This past weekend, I travelled with 86 other exchange students to a large sand island off the coast of Brisbane: Moreton Island. And let me tell ya, it was sandy. I have never had so much sand in so many different places. But it was still a wonderful weekend and just what I needed after a long week of class.

On Friday morning we woke up really early, as in 5 am, in order to catch the bus. We bused with a large group to the ferry stop. We then took the ferry about an hour and half to get to Moreton Island. Moreton Island is an extremely common destination for local Australian’s as it has excellent camp sites and you are allowed to bring your vehicle to travel around the island (only if it has 4WD of course considering there are no roads, just sand). After all the other people’s cars were unloaded we departed the ferry and hopped on our 4WD bus (yes, they exist). We arrived at the Eco village which was a very nice simple accommodation and of course we immediately went to the beach. We strolled along the beach and enjoyed this island’s great size and sandiness. Later that evening we enjoyed what might be the most beautiful sunset I have seen thus far in Australia.

Saturday was greeted with another day of gorgeous weather and beach activities. That afternoon we went snorkeling through the shipwrecks off the shore of the island. We hand-fed fish and saw a variety of marine life. I was lucky enough to see two sea turtles! They are extremely shy and faster than you would think. I was challenged to keep my eyes on them but it was still so wonderful. Seeing a turtle in the ocean was the most beautiful wildlife I have seen so far in my life. After another rough and bumpy bus ride back to the village, we enjoyed another sunset and an evening of outdoor beach activities.

On Sunday morning we woke up early and travelled by (bumpy) bus for about an hour only to arrive in the desert. Yep, the desert… here’s proof:

Okay, maybe not the “official” desert but close enough. Here in the desert is where we all went sand boarding. You basically rode down one of those giant dunes on a piece of cardboard. It was so hot and we had to walk back up the hill! I would rather just sled… you can at least find comfort in hot chocolate after. We ended the weekend with more beach relaxing before boarding the ferry back home. I went to sleep at 9:30 that night (totally wiped).

Moreton Island is a really beautiful part of Australia and best of all it’s right nearby the big, busy city of Brisbane. It seems that there are a lot of places like that around Brisbane. Some of my favorites include the Parklands in South Bank, the Botanical Gardens, and even the lakes right on the St. Lucia campus. All of these places offer a tranquil escape from the big city without having to step too far from your front door.

St Patrick’s Day Down Under

Sorry the St Patrick’s day recap is delayed, but the second portion of this post (aka school) has started to keep me from constantly blogging about all my thoughts.

I would say that St Patrick’s Day is very well celebrated in the U.S. and it typically involves more drinking than actually recognizing Irish culture. Well, here in Oz I was told it’s a bit less recognized but we tried, nonetheless, the make it an eventful day. And the best way to do that is of course by dying everything green. (Beer, pancakes, milk… nails: everything!)

We had a green themed brunch around 11 am where a group of about 12 friends came over to enjoy green milk, green eggs, green pancakes, and a ton of bacon. We enjoyed this tasty meal amongst no one who was Irish and I’m pretty sure we cheered to America but it was still a nice way to recognize the holiday I suppose.

Aside: if you’re going to study in Australia during various holidays that you might normally make a big deal of in your home country, don’t get discouraged when it is less than you expected here is Australia. If there is one thing I learned already it’s that every country celebrates (and glorifies) things differently and that’s all part of the experience. Like I said, we still tried to make it more like home and that always helps too!

School:

I will admit, at the beginning of the semester it still feels like you are on a vacation. But don’t worry, that quickly goes away and the reminders that you’re still in school will come fast in the form of assignments, tests, and papers. No need to panic though, this should be expected as we are approaching the mid-semester (it’s the same expectations at my home Uni) so it’s nothing you wouldn’t be used to.

I have 3 mid semester exams in the next month and a paper due for another class (instead of an exam). The exams seem like they will be similar to the exams I am used to but I will have to let you know after I take them. I have to say, it is nice once school starts to pick up because you really start to feel like you are part of the University. Now, talk to me in a month after all my exams and I might be thinking differently…

Check back for a recap of my weekend getaway to Moreton Island!

Christina

This past weekend, I traveled to a very popular destination in Australia called Byron Bay. It is located in New South Wales, the state directly below Queensland and took about two hours to get there by bus. Get your geography on below:

Remember a few locations: Main beach, cape byron lighthouse, and tallow beach

Located directly below Queensland, Byron Bay is in the north of NSW

In short, the weekend was awesome. I made the journey with QUEST, the student organization for exchange students. There was 150 or so students that all went together which was great. The weekend was full of fun activities QUEST planned for us and a lot of beach time: just what I needed after a tough week of school

We arrived on Friday about 3 pm and my friend, Camilla, and I hit the beach immediately, after I got a huge cheeseburger of course. We lounged for a few hours but then promptly had to head in to get ready for our night activities.

I won’t say exactly when we all went to sleep after our night of fun, but I will say that we did all get up at 5:15 am to begin our sunrise hike to the most easterly point of mainland Australia. Yep, that’s right, we ALL WOKE UP at 5:15 am. It was pitch black and group of about 70 students hiked up to the cape byron light house to watch the sunrise.

And let me tell ya, it was totally worth it. We literally saw the sun peek out over the ocean. It took quite some time to see the fiery ball, but as soon as it peeked it only took about 30 seconds before the entire sun was on top of the ocean. It was quite incredible actually.

We then hiked a little bit more until we were standing on the most easterly point of mainland Australia. It makes you feel pretty small actually, just standing there on the point of a continent surrounded by ocean.

After marveling for some time, we then begin our decent which continued to be extremely scenic. And just think, all of this before 8:00 am! We made it back in time for breakfast and after that Camilla and I had to leave promptly for our surf lesson.

We arrived at the surf school a little before 10am to begin our two hour lesson. They told us to leave everything at the school and only bring our towels. They also made us wear these green t-shirts so they could keep track of us in the water.

The instructor, Marco, loaded up the surf boards and we were off to the beach. There was 11 people in the class, mostly girls and everyone was with QUEST which was nice to have familiar faces. We carried the boards down to the beach and began what was an exhilarating two hours.

We spent about 20 minutes on the beach receiving intensive instructions on what to do in the water. Marco was very good at explaining what to do, and also very up front about pointing out your mistakes. There are six steps to getting up on the surf board, but I can’t reveal them unless you pay for a lesson…. just kidding. I just really don’t want to/can’t remember them. Either way we ended up in the water and Marco helped each one of us individually which was great. When it was my turn he said “Alright, get on the board” and then he gave me a quick push and shouted “stand up!” and sure enough, I stood up. It wasn’t quite like pro surfer style, but it was still surfing nonetheless.

We continued the lesson with many more attempts, which were mostly successful. I only nose dived a couple times. At the end of the lesson I was totally beat, it is much more tiring than you think. We managed to take a decent group pic in our green shirts and then headed back to the school, where I was quickly persuaded into purchasing all of these awesome pictures they took. I figured they were worth it for my first surfing experience. Besides, it’ll all be worth it when I go pro.

After all this excitement it was hard to believe it was only 12:30 pm. Camilla and I snagged some Domino’s for lunch (by the way, it is not that same as in the U.S., it tastes more like Pizza Hut) and then we went to the beach. I covered (most) of my body in sunscreen and totally passed out. I was running on minimal sleep, there was an awesome breeze, and I trust Australians not to play tricks on my while I am baking in the sun. And baking I did. Camilla woke me up about 2 hours later to go get ice cream (what a pal) and then we went back to the beach and I slept some more. The next day I discovered a few places where I missed sunscreen, aka red blotches… but besides that I actually tanned pretty nicely. Goodbye white Wisconsin skin!

That night was filled with more fun QUEST activities. We went to bed a bit earlier due to extreme tiredness and sun exposure. The next morning we decided to spend our last day doing something a little more active than lying on the beach all day. So three other guys and I hiked out to Tallow Beach. We walked along the beach, which was much more deserted than Main Beach until with got to the Teatree lake. It took us about an hour but it was totally worth it. The lake was situated about 100 ft from the ocean and was surrounded by dense forest.

Upon entering the water you can’t really notice anything special about it, but about 2 feet in we began to notice why this was called “teatree” lake. The water looked like a teabag had been sitting it in all day. The water was actually reddish brown and after about a foot down you couldn’t see a single thing.

It was really creepy at first because you didn’t know how deep it was or what was underneath you. Crocodiles, snakes, eels… oh my! But then we saw a small child playing in the water and we thought “if she can do it (naked) then we can do it too!” Besides, the croc would totally go for that snack before any of us. We swam in it for a while because the people said it was good for your skin and hair. After too many croc/getting eaten by something jokes I noticed a small green, hairy worm like thing swimming across the top of the water. That was just about all the wildlife we needed to get us out of that lake. Although I am not sure if I would ever swim there again, I am glad I did it, it was a pretty cool experience.

We trekked back to the hostel after a quick jaunt in the ocean and arrived back in the city in time to grab a tasty lunch. We then boarded the bus and I don’t think I have ever fallen asleep so fast. I slept the entire way home.

In summary, the weekend was awesome, as I said before. It was nice to travel with a group who had everything coordinated for you, so I definitely recommend doing that. Also, be sure to challenge yourself sometimes, especially when you’re travelling. Exploring new areas and swimming in creepy lakes is all part of the experience. Lastly, Byron Bay is a MUST when you are in Australia. The scenery, activities, and nightlife are all worth it!

Check back for the next post on a school update and St Paddy’s Day recap.

Christina

Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Christina Wallhausser and I am currently on exchange at the University of Queensland in Australia. I have traveled here from the wonderful state of Wisconsin in the United States where I go to school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am in my third year studying industrial engineering. Here at UQ, industrial engineering isn’t offered as a degree but that was not a problem, they offer a lot of classes that had already been approved by my home university to count towards my degree. So I guess you could say I am on a general science track while I am here, which works out perfectly. As for the campus, the University of Queensland is so beautiful! It’s really easy to navigate and everyone is so helpful. I felt at home right away!

My first day on campus!

I have a lot to catch up on since I have arrived in Brisbane about a month ago. I will do my best to cover all the initial concerns you might have upon arriving in a new country.

Plane ride: I had a little bit different experience flying in than most people because the group I was with stopped in Fiji on the way here to travel for a week. This made the flight significantly more bearable since it was broken up. But still, the flight from L.A. to Fiji was the longest flight I have ever been on in my life. It was actually quite easy because we left L.A. about 10:45 pm so we all fell asleep. The airline staff wakes you up when it’s time to eat and the rest of the time they turn off all the lights so it’s easier to sleep than you think. Traveling directly to Brisbane will be a little bit longer flight but if you can book it to leave in the evening that would be best since you will want to sleep anyway!

Arriving in Brisbane: After we landed in Brisbane, there were people from UQ there to pick us up. I strongly recommend arranging this before you leave. It is so easy and convenient and best of all, it’s free! They suggested we stay at the YHA hostel which is right in the city. It worked out perfectly to stay there until we found places to live. The driver who took us to the hostel was extremely friendly and gave us a lot of tips about the city so don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn as much as you can. After we got settled into the hostel, we went out and did a little city exploration. This is the best thing you can do in a new city, just walk around and get comfortable. It makes all the difference later on when you actually need to find places. Also, staying at the hostel for a few nights is not bad either. The YHA is really nice and clean and they have a kitchen so you can prepare food and save money by not eating out everyday.

Finding a home: I will admit, if you don’t have accommodation set up before arrival, it can be a bit stressful trying to find a place. I used the UQ Rentals website which was extremely helpful and provided a lot of preliminary information to help narrow your search. After you find a few places that you like, try to call them and set up an appointment (calling is much better than emailing). After that, it pretty much comes down to what you are comfortable with. Here is my recommendation for “pulling the trigger”, since it can be a bit overwhelming to make this decision. Start your search with only a few things that really matter to you, and don’t loose track of those things. For example: close to campus, clean living space, close to public transit routes, etc. Try not to have too many requirements though, because you will be more likely disappointed. And don’t worry, there are plenty of clean, affordable places close to campus. Just stay positive and the search will go much easier!

Classes: Before arriving at UQ, picking classes and determining your timetable can seem like an impossible task. Honestly, just wait until you get here. It is so much easier after you attend an information session during orientation week where they explain everything. I was freaking out about my schedule and all I have to say is don’t do that, just don’t worry about it because it all makes sense once you’re here. Typically people here take four classes, but this semester I am taking five. I think it all depends on your preference in school and what you are used to. At home, I take a lot of classes and I prefer to have a busier schedule. Other people might want more freedom. It’s up to you. If you are in a position wondering if you can take five classes I would say go for it, especially if they are all classes that interest you.

Food: Food in Australia is not hard to come by, it’s just a matter of being a savvy shopper if you want good deals. Super markets, such as Coles, are everywhere and their pricing is pretty standard. There are some smaller fruit markets that might offer cheaper prices and there are markets on the weekends which have a lot of food for really cheap. Fast food is relatively common here, but I don’t think you’ll find it that appealing mostly because of the prices. McDonalds and KFC don’t have the same bargain menus available in the U.S. so don’t expect $1 double cheeseburgers. With that being said, it’s probably a lot better because you will feel yourself preferring the less expensive fruits and vegetables, which is good!

Public Transportation: In Wisconsin, and in a lot of the United States, public transit isn’t as common as in other parts of the world. This will take some getting used to but it is really quite simple. In Brisbane you can take a bus, train, or ferry to get basically anywhere you want to go. Translink, the company that operates all of this, is extremely easy to use and their website has a feature where you can plan your journey so there isn’t much confusion. Upon arrival, you will want to get a Go Card right away which makes travel a breeze. There is a lot of information on this at the info sessions during orientation.

Joining Clubs and Meeting New People: During orientation week there is a day called “Market Day” where all the student organizations set up stands and new students walk around and see if there are any groups they want to join. You will probably find at least five groups you will want to join, there is something for everyone. I decided to join the Beach Volleyball club and the Waterski/Wakeboard club. I do not play volleyball and I never have, I simply joined because the people were really friendly and it was an outdoor activity. Turns out it’s a total blast. I joined the wakeboard club because the people were really friendly as well, but also because I waterski and wakeboard at home and it’s nice to have something that you’re used to. Both of these clubs have allowed me to meet a whole bunch of international and local students and they are a lot of fun. Plus they get me outside and being active. Whatever you like, doing sports or playing video games or discussing world topics, there is a group at UQ for you and I encourage you to join at least one. It is one of the easiest ways to meet great people and usually a great way to relax after a long day of school.

Travel: As mentioned before, I have already done some unique travel before even arriving in Australia. Prior to coming to Brisbane, a group of students from my home university spent a week in Fiji. If you get the chance to travel there I would seriously recommend it, especially if you are with a group of other students. Really, traveling anywhere with that group before coming here will make a lot of things much easier. I didn’t know any of the people from my school who were coming here with me but after spending a week together in Fiji you are much more comfortable with them. As for traveling within Australia, it does not seem that difficult. I have only traveled around Brisbane so far (Gold Coast and Byron Bay) but they were both easy to get to either by bus or train. Traveling to other major cities in Australia seems easy too and locals say there are some pretty good deals on domestic airfare. Traveling with groups such as QUEST or MATES will make the planning a lot easier and usually will be cheaper so don’t worry about it being hard to get places. As I am sure mostly everyone who is writing here will say, you have to travel! Australia is an amazing country with a lot of beautiful neighboring countries and you can’t afford not to see as much as possible.

I think that is as much as I can catch you up on for now. Check back for a travel recap of my recent trip to Byron Bay!

-Christina