entrance we walked by large aviaries filled with beautiful birds— rainbow lorikeets (considered a pest here!), black cockatoos, kookaburras, and more. My favorite aviary, however, contained not birds but bats— flying foxes, to be exact. They are enormous creatures much larger than a parrot with long hooked claws at the end of their fleshy wings that enable them to hang upside down and move around.
      But we were in for an even bigger shock as we entered the gates of the Kangaroo feeding area. Here were juvenile and adult kangaroos bouncing, feeding, munching, drinking, lounging, and sleeping everywhere around us— and they didn’t even flinch at being petted. We took hundreds of pictures and even spotted a joey stuck inside its mother’s pouch. Unfortunately, these kangaroos are the lucky ones. Many of them are struck as road kill in the wild and others are raised for meat and other industries. Kangaroo management is apparently a classic Australian problem, and certainly a topic I am interested in. The professors have also encouraged me to consider the use of wildlife parks like the Lone Pine Sanctuary to aid conservation. Kangaroos aren’t meant to be fed each day by tourists, yet interacting with them might inspire those tourists to promote conservation. We’ll encounter a similar situation at O’Reilly’s near Lamington National Park, where tourists can feed wild parrots.
      Our next marsupial sighting was the koala, and we attended an information session in which a sleepy, energy deprived, gray furry koala rested in its caretaker’s hands. About 130 koalas live throughout the park, separated into small areas by sex and age. Watching these animals was quite fascinating, as the poses they assumed while sleeping almost look like complicated (and painful) yoga moves. Finally, I went to a sheepdog demonstration in which a local farmer paraded a herd of big fat sheep through an obstacle course with the aid of two thin black dogs. The sheep congregated in a very tight pack and sometimes the dogs even jumped on top of them. Overall, it was an excellent day and definitely worth the extra allergy medication!
      Now we’re off to North Stradbroke Island, and although I’ll miss my beautiful morning runs along the river— not to mention twice daily rides on the City Cat and some of the best Asian food I’ve ever had— I’m definitely ready to leave Brisbane and experience Australia. We have a long adventure ahead of us, one that promises to bring much change and excitement.