The Spiritual Undertone of Carnarvon Gorge

Before Goorialla, an Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent, emerged, land was flat, only inhabited by people. The Rainbow Serpent weaved throughout Australia, forming gorges, mountains and water. As Goorialla traversed, it gave life to Earth.

This is one of countless “Dreaming” stories existing in Aboriginal culture, used to explain the earth and life that persists throughout it. In the Dreaming realm time is non-linear, meaning everything has happened, is happening and will continue to happen.

In Australia there are about 500 Aboriginal tribes, each one having different Dreaming stories. Though there is much diversity among Dreaming stories and how the land was created, many have common themes, including variations on the Rainbow Serpent.

Mary Graham, a member of the Kombu-merri and Waka Waka people, describes Dreaming as the law. She says it dictates how people live and behave. “Dreaming has nothing to do with faith,” Graham says. “It’s too uncertain – faith. What they have is a psychology of life…something just is.”

 However, in English and western societies, there is no direct translation for this term, Dreaming. Perhaps the most accurate way to understand it is as a belief system. Just how Christians know there is a Heaven and Hell, Aboriginal cultures know this world has been and is being created through the Dreaming realm and its beings.

The stories of Rainbow Serpents stretch back over 6,000 years, according to “The Rainbow Serpent” by Dick Roughsey. Every Rainbow Serpent story correlates to water. Carnarvon Gorge, an oasis in the outback of central Queensland, was used by the Bidjara and Karingbal people for over 20,000 years. They believe the gorge is carved out by the Mundagurra Rainbow Serpent, who still resides there today.

The Rainbow Serpent is considered one of the highest orders of Dreaming beings throughout Aboriginal culture, says Simon Ling, an interpretive guide to Carnarvon Gorge. This means the gorge is viewed as sacred land. The Serpent creates rules about how people should interact with the gorge. Carnarvon has never been permanently inhabited, rather, only used for festivals and ceremonies. Ling says it may not have been allowed because of the spiritual quality of the gorge, adding, it is vital to look at the spiritual connection Aboriginals have to the land in order to understand how it has been used.

“When you [Aboriginals] look at this landscape you don’t see it in the nuts and bolts way that I do, you are going to be seeing it as having a spiritual undertone.”

Ceremonies practiced in the sacred land of Carnarvon Gorge are evidenced by stenciling and engravings. The most common area to see these symbols is the Art Gallery off the main hiking trail.

Ling argues the name, “Art Gallery,” is a misnomer. He says it should be viewed in a religious way.

Ling explains symbols etched onto the sandstone rock face represent ceremonies that have taken place.

“These motifs will have been created in association with a ceremony and it’s the ceremony that holds the power,” Ling says. “These are created as part of the process, so they are part of the means they’re not the end.”

Just like a wedding ring represents a marriage, these symbols represent various ceremonies. These ceremonies promoted a social community, as local people gathered to celebrate, or mourn, and created these symbols together.

There are three techniques to creating the symbols: stenciling, engraving and free hand. The stenciling was accomplished using mineral oxides.

Though handprints are among the most prominent symbols on the rock face, it is unknown what ceremony they represent.

Aboriginals would grind the mineral into a powder, slush it in their mouths and blow it out over their hands or stencils, misting the sandstone. Since sandstone is extremely porous, the water mixed with pigment would get sucked into the rock as soon as it hit the surface and in turn, stain the rock.

Engraving was a common technique used to depict Dreaming beings and vulvas.

Engraving was accomplished with a hard stick or a rock and free hand, the least common, was done with no stencil. There are about 1,350 engravings and 650 stencils at the Art Gallery.

It is believed the symbols are 3,700 years old, Ling says. The gallery is sandstone with a flat surface and an area with an overhang. Aboriginals placed symbols in specific areas best fit for longevity.

“To get rid of the rock art you have to get rid of the rock,” Ling says. “It will look exactly the same as the day you wacked it up there until the erosion reaches the depth of penetration then the image will start to break up. So it’s a pretty powerful technique in terms of its ability to survive.”

Many of the stencils are hands, boomerangs and nets. The engravings tend to be vulvas and images of Dreaming beings, such as the Rainbow Serpent. Ling says it is very difficult to decipher the meanings of the symbols.

“As soon as you’ve got a people that is using abstract symbolism these things can mean anything and that makes them all the more difficult to try and interpret,” he says.

However, working alongside Karingbal, Bidjara and archeologists, researchers have been able to determine what some symbols mean and the ceremonies they pertain to.

This stenciled net represents a ceremony performed for ritual burials.

Ritual burials were performed for deaths that occurred due to an unknown cause. The Karingbal and Bidjara would preserve the soul within the deceased’s body until receiving a sign from the spirit world. Upon receiving a sign, they would bring the body to a ridge face to perform a ceremony. According to Ling, the function of the ceremony was to “erect a spiritual barrier to keep that soul headed on the right path and to block it from staying in this realm.” Hence, a depiction of a physical barrier, a net.

Another prominent symbol at the Art Gallery is vulva engraving. Out of the 1,350 engravings, more than 700 are vulvas.

It is thought vulvas represent a ceremony for pregnant women. The ceremony could pertain to spiritual heritage or organizing roles individuals will play in the child’s life.

Other symbols on the wall are believed to be used for educational purposes, storing information, or to share and show emotions. Some can be interpreted to tell stories of grief and mourning.

Ling says the Art Gallery reminds us the importance of observing mutual values and emotions between cultures.

“See some of those big, human things that override any cultural differences are present in this place,” Ling says. “Heaps of differences and heaps of similarities at the same time.”

It’s Over?

Only five weeks have past and in that short amount of time I’ve had experiences that will shape and mold me for years to come; made friends I will always cherish; seen the world for it’s true and rustic beauty; become accustomed to communal living-the good and bad of it; been with the same people for approximately 50,400 minutes (and could go for another 50,000); realized the joy of cooking, especially when you’re with friends; probably put my hiking boots into retirement; reconnected with lost loves; and I’ve changed.

Traveling has been a part of me and one of my biggest passions since going to Indonesia at 16. The things you learn, experience and see while abroad are ones you can’t gain anywhere else. Every aspect of it I try to take in–the good, uncomfortable, feelings of isolation, excitements, anxieties and every other emotion. These moments make you realize there’s a whole world to see and so many people to know and we only have a short amount of time to do as much as we can.

Through these journeys in Australia and New Zealand, I’ve discovered a new side to myself. One that has probably always been there, it just hadn’t been found. I’ve always cared about this world and been curious how it will change throughout my lifetime, but I’ve never been active about learning about it or taking action to lessen my impacts. I realize now, I want these places I’ve seen to be here for my children and my children’s children. I want them to see the winding roads and rolling hills of New Zealand; be intoxicated by the crystal clear world that lies underwater at the Great Barrier Reef; breathe the crisp air of a rainforest; and trek along a trail of Aboriginal history at Carnarvon Gorge. I want these places to last, which means I need to be active.

“A man goes out on the beach and sees that it is covered with starfish that have washed up in the tide. A little boy is walking along, picking them up and throwing them back into the water. ‘What are you doing, son?’ the man asks. ‘You see how many starfish there are? You’ll never make a difference.’ The boy paused thoughtfully, and picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean. ‘It sure made a difference to that one,’ he said.”

-Hawaiian parable from “Half The Sky” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

This parable has always spoken to me and called me to action. I hope to bring issues to the surface and inspire change throughout my life. It has always been my end goal and the reason I chose a career in which we get to spread knowledge that generates inspiration and leads to change. The only difference now is I view the environment as an issue that needs awareness.

I hate to admit, but I used to be a critic and skeptic to climate change. I’ve seen all these ideas challenged, shaped and changed over the course of this class and I now have first-hand experience in Australia. I wonder how I ever doubted it and if I thought this way that means so many others do as well. If people doubt climate change and the certainty of it, people won’t change their impacts and our world will continue to be damaged, as it already is. I now recognize the need and immediacy to communicate the realities of climate change to the people of this world.

I use this world and it’s resources: I own a car, rack up hefty energy bills, recycling has been a foreign concept and I take little notice to throwing a piece of gum out the window. The contradicting thing is I have always appreciated this world, which God has created. I am often brought to my knees in awe and mystified by the beauty of it. I’ve always appreciated the peacefulness of morning dew on a freshly blossomed flower, hiking to tops of mountain ledges to see views that inspire me, the isolation that mountains have, listening to the silence as snow falls, waking up early to see sunrises, trekking along to get to destinations that are otherwise unreachable and just being outdoors in this world. The issue is I never realized these things, which I cherish so much, are in jeopardy. After studying the threats and seeing what can be taken from the world, I have a new conscious towards the environment. I see the necessity in being stewards of this earth and to live in harmony.

A Different Meaning to Dreaming

We’ve been learning about this concept of “Dreaming” or “Dreamtime” since the first day of class in Australia. Mary Graham, a local woman of the Kombu-merri and Waka Waka people, walked into our classroom and started telling us a “Dreaming story.” The story consisted of large beings, seeming mystical to me, that came out of the ground and began shaping the world we live in now. These beings could take any form and she described them as mega fauna. A common one is the Rainbow Serpent and as it weaves throughout the country of Australia it creates the mountains, gorges and water. These spirit beings bring life into existence. They create all plants, animals, landscapes and people that exist in this world. So, Dreaming is how Aboriginals explain this world and the life that persists throughout it.

I’ll admit, at first I did not understand this concept, at all. It has been and still is such a complicated idea for me to grasp. To me it seems like an intricate yet simple way to view and make sense of this life. However, after spending a month here and hearing about dreamtime stories at each location we’ve been to, I have finally started to understand it more. I’ve been attempting to write about it the past few days and each time I get a little scared, as I know I cannot bring the stories any justice.

Mary describes dreaming as the Law. It is how people learn to behave and interact with the land. Within Australia there are over 500 Aboriginal tribes and each have different dreaming stories and/or dreaming beings. When I heard this I couldn’t grasp it. How could one continent be filled with over 500 tribes, living peacefully but all with different takes on their creation stories? Well Mary explained that even though they are all different, they have one common theme. Aboriginals all believe the land made them and all feel a need to look after it. She said this makes for a very non-judgmental culture.

This is an Aboriginal language map. It shows the diversity of the culture in Australia. Photo Credit: Mappery

All of these confusions and questions persisted in my mind until this past weekend (not to say I’m an expert BUT I do understand what I originally didn’t). When I went to Carnarvon Gorge, all of these dreaming stories I had been hearing about were finally something I could see. I had a landscape that had a story to it.

Simon, our guide, was able to relay how Aboriginals thought of this gorge. It is believed to be carved out by the local Rainbow Serpent, Mundagurra, who still resides in the gorge today. Because of this, the gorge is extremely sacred to the local Aboriginal tribes: the Bidjara and Karingbal people. Simon argued the tribes never lived in the gorge because it may not have been allowed due to the spirituality of it. The Bidjara and Karingbal only used it for resources, festivals and ceremonies. While we were on our nine mile hike, we got to take a glance into the history of these ceremonies.

What is known as the Art Gallery, but should really be viewed in a more religious way, is filled with symbols the Aboriginals etched onto the wall to represent ceremonies performed. Simon compared it to how a wedding ring is used to represent a marriage; these symbols were used the same way.

Being in this place, I felt like I was experiencing the history. I closed my eyes and imagined being there when the Karingbal and Bidjara were placing these symbols on the sandstone. I could see the men, women and children on the ridge face, celebrating or mourning, and placing symbols for everyone to see, to know what they were experiencing and feeling. I imagine it being a place full of emotion, happy or sad.

Looking at these symbols you can tell they took a lot of preparation and work. They weren’t just given a bottle of spray paint and some stencils. They had to grind minerals into powders, mix them with their spit and with precision “mist” the substance over their hands or other items. And if they weren’t using this technique they engraved symbols onto the wall with a stone tool, which they had to break and sharpen from larger rocks. The first day at the gorge we learned how to make stone tools-so let me tell you, it’s not an easy task. So the preparation for these symbols were a lot of work. To Aboriginals it was very worth it and I’m personally happy it exists because I get to experience it.

Mikayla Martinez sharpening the edge of a stone to use as a tool.

Seeing places like these, where the culture has left a piece of it behind for the rest of the world to see, I always feel very privileged. These etchings were never meant for us to see or try to decipher and study, but we get to. We get the privilege of trying to interpret what each symbol means; we get the privilege of hiking through this land that is so sacred to Aboriginals; and we get the privilege of seeing their history and culture first hand.

What I took from Carnarvon Gorge

Let me preface this post with the fact I have been looking forward to Carnarvon Gorge since the beginning of this trip. When I first heard we would be going to the outback, I expected dry and barren land, camping under the stars, trekking through the dessert heat and I was excited for a new adventure. But, once we began doing research, I learned we would be at an oasis in the outback and honestly wasn’t sure what to think about it. When we got to New Zealand and throughout our travels in Australia, anyone who had heard of or been to Carnarvon said it was absolutely spectacular, which made me more hopeful, and as time passed I became more and more anxious to be there.

Upon arriving I had a whole idea in my head of what it would be; and Carnarvon Gorge was so different than the image I had thought up, but in the absolute best way. It surpassed all expectations and I fell in love.

It was composed of hiking, star gazing, freezing temperatures, 5 a.m. wake up calls, squealing birds, pushing ourselves past our limits, washing dishes, cheese toasties, making rock tools, competitions, intriguing debates, campfires and so much more. Every second of it I was more than just content, I was happy.

After a long but resting 10 hour bus ride from Brisbane to the Gorge, we got to an area that was outside of the bustling cities we are so often accustomed to. In a way I wish it could have even been more isolated, if that could be possible. In a place like Carnarvon Gorge, I consider it a privilege to see the land, experience the history and see things that are completely new to me. In a way I feel a bit like an intruder, but honestly I wouldn’t give up the experience just because of that feeling. It’s too breathtaking and too beautiful to not experience it. In this place I felt connected to the beauty of this world, which is a feeling that is rare and special.

The first hike: This was one of the most fun, adventurous hikes I’ve done. It reminded me a lot of a hike I did with my friends two summers ago in Colorado. The geography of this side gorge was very similar to a lot of Colorado that I’ve seen. We started hiking up through the river and the sides slowly got more and more narrow, until we were squeezing through this canyon. We had to walk through murky waters, only imagining what slimy creatures were below us, pull ourselves up logs and lift others over them, scale the sides of the rock walls and come back down to do it all again. We all helped each other, always checking to make sure no one was behind; we all came out with battle scars; and we all conquered a daring hike. It was a blast and I wish I could do it all over again. When I’m put in these situations, where I can see that one slip up could cause harm to me or anyone-my worrying usually skyrockets. So the more I have experiences outside of my comfort zone, I’m learning to trust my own abilities and realizing you have to push yourself a little to live life.

Photo Credit: Kyle Ver

The second hike: I consider myself decently in shape, I really love hiking and I’m usually up for anything, but this hike was a hard one. Half way up I felt my asthma start kicking in, my heartbeat starting to rise and I was sweating, a lot. It was 1,000 plus steps to the top at a steep incline. At the time I had no idea what I was working so hard to see—but in my head I knew it’d be worth it. All 14 of us made it to the top to see an overlook of the gorge, which the great Rainbow Serpent in Aboriginal beliefs carved out. Throughout the hikes in the gorge I felt like I was walking through ancient history that dated back 20,000 years. We hiked through areas aboriginals walked through for ceremonies, festivals and resources. With Simon Ling, our guide for the weekend, there to tell us different meanings of things and different plants Aboriginals used for various things enhanced the entire experience. The overlook gave me a broader view of the gorge rather than just hiking in the basin. These types of views make you realize the size of this world and how there are so many things to see in it! We also did some yodeling off the top, listening back for our echo. Sometimes yelling out loud on the top of a cliff can be the most invigorating and freeing experience and it was.

The final hike: This surpassed our 7 mile hike with Berry in Lamington and instead we did 9 miles starting with breakfast at 6 a.m. Simon took us down the main track of the gorge and we went to four destinations off the main one: the Art Gallery, Wards Canyon, the Amphitheatre and Moss Garden.

Photo Credit: Australian Nature Guides

Each was crazy unique and so diverse! The first stop was the “Art Gallery,” which I will go into detail about in my next post. We then went to “Wards Canyon,” which hosts the only king ferns in central Queensland and have been there for millions of years—pretty cool huh?

Simon showed us a little cave with bats living in it!

We then trekked over to the “Amphitheatre,” which was great. It was a large opening in the gorge with a lot of greenery in the middle of it. Simon mentioned it used to be open for camping until people got too lazy to hike outside to relieve themselves, so they had to shut it down for sanitary reasons…pretty disgusting. But if people hadn’t abused the place, it would have been a magical spot to pitch a tent for a few nights.

The last stop on our hike was “Moss Gardens.” This was a photo my group has seen since the beginning of our research. So to see it in real life was surreal and to learn about it was even more incredible. The sandstone that surrounds the area soaks up rainwater and that water slowly trickles out of the stone over thousands of years, hints all the moss that surrounds it…and the name of the site. To realize we were seeing water that is thousands of years old just now coming out this rock was really something special. It’s interesting to think about where that water originally came from and what was happening then.

Other moments: Besides the hiking while at the Gorge, we also got to see a new night sky; have two campfires walking away with that smoky comforting smell; tell scary stories; learn more about each other and each others lives; and just experience a new world. The night sky was something very special. We saw the southern cross, the milky way in all its beauty, shooting stars, Saturn and two of its rings, the full moon and we soaked it all in cuddled under a tarp on a field full of cow paddies.

Carnarvon gorge is truly a place of beauty and bliss, where I felt paradise surrounding me.

Sustainable Travel

So since being in Australia we have stayed in hostels and eco-resorts, trying to have as little impact on our surrounding environments as possible. However, as we learned in a lecture three days ago, no matter how you go about traveling you are always impacting the environment.

Professor Robert Nash, who teaches at Bond University in the Gold Coast, spoke to us about the benefits and downfalls of tourism, both for the environment and economically.

Photo Credit: Bond University

I think when people think of “tourism” and being a “tourist”, it’s often in a negative light. However, with tourism comes money; and for developing countries money is much needed to build up their poor economies. It provides easy jobs for the community and investments in infrastructures. Nash does make it extremely clear that tourism is ALL about money, but there are a few good things that come from it. It can benefit nearby environments because tourists don’t want to see disgusting, polluted areas, so communities clean up their surroundings. Oftentimes it leads to increased access to areas, restoration projects, wildlife management projects, cleaning up of the environment, improved waterway systems and conservation. These are all very positive aspects and benefits towards tourism.

However, with increased people in areas, come increased impacts on the environment. So with tourism comes a lot of negatives. Often it costs the local population a lot to fund tourism, many communities become over dependent on tourism and a lot of local businesses will close because of competition. Environmentally, tourism often leads to change in character of traditional buildings, overloading, deforestation, pollution, over development, disturbance of wildlife, destruction of environments, aesthetic pollution and overcrowding. It seems like these negatives outweigh the positives.

Photo Credit: Coolgeography.co.uk

So what do we do? Where is the happy medium? People want to and should travel, to see the world and experience new cultures. But if it’s impacting our environment negatively, should it really continue? Nash argues that people should just stay home in order to not impact the environment. Even in eco-tourist destinations, which are meant to help sustain the environment, people negatively impact it. When we were at Lady Elliot Island, an eco-resort, many of us broke off pieces of coral, which is a negative impact. So Nash says there really is no eco-tourism solution and there will always be an impact. Adding that it’s really a never-ending spiral, because communities want the benefits of tourism (money) but don’t want the impact.

I believe just staying at home and opting out of seeing our world is not the answer. Nash does give alternative ideas. He says if you are going to travel, stay in hostels, backpack, eat at local restaurants, and stay for a long period of time versus a quick trip. If you stay longer, there is less of an impact on the environment. I say do this-plan trips, see the world, experience and immerse yourself in new cultures, but do it in an eco-friendly way. Yes, we will always have an impact on the world and our environment. But that’s kind of the point; it is our environment too. We are a part of this world just like all other species, so instead of trying to suppress our impact, we just need to figure out how to live in harmony and impact our world in a sustainable way.

Photo Credit: Pure Travel

Learning in the Rainforest

After a quick two-hour drive from Brisbane my group and I were in our next destination, Lamington National Park. The park is a sub-tropical rainforest just 45 minutes away from the famous Gold Coast. We hopped out of our bus in shorts and T-shirts and quickly realized we weren’t on an island anymore. We all did a quick wardrobe change and started getting used to Australia’s winter.

I instantly felt at home at the park, as it reminded me so much of camping trips I’ve done throughout my life. There was a little lodge where I spent mornings and nights next to the fireplace, there were hiking treks galore and the area was abundant with wildlife. The mountains are always where I feel comfortable and most at home. It’s hard to explain because Lady Elliot was an experience out of this world, but being in the mountains I am always happy and everything feels right in the world.

Lamington National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Certain areas throughout the world are given this status to help preserve the land.They are all protected sites by the governments.

“World Heritage is the designation for places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.”

–UNESCO World Heritage Centre

To help us really appreciate this area we had a guide, Barry Davies. Barry is originally from New Zealand, but has lived and hiked Lamington for the past 30 years. Barry knows these mountains like the back of his hand. As we hiked with him we passed many other natives to the mountain and they always cheered out “’Ello Barry!” He is a friendly man with a wealth of knowledge.

Photo Credit: Scenic Rim Escapes

A few friends and I took a quick hike on our first afternoon. The trail led us to a beautiful lookout, “Bellbird Lookout.” We sat there in silence for ten minutes listening to the birds of Lamington and as they all chimed together they made the most beautiful songs. It was magical. We then came across an opening in the rainforest, where Camille suggested we all play hide and seek. IT WAS SO FUN! A group of 9 college kids instantly became super giggly and it felt like recess…but in the rainforest. It just goes to show no matter how old you get, you’re never too old for hide and seek. You’ll still get that insane need to not be found and a rush of innocent excitement.

The lodge we were staying in had an observation deck, which every night we went to a few minutes before 5 to watch the sun set. Whenever I see a sunset that makes my heart skip a beat (like this one), I am always transported back to a night in Hawaii with my family, when I watched the sun go down with my dad. That night he said to me “There goes July 5, 2009 forever, this day will never happen again.” It’s a pretty simple thought but also pretty crazy. Just to think that that moment and day in history will never be repeated. After the long day I winded down next to the fire and rested up for the morning ahead. We woke up and prepared for our seven hour hike. Barry took us throughout the rainforest, pointing out different bird species, plants, animals and the variety of landscapes. It was incredible how he could find so many things that we would have never noticed. It was fascinating to see how diverse the rainforest is, in just the way the land changes based off direction and altitude.

Barry explained how the environment is changing within the rainforest and much of it is due to climate change. He described how different species have to adapt and be able to do it quickly because of the steep rate the climate is changing. He made an interesting comment, stating people will learn to adapt, as we always have, but certain flora and fauna just won’t be able to keep up.

The most interesting animal to me was Albert’s Lyrebird. It is one of two of the most ancient birds that exist in Lamington Park. It’s been alive since before dinosaurs! It echoes sounds of the forest and is one of the most beautiful songbirds I’ve ever heard. It was such an incredible and eerie experience, knowing I was listening to noises that have been heard for thousands of years. However, this bird is listed as a vulnerable species. The lyrebird is threatened by fragmentation and the introduction of certain species, which affect their ideal habitats. It lives in isolated areas and has a very small population (only 3,500). In order to keep this bird alive, we have to be aware of the habitats they live in. Lyrebirds live in wet areas, so climate change, with its increasing temperatures, has the potential to threaten them.

Photo Credit: BirdForum

The marsupial frog is also among the endangered species that Barry spoke about. It was just recently discovered at Lamington and is already on its way to extinction. It is in trouble because of the increasing drought conditions. The frog needs moist environments for food and reproduction purposes, which are obviously becoming less with higher temperatures.

Photo Credit: Superstock.com

The rainforest itself is extremely diverse. On our trek alone we went through three different climates: sub-tropical, warm temperate and cool temperate. In each, there were different species of animals and vegetation. Barry described five aspects that affect this forest distribution: altitude, aspect, slope, geology/soils and fire.

From my understanding, the greatest current threat to the rainforest is the potential of increasing temperatures. With increased temperatures come droughts, and with droughts come fires and no rainforest. And the species that inhabit the area can’t adapt to these changes quick enough to sustain life. SO there is even more reason for us to start changing our current impacts on the world and start trying to sustain it. So one day other kids will get the chance to play hide and seek in a lush rain forest full of ancient life.

My Time in Paradise

Knowing I would be heading to the Great Barrier Reef while I was In Australia, I knew it would be an unforgettable experience, but I never expected it to be filled with such pure joy.

Without going through any security check points, having no boarding pass and only carrying a small backpack with our things we boarded the plane from Hervey Bay. The plane itself was quite small and honestly a little questionable, but we all split up into two groups and took a quick flight across the vast ocean. In just thirty minutes, Lady Elliot Island was in view and looked just like pictures, small but beautiful. When we were landing, I realized how short the landing strip was and it was grass…Normally at this sight I would get slightly nervous, but instead I had an overwhelming sense of excitement for this new place, where even the journey to get there was a completely new experience.

Within the first thirty minutes we were there, we went on our first snorkeling adventure at THE GREAT BARRIER REEF. In just one hour we saw more marine life than I ever have in my life. Including sharks, turtles, sting rays, sea urchins, parrotfish and so much more. From that moment on, I knew I wouldn’t want to leave.

Photo Credit: Camille Garcia

We were spoiled with food here. After having to fend for ourselves for the past 2 and a half weeks, I felt like a queen at a feast. We had delicious breakfasts, lunches, dinners and at every meal—dessert. I have one of the biggest sweet tooths I know, so I was in a happy place.

The resort itself isn’t at all what you think it would be when you hear the word “resort.” We stayed in small eco-tents, used community bathrooms and had no access to the outside world. Aka this was my paradise. When I am completely disconnected from everything, I find myself at so much peace. It’s these moments and experiences when I can see the full and true beauty of this world and I am so humbled to be a small part of it.

Photo Credit: Trip Advisor

Leading up to the trip, I was battling a cold and was extremely worried I wouldn’t be able to scuba dive. I had been looking forward to diving the reef since I applied to the program and now that experience was potentially going to be taken away from me. So my friends and I waited until the last day we were there to plan our dive, so I had a lot of time to get better. And even though I was slightly congested, I decided I would try and if I had problems equalizing my ears I would just go back on the boat. As soon as we started to descend I had ZERO issues and it was like all my symptoms had disappeared. Within the first minute of descending, our dive master motioned us to go onto the sandy bottom. Within seconds a giant manta ray was swimming right over our heads.

Photo Credit: Camille Garcia

It was one of the most magical and surreal experiences I have ever had. I was in awe of the world and everything in it that God has created. It’s one of those moments in life that feels like a glimpse of heaven.

Photo Credit: Camille Garcia

The dive went by quickly and I wanted to go again—and hopefully someday I’ll make it back for a diving trip. I had my last snorkel the next morning before leaving, to take it all in once more. That day there were moments the sun shined through the water and the visibility was so incredible.

We climbed back aboard the small aircraft and made our way back to reality. As soon as we landed everyone connected to the free Wi-Fi (including me) and I knew we were back. Now being in Brisbane, a big city, we are far away from our remote, humble island home and I find myself missing it and looking forward to disconnect once more, which will happen tomorrow! We will be leaving for Lamington National Park, a sub-tropical rainforest! So next time y’all hear from me, I’ll have had new experiences in a part of world I have yet to discover!

Falling Back In Love With Science

We just spent the last four days at the Great Barrier Reef and to say it was surreal would be an understatement. We stayed at Lady Elliot Island, which is an eco-resort. Being an eco-resort means there is little impact on the surrounding environment and it is extremely sustainable. The island is only 100 acres in size and you can walk around the entire island in 45 minutes.

Photo Credit: Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort

While we were there we were accompanied by a soon-to-be Dr. Joe Pollock. Pollock has extensively studied coral diseases at the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Each day he gave us lectures about the diverse marine life at Lady Elliot Island, and the threats to corals and how they live. Before studying journalism, I studied biology and chemistry because science is one of my passions. After taking a break from it for a year and a half, I forgot how much I loved it. These four days on the island was like an oasis of science for me and I fell back in love with the subject.

Within the first hour we arrived on the island, Pollock accompanied us on a snorkel. He pointed out sea urchins, different fish, a sting ray and so much more marine life I would have missed if it weren’t for him. That night we went on a reef walk, which is when the tide is very low, so you can see everything living there.

Throughout the next three days Pollock told us all about corals and how they live and die, which I found so intriguing because I never thought of coral as a living organism that breathes and reproduces just like any other animal. On the Great Barrier Reef alone there are 600 different species of coral.

Every year coral will spawn and reproduce at the same time. The coral synchronize based off the solar and lunar cycles. When it’s spawning time they always run into problems and predators, just like turtles would. The larvae that coral release are full of energy and a lot of marine life like eating them to get a burst of energy.

Coral Spawning-Photo Credit: Green Retreat

The larvae will swim around looking for a specific type of algae (crustose coralline) and will land where there aren’t too many other reefs around.  One of the reasons coral try to stay clear of each other is because they often “go to war.” Just like any other species, coral compete for space and when other coral start encroaching on them, they attack. Sometimes they will just wound each other, but sometimes they kill.

Coral fighting-Photo Credit: BBC

Besides each other, corals face a lot of threats from the environment. What’s the first one that pops into your head? Probably coral bleaching, because that’s what I ALWAYS thought. However, coral diseases actually kills more than coral bleaching does. There are a lot of misconceptions to coral bleaching, just like this one. Bleaching occurs when the water temperature gets too hot for the algae that lives on the coral. The algae will get stressed from the high temperature and begin releasing toxins that the coral doesn’t like, so the symbiotic relationship no longer exists and the coral begins to reject the algae. So when you have an ocean where the temperature is rising (which we do because of climate change) there will be more and more bleaching.

BUT coral bleaching doesn’t necessarily cause the corals to die. In fact, in some cases it can be useful. After the coral rejects the algae there is about a ten day period the coral has to take algae back if the water temperature lowers. Otherwise, the coral will die because without the algae it looses the ability to do photosynthesis, which is how they get the majority of their energy. What I found most intriguing was that bleaching can sometimes help coral because it lets them get rid of algae and have the opportunity to take in more useful algae—allowing them to adapt at a quicker rate.

Corals have to deal with diseases (the causes of which are still unknown), ocean acidification, physical damage from cyclones or other natural disasters, over fishing or coastal run off (because it increases sediment, which decreases the corals ability to do photosynthesis). So just like any organisms: corals eat, reproduce, get sick, have to worry about predators and must learn to adapt to their environment. In many ways corals are just like us.

Take a look at some of the BBCs coral reef coverage here and here

Crash Course on Australia’s History

Last Wednesday our class had a crash course on the history and discovery of Australia. History has always been a fascinating subject for me and to learn about a new country while studying in it gives me a greater appreciation.

Dr. Martin Crotty is a professor at the University of Queensland and spoke to us for about one hour on Australia’s history. Captain James Cook and Joseph Banks were the first to purposely go to Australia in the 1770s. However, Crotty explained that Australia existed in people’s imaginations before then. People thought there had to be other land in the world to balance out the huge amounts of land in the northern hemisphere, so people “theorized” it into existence. Cook and Banks were amazed with Australia’s land and the wonders of it when they first discovered it.

Captain James Cook                                                            Photo credit: New South Wales State Library

Before Cook and Banks came to Australia, the country had unintentionally been bumped into it by Dutch settlers, who were on their way to the spice islands. They viewed the land much differently than Cook and Banks. They had poor impressions of the land and the Aboriginals.

After the discovery, Australia was thought to be the richest and most democratic country in the world, even though it was very far from the motherland (Britain). It was claimed under “Terra Nullius.”

Terra Nullius-“a Latin expression deriving from Roman law meaning “land belonging to no one”, which is used in international law to describe territory which has never been subject to the sovereignty of any state, or over which any prior sovereign has expressly or implicitly relinquished sovereignty.”

It was originally populated by convicts and free settlers from Europe. These convicts eventually became traders, who became rich and were the base population of Australia. This is very interesting to me, because Australia is now one of the safest countries in the world. At first, the country had a lot of money in it, but not enough people. The government began paying people to immigrate and eventually it was viewed as a working mans paradise. The population had an increasing attachment to the land and it finally started to feel like home. It was officially found in 1901 and is considered a commonwealth country.

Photo credit: Museum of Australian Democracy

Being in Australia for almost two weeks now, there hasn’t been much culture shock for me because I find it very similar to America. And after learning more about the history of Australia, I find there are even more similarities to the two countries. When America was found, much of the world viewed it as the richest country at the time and it also was considered a “working mans paradise.” Before Crotty’s lecture, we had spent the previous day at the Queensland museum. There I spent a lot of time in the war exhibit, reading stories of wartime heroes. I read letters men wrote back to their mom’s and watched a video of their sacrifices for their country. While learning about these men, I thought about wartime heroes of America. And I realized no matter where you are in the world–people are all the same. We are all human beings who have a need for connection. It’s moments like these that make me love traveling and learning about new cultures, because no matter how different we all are, we are still all people.

Class Begins

So the trip is off to an incredible start. Since my last post, our group has been exploring Brisbane, learning more about the history and culture of Australia and just made our way to Hervey Bay yesterday. So far Hervey Bay has been great! (The beach is BEAUTIFUL).

On our first day of actual “class” we got to hear from Mary Graham, a Kombu-merri woman. This lecture was different than I was expecting and in a very good way. She told us about Aboriginal’s beliefs and cultures. Aboriginals have no one language, no one belief and no one government. Each part of the land in Australia belongs to a different group of Aboriginals who are completely individual of each other. Graham said no Aboriginal group accepts one leader for the entire Aboriginal culture in Australia.

Graham explained to us that Aboriginal groups all have different Genesis stories, stories of how we were created. However, they do all believe there is no Heaven or Hell, and no God. Their perception of death is that they will go to wherever their ancestors have gone. All aboriginal groups have one specific belief in common-they believe the land made them. For that reason they have a deep respect for their land.

This respect for the land plays into what we are here reporting on, the changing environment. Graham told us how Aboriginals look out for their land because that’s what they believe is most important. It’s an ethic that is ingrained in them from a young age.

Graham also touched on how Aboriginals don’t necessarily have one belief for why they exist. However, she said if there is an aim to living, it is to learn to be more human. She added, “it’s a skillful thing to be human.” She said Aboriginals believe, “This is the country in which we became human.”

Photo Credit Rachel Robillard

Learning a little bit about the Aboriginal culture was very eye opening to me. It also gives me a base for what we will see and how we will experience their culture when we are a part of it in Carnarvon Gorge.

After Graham’s lecture, we had more time to explore Brisbane. We had a tour of ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Company-not American), had another lecture on the history of Australia (which reminded me a lot of Americas) and explored the Queensland museum.

Today I think we are heading to Fraser Island, which was highly recommended to us during our travels in NZ and tomorrow we are on our way to the GREAT BARRIER REEF!!! Be on the lookout for lots more posts!