AUSTRALIA
November 10th - 23rd 2012
Eclipse on November 14th 2012
I was so excited to visit Australia for the first time. The beauty of the Great Barrier Reef was out of this world. And watching the sunrise eclipse on Seven Miles beach was like a dream.
DAY 1 - SYDNEY
November 10th
After a very very long flight, we finally arrived in Sydney. We had lunch by the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, the largest steel arch bridge in the world, also nicknamed the “coathanger” by locals. We could even see tourists climbing it!
DAY 2 - SYDNEY
November 11th
We started the day with a harbor cruise and then had lunch in Bondi Beach, which is famous for its world-class waves. At the Featherdale Wildlife Park, I saw and learned about many local animals such as kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, cute Tasmanian devils and very scary freshwater crocodiles.
DAY 3 - CAIRNS
November 12th
Today we flew to Cairns, our eclipse location. My dad played golf and I drove the buggy, it was fun because I spotted several snakes on the path! I also practiced my boomerang throw with my brother on Seven Miles beach and we chilled for the rest of the day enjoying the warm Australian weather.
DAY 4 - CAIRNS
November 13th
Today we took a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef. Our boat had a little submarine which allowed us to admire the beautiful corals. However the highlight of my day was our ride in a hot air balloon. It was both scary and incredible. We could see the wallabies running under us!
DAY 5 (ECLIPSE DAY)
November 14th
The eclipse started early in the morning. I went to the beach in my pajamas and snacked on cereal watching the moon moving its way across the sun. It was surreal. So many people were on the beach looking at the sky and enjoying the experience. It was incredible as we saw the moon shadow sweeping us. Sadly we were clouded out in the last few seconds.
DAY 6 - LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
November 15th
Today we flew to Lady Elliot Island, which is part of the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. The small island was named by Captain Thomas Stewart in 1816 who was sailing the 353 tonne “Lady Elliot” (a ship named after the wife of Hugh Elliot the colonial governor of India). We spent a week in the eco resort which is almost entirely energy sufficient.
DAY 7 - LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
November 16th
It amazes me that the island is predominantly made of corals and bird poo! 6,000 years ago the island didn’t exist, it was just a coral reef growing out of the water. Seabirds and shorebirds were the first settlers and had a major influence on the island ecosystem as their droppings, known as guano, provided a fertile soil and assisted in the introduction of plants. It is thanks to those birds that the island developed into the little paradise it is today.
DAY 8 - LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
November 17th
Lady Elliot Island is a little paradise. This is the view we had from our bungalow every single day. There was so much to do between the discovery tours of the island where I learned about the flora and fauna with biologists, swimming all day and of course stargazing at night.
DAY 9 - LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
November 18th
I was surprisingly shocked by the number of birds on the island. They are literally everywhere! In particular, as it was the nesting season. Their noise was deafening! The “Green Zone” provides a guaranteed abundance of food and the isolation of the island gives is perfect for nesting and roosting. This is a Bridled Tern which makes a very distinctive yapping noise (and therefore is often called “dog tern”!). We had one of those birds nesting just under our bungalow stairs and got extremely lucky to meet the baby before we left.
DAY 10 - LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
November 19th
The distinctively colored buff-banded rail is another native bird of the islands. It is a scavenger bird and we had to be careful as it was always trying to steal our food! We nicknamed it the “robber bird”!
DAY 11 - LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
November 20th
Lady Elliot Island is located in a ‘Green Zone’, prohibiting any extraction activities such as fishing. As a result, it has become a sanctuary for over 1,200 species of marine life, including manta rays, turtles, sharks and many others. I had so much fun snorkeling in the crystal waters every day. The first time I saw a little shark passing near me was quite scary, but I got used to it! Swimming with the beautiful turtles and the majestic mantas was definitely one of the highlights of my trip!
DAY 12 - LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
November 21st
The sunset was stunning every single evening. It felt even more special that there are only a few locations on the east coast of Australia where it is possible to watch the sunset over the water.
DAY 13 - LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
November 22nd
I enjoyed watching the daily light planes coming and going. Lady Elliot Island is also popular with day tourists who just come to admire the unique place for a few hours.
DAY 14 - BACK TO SYDNEY AND HOME
November 23rd
With our hearts and souls filled with moon shadow and tropical happiness, we left Australia to go back home, to school in my case, in the freezing cold of the English winter!
