Australian Autumn

 Autumn actually started in Canberra prior to the Term Break, on March 1st (Australians haven't seemed to figure out the Vernal and Autumnal Equinox nor the Solstices), but it wasn't until coming back from Western Australia that the cold hit. Suddenly there was frost on the windshields and beanies (toques) and mitts were starting to make their appearances. Autumn here is very much like autumn at home. The trees start changing color, the air becomes more crisp and the sky turns an unbelievable color of blue. I think it's my favourite time of year in Australia as well as at home. The best part about autumn in Australia (or maybe the worst depending on one's perspective) is the knowledge that there won't be snow at the end of it. The worst part is the lack of proper indoor heating and insulation. It is not abnormal to have my Uggs, sweats and jumper (hood pulled up) on in the house with my nose peaking out from under a sleeping bag. All hail central heating and insulation.

Father Brannelly and the kids

School has been really busy this term. My Year 3 students are receiving their First Holy Communion next week and, unlike home, it is the job of the school to prep the kids instead of the parish. This hasn't meant tonnes for me in terms of planning as our REC has that on her able shoulders, but it does mean I do have to get through a good portion of the RE program before next week. I've also probably added more than I need to by having a church visit where Father Brannelly showed the kids the altar and all the liturgical items he uses, how they are used and why they are used. I also planned a Passover celebration with both Year 3 classes and considering I had to no idea how to do this, it added just a little bit of stress to my life.

All ready for Passover

We also had Walkathon this term. The students raised money for 5 weeks (I believe we were around $10 000) and then on a cool Friday morning we all walked 5 kms around the Weston Creek area. We even had the ACT Minister of Sport come out and start it off for us. It was lots of fun as it is a great opportunity to get to know the kids a little better as we walk and talk.

After the Walkathon, we went back to the school for a sausage sizzle and an opportunity for my kids to finish some unfinished work (report card time was coming). After recess, before our Walkathon celebration, my kids got to dress me up in newspaper as they raised more than $1000. As you can see below, I look fantastic and the kids think they did a great job.

All of us wonderful teachers willing to be made fools of. (Note the wedding dress on the far right)

 That was the end of week 3, and on Thursday of Week 4 we had our Athletics Carnival. On a grey, cool morning, the whole school walked over the the Chapman Oval. The kids were split into their age groups, the teachers were put in charge of events, and off we went. The goal was to beat the rain that was supposed to come at noon. The kids participated in events like shot put, discus, 800m, 100m, long jump, etc. They earned ribbons and house points for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finishes in their events. We were really efficient and finished up just as it began to sprinkle. Just as we got back, the rain really started to come down.

 With the Athletics Carnival done, it was time to focus on reports. After two weeks of stressing and battling writers block, that got done this past week. Now I can just focus on having a good time for my last 4 weeks and seeing the parts of Canberra I haven't seen yet (which still seems to be quite a bit after a year of living here).

Luckily, at the beginning of term, I was able to play tour guide for a bunch of exchange teachers. We had a family from Calgary (now living in Jervis Bay), a couple from Colorado (now in Wollongong), a guy from Missassauga (now down the Coast) and two girls from Ottawa (Kerry) and Belleville (Sarah) (now in Sydney.  The lovely ladies from Sydney got the singular pleasure of staying with me this weekend. They were much more fun than my last exchange guest as they actually got out of bed and did stuff. We started at Mount Ainsley with a view looking down at the War Memorial, following Anzac Parade and across the lake, all the way up to the New Parliament. Really, it's the only way you can get a true understanding of where you are in Canberra as it's all curves and roundabouts. I spent most of the weekend pointing back to Mount Ainsley to give a point of reference to our guests.

We came down from the mountain and went to the National Art Gallery. There was a whole new exhibit on Aboriginal Art (mostly contemperary) that was very cool to see. The many symbols and versions of aboriginal art is amazing. I am forever amazed by the skill and emotion.

After a stop in Civic for lunch at King O'Malleys Pub and a visit and photo op with the various statues, we were off to the New Parliament. Instead of waiting for a tour guide I pretended I knew what I was talking about and was the guide. I don't think Sarah and Kerry learned very much. Actually, I can guarantee they did not.

We then walked down to the Old Parliament, which I had not been to yet. For a cool $1, we visited the Australian Museum of Democracy and had heaps of fun. The interactive displays were amazing and I could have probably spent all day just looking at the information about Australia's history. We didn't have that much time. We also saw the original House of Commons and Senate. I have to say the dark coloring is much more parliamentary than the lighter colors in the New Parliament. We had the best time in the children's area. Thankfully Kerry and Sarah are as immature (as all good teachers are) as I am. We dressed up in different clothes, took pictures and in general acted like idiots (it also made me think I may get nits).

Old Parliament House of Commons

Kerry and Sarah

We shut the Old Parliament House down and then continued north towards the lake and Reconcialiation Place. Ironically, on our way down to Reconciliation Place we walked through the Aboriginal Embassy and got yelled at. This was a first for me, and a real introduction to Sarah and Kerry to the politics of Canberra. We kept a wide berth and continued on our way. We arrived as the sun was setting and got an amazing view of the Carillon, the lake and the colored leaves of the Japanese Maples (I think) along the footpath. It was time to head back to Tuggeranong for dinner. It was a great day, but there was more to come.

On Sunday, we had breakfast by the lake and then went to the Kingston Markets, after stopping to have a play in the leaves. With shopping completed, it was off to the War Memorial, my favouritest place in all of Canberra. There are no words to describe how amazing the museum is and the amount of information to be learned. I still see something new everytime I go. After being overloaded with information, it was time for Kerry and Sarah to begin the drive back to Sydney. It was a fantastic and fun-filled weekend!

Old Parliament Senate

Pretending to work for the PM

The Speaker during Question Period

replica of the PMs office

I am Ben Hur

Meeting the Queen

A view to the War Memorial, just before getting yelled at by the Aboriginals

The Carillion in an awesome autumn sunset

Reconciliation Place

Telstra Tower

The War Memorial with Autumn leaves

Reflected (Something new I learned this trip)

Mini Stonehenge

My tours of Canberra didn't stop there. On the Mother's Day weekend I got to play tourist. After playing broomball in the morning, I went to an early brunch with the McCallum family. From there I got invited to go to Cockington Green and the Dinosaur Museum on the north side of Canberra with Gayle, Brian and the two grandkids (Isabella and Jack). Cockington Green is a miniature village. It started as just scenes from Britain but they now have an international part. It was very cool to see these tiny little scenes laid out. There were also little jokes, like Darth Vader hiding in the bushes and an outhouse with the door wide open.

After that, we went just down the road to the National Dinosaur Museum. Now this makes it sound like it's going to be massive but this is no Tyrell Museum. It is barely a Torrington Gopher Museum.  I think the dinosaur section of the Alberta Provincial Museum is bigger. It was really interesting learning about the dinosaurs found in Australia though, and it's always fun to look at dinosaur bones.

Though I probably should have gone back home to do some school work or something equally productive. Instead I went to visit my friend Levi who is currently laid up with a broken leg. We headed to the George (a local pub) for a cheeky one or two. All in all, it was a great afternoon.

The day of the Athletics Carnival was also a special day because as soon as school was over, Miriam and I were off to see Florence and the Machine in Sydney. It was going to be an interesting adventure because it's a 4 hour drive to Sydney and then a 4 hour drive back so we could work the next morning. It was soooo worth it. Florence is amazing. I was thinking it would be a sedate concert, but I thought a mosh pit was going to break out on the floor. We were a little further up, but the Sydney Entertainment Centre is an amazing venue to watch a concert in. You feel so close to the action. It was well worth getting home at 3 in the morning and driving 8 hours. Below is just a glimmer of what it was like (and also the only video I took where you can barely hear me singing).

Amazingly, this was not the last thing I did this month. I actually got to go to a hockey game and I think that I've managed to convert a few Aussies to the cause. I took Brian, Gayle and Gayle's sister Dawn as well as Sharee (another teacher at my school) and her husband Chris. Though the calibre of hockey was probably lower than Senior Men's AAA, it was still entertaining going to a hockey game in Australia. It was especially funny when a shot would be taken and everytime there was a gasp of excitement. They are so used to sport that has fewer scoring opportunities. Some of the fans were hilarious too. The ref like to call stupid penalties (as they are) and one guy behind us said "That's the worst call I've ever seen and this is my second ice hockey game." My compatriots were also impressed by my yelling skills. Especially my occasional "Hit 'em!". Canberra ended up losing8-5, but it was a close game throughout. There was a fight and even a penalty shot to end the game.

GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!

Sharee and Chris

Gayle, Brian and Dawn

All in all this has been a fantastic month, though a busy one. I can't believe that I only have 4 weeks left in Australia and that I will be back in Canada in 2 months.  I hope this last month is just as exciting as the last one was.

Western Australia a.k.a A Whale Shark Almost Ate Me a.k.a. A Little Bit of Rain is a Big Thing

My final big trip in Australia began with a night flight over the Nullabor Plain into Perth. The first weekend I stayed with my friends Kara and Shane, who I met on my Contiki Tour in Europe almost 4 years ago.  As they were getting ready to leave for a trip to America on Monday, most of the time was spent hanging out at their house. On Saturday morning, one of the best parts of trip took place.  I woke up with the sound of NHL hockey in my ear. Yay, for Foxtel and Shane being a sports nut. The Flyers were playing the Penguins and it was an awesome game. It was the first time I'd actually watched a game in 9 months. Saturday was a sport day as we went and watched Shane play footy and after that we went out for drinks with his team.

On Sunday we went for Breakfast at Cottloe Beach, where Shane, his brother Slip and I all did some body surfing. I think I may really be starting to like this swimming thing. Just don't put me in a pool.

Shane catching a wave

That afternoon we went to Kara's sister's apartment to help set up for her baby shower. The apartment just hapst reidential building in Perth, so I had unobstructed views of the entire city.

Early on Monday morning, I was off to Exmouth with all the people who commute from Perth to the mines in the north of Western Australia. I arrived around 9 am and was able to get on a kayaking tour in the afternoon. It was wonderful. We were off the East side of the peninsula and were able to paddle right over the reef. At one point you may be able to see it off the tail end of my kayak in the picture below. We then jumped out of the kayaks and snorkelled where we saw the cast of Nemo, including a green turtle that we were able to swim with for a few minutes. It just let us follow it without a care in the world. There really wasn't much that could beat that for my first day on the Ningaloo Reef but there was more in store for me.

A Blue Spotted Ray

Just a few difficulties getting back in the kayak. Not me, by the way.

The next day I rented a car and drove around to the other side of the peninsula. This is where Cape Range National Park is found and more of the Ningaloo Reef. Parts of the reef are only 100 yards from shore there fore there are a few shipwrecks and great snorkelling. Unfortunately, the gear I rented let water leak into the mask and it was a windy day, so the visability at the reef was not great. I still put my face in the water a couple times to check out the local residents.

Wreck of a cattle liner

Turquoise Bay

I drove further along the coast and did some hiking in the Cape Range. Below are some pictures of Mandu Mandu Gorge.

Found a little Canadiana along the way

Further along the coast to Yardie Creek

The next day was the big moment of the trip. I got to swim with whale sharks. That's right, sharks. For those of you not in the know, whale sharks only eat plankton. This is one of the few spots on the world where they show up like clockwork to take advantage of the coral bloom and the plankton that arrives to feed. We started our journey by doing a practice snorkel before the stars of the show arrived.

Our spotter plane soon saw one, and we were off to do some swimming. I was lucky and my group of 10 was the first to get in. We swam beside a 5.5 m female shark for a bit and then we had to get in to let the second group take over. As we were getting on the boat they spotted another shark, so they took our group over to swim with that one. They dropped us in, but seemed to have misjudged the speed of the shark or it changed direction on them. I put my head in the water and came face to face with the shark. All I saw coming at me was a giant mouth. I think the whale would have swallowed me like Jonah and wouldn't have even known. I, of course, cooly panicked and swam away. By the time I thought I was out of the road, the shark was 100 m in front of me and the rest of group was trying to keep up. I tried to catch up but most of the time, all I did was swallow sea water and tried not to drown. Thankfully the boat came back to pick up because the 7.5 m male shark had taken off and no one could keep up. We went back to the original female shark and got to swim with her for, off and on, for the next hour. Swimming with these sharks is unbelievable. They are so big that even though you are metres away, you can feel the current created by its swimming motion. Also, getting that close to its mouth definitely game a great impression of how large these things are.

Our boat

Once we'd swam with our shark and had lunch, it was time to head back to the reef for some snorkelling. Along the way we ran into a couple of the other residents of the reef. The first was a tiger shark. It was massive. Though it was smaller than a whale shark the thought that it had numerous rows of sharp pointy teeth made it a little more terrifying. This was not the case for our guides. They decided to jump right in and follow the shark around. It was like watching a car wreck about to happen. You had to watch but didn't want to because you knew it was going to end in carnage. Fortunately for them, the tiger shark was happy to 'just keep swimming, just keep swimming' and didn't turn around and attack.

If you look closely, you can see the shadow of the shark and how close our guides got.

A little further along the way, we came across a much friendlier resident. A mama dugong and her calf were out for an afternoon swim.

We finally arrived at our snorkel sight. Thankfully a long, long ways away from the Tiger Shark. I did an intro dive that was alright. It wasn't nearly as good as the one a the Barrier Reef, but I felt more comfortable and didn't hyperventilate. I did keep my eyes open for large, toothy sharks though. Luckily (or unluckily), I didn't see any of those. I did once again see some beautiful fish and coral formations.

When we arrived back at shore, we did find a shark. Unfortunately this reef shark was dead. I did touch it just to see what a shark felt like. It's skin was a lot smoother than I thought it was going to be.

The next day, it was back to Perth where I was picked up by Sandy. In January, Sandy had just returned from her teaching exchange in Canada where she had taught with Ian's fiance. Sandy made sure I saw all the important sights like the Queen's pub, the Mustang bar and the Breakwater lounge.

We also went to Fremantle to check out the prison and the markets. Sandy also knows where all the cool bookshops are. It's a good thing that my bag was already stuffed full or I would have come back with 20 alternative books.

We also took a walk through Kings Park to see the Botanic Gardens and the views of the city.

The Whispering Wall - that's Sandy at the other end and I could hear every word she whispered

The War Memorial

Sandy getting her groove on

Art work in Fremantle prison

Fremantle Prison

On Sunday I took the ferry to Rottnest Island, rented a bike and made my way around the island. The views were beautiful and so was the swimming. There was more snorkelling and hiking to be had. I also climbed up the lighthouse to get a birds eye view of the island. The island was originally used as a prison for aboriginals. It was also a place of internment during WW1 and WW2. When the prison was shut, the island quickly became a resort-type destination. There are no vehicles allowed on the island. The only form of transport is bus, bike or walk.

Views of Perth from Rotto.

A shipwreck just off the reef

A Quokka: the most famous resident of Rotto

One of the salt lakes

Leaving Rottnest

On Monday, it was back to the airport and I was flying north again, this time to Broome, home of the Australian pearl trade and gateway to the Kimberleys.

My hostel was in Cable Beach so I was able to walk down to the beach and watch one of the most magnificent sunsets I've ever seen.

Crab tracks in the sand

The famous camels of Cable Beach

Just watch the sun set

The next day was the beginnings of my camping trip into the Kimberley. I was picked up at my hostel at 7:30 a.m. and we were off. We made a stop at Willare Roadhouse for morning tea where the signs told us how far out in the middle of no where we were.

We also stoped at Geikie Gorge where we had a boat tour led by one of the aboriginals in the area. He was very informative about the history of the area and the wildlife. We saw three freshwater crocs and a flock of black cockatoos (the first I'd seen in Australia).

Black Cockatoo

A croc is hiding under the ledge

After our tour of Geikie Gorge it was to our campground at Fitzroy Crossing to set up our tents. The sign let us know what we could get away with before we could be barred. We were safe. Mostly because we had to get up at 5 a.m. the next morning to continue on our trip.

The night actually went pretty well considering I usually freeze in tents. I have to go camping in the tropics more often. It was warm enough that I could wear a tank top with pajama bottoms and still be sweating. Why did I pack the sweatpants, toque, mitts and wool socks?

That famous Kimberley sunset

The next morning we were off to Halls Creek with hopes that we would be able to get into the Bungle Bungles. Unfortunately, a little bit of rain (20 mm), is a torrential downpour here and the road was shut to the Bungle Bungles. This meant a little bit of detour on our trip. We made a stop in Turkey Creek to do some helicopter tours of the Bungles instead. I'd never been in a helicopter before and it was amazing. We could get so much closer the mountains and the waterfalls that were in evidence with the rain. The pilot kept saying how green and clear the colors were because of the rain. Prior to the flyover, I hadn't really understood what the Bungle Bungles were, but now I know. I have to get on the ground there someday to see Cathedral Gorge and Echidna Chasm.

Water, water everywhere

Wreaths for ANZAC day. Unfortunately we were unable to go to the dawn service.

Termite mounds

The Bungle Bungles

Waterfall in the Bungle Bungles

The famous beehive mounds. Very black because of the rain.

After the helicopter tours, it was time to move one and we went to Kunnannara. There we set up camp in the dark before going to sleep with hopes that the water would dry up and we could get into the Bungles or El Questro. We spent the morning touring around in our truck to see the plantations and made a stop at Ivanhoe crossing which no one would be crossing anytime soon. It is also a well-known place for saltwater crocs, but no one was willing to jump in to draw them out.

Ivanhoe Crossing

Our journey continues as we got our permit to go into El Questro Station. We had to make our way along the Gibb River Road, and as you can see in the photo below, everything was closed. With our permit, we were able to continue on our journey.

On our way to the station, we stopped at Emma's Gorge where we hiked right up to end. This a great hike as you just make your way from swimming hole to swimming hole and then you end at a waterfall. Once again, the amount of water made it a little more interesting than it needed to be, but in the end we swam beneath a beautiful waterfall. Who could ask for more?

Walking through the water in Emma's Gorge

Our Final Destination

Our truck at the entrance to the station

Crossing the river to get into the station

My new British friends Peter, Sara, Carol and Chris

On half of our intrepid crew

The other half of our intrepid crew

The next morning, after another 5 am wake up call, we were off to Zebedee Springs. Other than the helicopter tour, this was probably the best part of the trip. The setting was idyllic and the water was warm. The Springs are thermally heated and it was a wonderful way to start our morning.

It was now time to start heading back to Broome. On our way we saw wild brumbies, cattle and boab trees, as well as the stunning geological features that the Kimberleys are famous for.

Brumbies - wild horses

China Wall

Our last stop was supposed to be Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge, but again rain wreaked havoc with our trip and we were unable to make it because of road closures. Instead we went to Mimbi Caves, an aboriginal site. We were led on the tour by one of the aboriginal leaders and it was fantastic. It was really neat to be a cavern system without any lighting other than our headlamps. I felt like a true explorer. There were cave paintings and stalagtites and stalacmites of various shapes and sizes,of course.

The group at Mimbi Caves

A smoking ceremony to welcome us as we were the first guests of the season.

A billabong at the entrance to the caves

Cave spirits

Our guide serenading us by the billy. We ate damper and drank tea.

The goanna who came in the Dreamtime and created the landscape

A cave entrance in the shape of a cross

The famous Kimberley Boab and Sunset all in one

A termite mound up close

On Saturday night we were back in Broome. I had a hovercraft tour booked in the morning, so I went to bed early, ready for another adventure in the morning. My Kimberley luck hit once again when the tour was cancelled bcause apparently I am the only person who wants to go on hovercraft tours at 8:45 on a Sunday morning. This meant I missed out on seeing dinosaur tracks on the ocean floor. Instead of a wild ride, I took the bus into Broome to check out some of the pearling history and to do some shopping at the markets. There are now pearl farms along the coastline, but originally it was aboriginals who would swim down and collect the oysters. Next, it was the Japanese who took over with primitive SCUBA equipment. They did this until WW2, when they were of course interned becuase Japan was now the enemy. The size of some of the pearls in the galleries is very impressive.

After buying some well deserved Mother's and Father's Day presents for my parents, it was back on the bus to Broome International Airport for the first leg of my trip back to Canberra. The pictures below are of the airport. It is really a bunch of huts stuck together to make a terminal. It is all over air. It is the coolest thing ever. This is whatIi imagine the airports on tropical islands to be like.

I went from the weather above, to temperature hovering around zero in Canberra. For once it was not good to be home again.

It was off to school the next day and the beginning of my last term here in Australia. It will be full of standardized tests, First Eucharist, reports, good-byes, concerts and some very difficult good-byes.