Bucknell had organized a group Spring Break in Cairns, which was very fun. We were there from 3/9 to 3/16. Afterwards we headed to Singapore. While in Cairns, I had the opportunity to visit the Great Barrier Reef, the Atherton Tablelands, Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, Fitzroy Island, and the Cairns Aquarium.
We departed early in the morning on 3/9 and arrived in the afternoon. We spent the afternoon settling down at our accommodation.
The next day, we woke up early to go to the Great Barrier Reef. The swells were so rough today that most people got sea sick and were throwing up. For me, the sea sick pills definitely helped. We had the opportunity to snorkel or pay extra to scuba dive. I snorkeled and it was tough at the first site since the waves were so rough and the current was so strong. In the second site, the current was less strong and we had the opportunity to swim further and see some really beautiful coral reefs and fish. We even saw a sea turtle! The ride back was much more bearable than the one to the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately, I was off my phone most of the time so there were not a lot of pictures from that day.
The following day, we went to the Atherton Tablelands. We first stopped at Lake Eacham for a swim. After that, we went to see the Curtain Fig Tree that inspired the planet Pandora in the movie Avatar. We then swam at the Millaa Millaa Falls, briefly stopped at Tchupala Falls, hiked along the Josephine Falls, and took a dip at the stunning Boulders Gorge.
On Tuesday, we went to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures where we saw a variety of animals. Obviously, we saw many crocodiles and took a crocodile boat tour to see crocodiles up close. There was also a crocodile farm show where we got to see the crocodile farm up close and learn more about crocodile farming. We also saw an actually awake koala!
For our last group excursion on Wednesday, we went to the stunning Fitzroy Island. The water was so crystal clear and the sand was beautiful. Once we got there, most of us went to Nudey Beach (it actually is NOT a nude beach). The hike required some climbing over boulders and took about 15 minutes of a pretty steep climb up and down. The sand was coarse but the water was so beautiful and warm. We had snorkel gear provided and were able to see some fish and also a sea turtle. This was the most beautiful beach I have ever been to. After lunch, we went to another beach on the other side of the docks. That beach was not as nice in my opinion but was a good place to splash water and tan.
On Thursday, I took a rest and did some administrative work at the accommodation.
On Friday, I was walking around downtown Cairns when I happen to stumble upon Dean Kepner, who brought me along with her to the Cairns Aquarium. I am very thankful to her for being very generous to me. The aquarium was beautiful and was organized in the fashion of going from the mountains all the way out to the reefs following the water cycle. We attended a few shows which were very informative about the science behind the different habitats and the creatures that lived in those ecosystems.
On Saturday evening, we flew out to Singapore as we kissed Australia our final goodbye. I am very grateful to Dean Kepner and Dr. Alexander for organizing this amazing study abroad program. Australia is truly beautiful from Sydney all the way to Cairns. I hope one day to return to Australia and see more of it. I highly recommend this program for any future Bucknellians who are in Freeman and wish to study abroad. This has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.