Australia Site Visits by Cynthia Engel

October 17-18: International Ocean Institute, Townsville
Almost three weeks have flown by and I am on my second blog posting. Wow. Since I last wrote in, we have flown from Brisbane north to Cairns and then on to Townsville, where I met up with Posa Skelton of the International Ocean Institute. The IOI does some great work pulling together the research and wisdom from ocean and marine researchers globally to outline sound policy and management practices to preserve our oceans. They also coordinate and host workshops around the world to share the knowledge about effectively protecting our oceans while continuing to benefit from their resources as well. Interns at this site will have some great access to world renowned researchers and their research as they assist in articulating sound policy. The site is ready and waiting!

October 18: James Cook University, Townsville
Then it was on to James Cook University where I was able to explore a campus full of eucalyptus and palm trees, kangaroos and wild turkeys. Not to mention the dozens of amazing birds and tropical plants! Meeting with one of our current students studying there was an excellent chance to get the inside scoop on the place. He loves it. I was also able to meet with the exchange program director and resident bird expert.

(Did you know that Bower birds make nests with a certain color to attract females? If they like the color red for example, they collect red bottle tops, straws, plastic wrappers, paper, you name it! You’ll find the collection in a nice pile on the ground around their nest (which is also on the ground). And they’ll spend all day rearranging their little collection of colored treasures to perfect its look.)

October 19-21: Cape Tribulation Research Station, Daintree National Rainforest
Anyway…after a great couple days in Townsville, we hit the road north to Cape Tribulation Research Station, where the rainforest meets the (Great Barrier) reef. Wow. Now that’s a rainforest jungle! We met up with our current intern there who came out to greet us and couldn’t stop saying how much she loves it there! Set in the middle of the rainforest, the research station is completely self sufficient. Bryn showed us to our luxurious cabin and we were given a quick introduction to our potential roommates for the evening…Ms. Cockroach, Mr. Gecko, Mr. Bandicoot, the Cane’s Frogs and a couple noisy night owls. Oh, and even though that sounds like rain on your roof, it’s really just the extreme humidity building up on the jungle leaves and then rolling off their rain folds in the wind. You are really getting away from it all up there…and it was great.
We had an educational visit throughout the region with Bryn as our guide. We went out in the morning with her as she collected specimens for her research project and then she shared impressive amounts of information about the rainforest. We also got to meet the resident flying foxes (batman style bats!) which are incredibly cute and full of personality. Did you know they are the closest living mammal in Australia to humans?!

October 22-23: National Marine Science Center, Coffs Harbour
Whew. Off to Coffs Harbour! I met with a new site – the National Marine Science Center – which is a multi-million dollar, state of the art marine research facility. Students will now be able to work with researchers on a variety of marine and reef projects right on the Great Barrier Reef in a state of the art facility with quality researchers. This is quite an exciting opportunity for students interested in marine and reef ecology! In the process, Alistair (who runs the NMSC) introduced me to Marine Magic Pet Porpoise Pool, who works in partnership with the NMSC, where we hung out with the porpoises and sea lions where they either rehab from injuries or live permanently due to permanent damage. This is yet another new site opportunity for our students who may be interested in business marketing, PR, outreach or animal psychology. A fun opportunity to “swim with the dolphins!”

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the shark!! After taking us to a uniquely Australian “Surf Rescue Life Club” competition where kids of all ages compete in swim life-saving competitions out on the beaches, Alistair then took us snorkeling just off the reef in Coffs Harbour, where I floated several minutes face to face with a shark trying to actually figure out if it was a rock or a creature. You can imagine my reaction when the brain cells finally put two and two together and I concluded it was a shark! After gaining a bit of composure at the surface, I swam over and calmly told Ben (my partner) to come check out this cool “fish” I found. J

October 24: Hunter Valley Gardens, Hunter Valley
OK. So we went from cockroaches and bandicoots in the rainforest to the Napa Valley of Australia in three days. There’s a bit of culture shock for you! But in the process, we have brought another exciting new internship site on board! This is an exciting site because of the extensive diversity of internship opportunities! HVG is a well known, high class resort based in the wine region of Australia. They maintain 800 acres of manicured gardens as well! HVG hosts concerts (Diana Ross is there this week), weddings, conferences and other major events. They also produce wine. Students in horticulture, event and conference management, hospitality and tourism, food and beverage management, marketing and outreach, and even viticulture will find a great internship opportunity waiting for them here! And they get to live in an old villa at the top of a hill in the middle of a vineyard!

OK, I’m signing off for now. I’ll fill you in with more later.
Cheers from the land of OZ!
Cynthia