2008 Environmental Studies Letters
February 19, 2008
Dear Friends & Family,
After running about Port Phillip Bay and the Otways, we are now back in
Melbourne. It's hard to believe we are only beginning our third week in
country. Many in the group have commented that time has been a
challenging thing to grasp as one minute you feel like you've been in
Australia a lot longer than reality suggests and the next minute you
recall stepping off the plane as if it were yesterday.
In our short time here, we have learned a lot about Australia's unique
diversity. The Marine Discovery Centre at the Queenscliff offices of the Department of Primary Industries delivered a wonderful introduction to marine biology and the uniqueness of the Port Phillip Bay area. Harry Thorman and Travis Lee provided an array of hands-on learning activities from a late afternoon snorkel of Popes Eye to canoeing around Swan Bay to laboratory work involving Galeolaria worms to a transect analysis of intertidal communities at Barwon Heads (see attached photo). Many in the group have tried to embrace Harry's montra of “Get it in ya!” Harry is a big believer that learning comes easier if you can live it. His larger than life persona quickly made him a group favorite! The group also welcomed our first GED caterer, Jade. Needless to say she quickly made the group happy with some good down home cookin'.
Upon departing Queenscliff we met Michael Evans, our guide to the Great
Ocean Road and Otway Ranges. The group quickly discovered Mike was a
fount of information if you could “hang” back with him on a walking tour. Mike is a “jack of all trades” kind of guy with an extensive family history in the area as well as serving as the training officer for the Country Fire Brigade for the Otway Ranges. Certainly the Great Ocean Road, culminating with viewing the 12 Apostles is sure to remain a
memorable experience. It is hard to capture just how one feels when you
see the shear magnitude of what nature created for your viewing pleasure. We managed to corral many of the group for a photo in front of some of the stone formations (see attached). Along the way we stopped to walk through forests - cool temperate rainforests and wet/dry sclerophyll forests. We also experienced the Otway Fly, and saw koalas in their natural habitats. One day went late into the night so we could see glow worms, the larvae of fungus gnats, the rainforest was lit up with thousands of tiny, white-blue “holiday” lights. Just to give you a sense of scale about the size of the trees in the wet mountain forests, some Aussie kids have posed in front of the base of a buttressed mountain ash (see attached photo). The height of the tree is over 50 meters (164 feet).
The group is out exploring the city center today and we will be back to a few lectures tomorrow. All is well and we are having fun in the sun!
Ann Marie & Paul