Lamington National Park

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One really nice aspect about this study abroad program is that we have field trips scheduled into the semester so that we can leave for a week and focus on one class without worrying about the others. This past week, we went to the rainforest in Lamington National Park for the terrestrial ecology course.

After my eventful birthday weekend, I was up pretty late doing work that I procrastinated at the beach. On little sleep, I woke up at 5:30 for the bus to go to Lamington. We got there a couple hours later, go to our rooms to unpack and find that we are sleeping 9 people to a room that is even smaller than the one at Stradbroke Island (how that was possible, I don’t even know). The next day we went bird watching at 5am and then did a 12 km hike with the professor, stopping every 10 seconds to point out another plant that looks just like the rest of them.

The next day was really fun because we were allowed to hike on whatever trail we wanted. Despite my opposition, my group chose the 17 km trail that passes a bunch of waterfalls. I’m so glad we decided on that one because it was definitely my favorite part of the week. It was really fun to be on our own without a professor and some of the views were incredible.

The last day was brutal because we went on a 13 km hike that was practically vertical. I think I hiked more this past week than I have in my whole life. We celebrated at night by learning the traditional Bush Dance that the native people did, which was pretty hilarious.

Friday, we had a quick lecture in the morning then went to the beach for a few hours to get some much deserved relaxation. I do have to add that I’m going to miss the food at Lamington. We were served in the same dining area as paying guests, so everything was gourmet restaurant style! Overall, it was a great trip (minus the lack of cell reception or internet access) and I’m looking forward to the next one at Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef!

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Photos

Learning on the hike
Professor John Hall stopped on the hikes to teach us about the vegetation

Amazing views
Everywhere we stopped to talk had great views!

Bunk room
I can't believe we fit 9 girls in here for 4 nights

Comments

[Joyce]

Austtralia
Leave it to me to put it all in the title. That's what I get for changing channels on tv and reading your blog. Looks so good. Enjoy Love, Uncle Don & Aunt Joyce