Sustainable Footprints in Oz (GBL 253)

  After our climb over the Harbor Bridge we visited The Rocks District which is where Sydney’s history and modern energy come together. It is one of the oldest areas in the city and is full of history dating back to its enactment as a convict settlement. While much of the older architecture still stands it has been modernized in some ways. It gave a very European vibe to many of us as we were walking around. Packed with little shops and restaurants it was a very unique part of the city. The cobblestone streets and historic sandstone buildings tell the story of Sydney’s beginnings, with tourist attractions such as the Susannah Place Museum which shows how life was back when the city was first settled. While the architecture and design still carries much of the past it feels very modern walking around with name brand stores, cafes, and vibrant street life. What’s especially interesting about The Rocks is how it balances preserving its history with the pressures of tourism and develo...

Tall Ship Cruise in the Sydney Harbor  Hi, I’m Melanie and my assigned blog post was for the Sydney Harbor tour on the Tall Ship Cruise. I started off my day by getting my daypack ready with a towel and a water bottle. Once I gathered all of my things, I headed downstairs to meet a few friends for breakfast. We walked through the streets of Sydney and found a small panini cafe near the wharf. Once we got to the wharf, we were greeted by a very friendly man named Marty. Marty introduced himself as our skipper on the boat and helped each of us board the vessel. The ship looked like an old pirate ship and had a cannon sitting on the back of the boat. Once everyone was seated, Marty began by explaining a little bit about the ship we were on. The ship took 18 months to build and is 103 years old. The boat originated in Denmark and was used as a trading ship for grain for around 30 years. The ship has had 6 names throughout its life, with the most recent name change going from Svana to S...

 Lessons from Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park By: Phoebe Smith Exploring Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park was such a unique and eye-opening experience. It wasn’t just about the gorgeous views (though there were plenty of those); it was about learning how to connect with the land in a way I’d never thought of before. This place has such a rich history, with Aboriginal people living here for over 70,000 years, and their deep relationship with nature is something we can all learn from. One of the coolest things we did was play a game in teams where we tried to identify trees. I had no idea you could tell different types of gum trees just by looking at their fruit! It made me realize how much I usually overlook in nature. We also learned how to pay attention to the little details, like changes in the land’s texture. One minute you’re walking on sand, and the next it’s dirt and wood. Everything has a story, and the more you observe, the more you start to see the bigger picture. The cultu...

  After arriving in Sydney we had a lovely day admiring the breathtaking view of the Blue Mountains and the next we made our way to the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was built in 1932 constantly flowing with road traffic as well as rail, pedestrians, and even climbers trying to make their way to the top! The purpose of the Sydney Harbour Bridge links the northern and southern shores of Sydney progressing the urbanization of Australia while promoting tourism and industrial development. As well as being a key asset to transportation the bridge is an eco-friendly addition to Sydneys efforts of sustainable practices. The BridgeClimb company has taken numerous initiatives to limit their environmental impact. Our program's decision to take the tour during the day time in comparison to night time is an easy and impactful strategy for practicing ecotourism. This is due to the necessity of lights at night time which waste energy. However the bridge does utilize en...

  Today we left Sydney on a day trip to the blue mountains the birthplace of the eucalyptus tree. Where we met with Tim from Tread Lightly. tread lightly is a company that works with schools like Elon to help educate students on Ecotourism. during our scenic hike with Tim he told us how Sydney was formed by the gradual erosion of a plateau that started as roughly the size of Connecticut.    During our hike we stopped for lunch in a cave in the side of the mountain, as we sat there watching water drip out of the sandstone above us Tim told us that Australia’s unique geography and geology allows for there to be 10,000 waterfalls in the blue mountains without any of them having a water source like a lake that feeds them. A fact that I found more interesting was that the water that we were watching drip out of the rock was millions of years old having filtered through various layers of clay and sandstone on a journey that we were so lucky to witness and be a part of. After fi...

  Sydney city  Hi, I’m Sabrina Merli, and my blog post is about the city of Sydney. My favorite stop on the trip was Sydney City, so I'm excited to share my experience! We started the day bright and early with the Sydney Bridge Climb at 9 a.m. We were environmentally friendly by walking 45 minutes to get there instead of taking Ubers. When we arrived at the bridge, we saw photos of many famous people who have done the bridge climb. Some of my favorites were Katy Perry, Barack Obama, Ben Stiller, and Oprah Winfrey. Seeing these made me feel better about doing the climb, knowing that over 5 million people have done it before. The climb opened in 1998 and focuses on community, inclusivity, diversity, and the environment. Because our class is about ecotourism, two things stood out to me: the Bridge Climb has a Climate Active certification, and the climber certificates we received are made from 100% recycled materials. I ended up really enjoying the Bridge Climb, even though it was...

  On our last and final day in Brisbane, the class practiced and prepared for a traditional Aboriginal celebration called a Corroboree. Corroborees are a performance of song and dance that represent Aboriginal spirituality. To start the day, the men and women were separated and told that we could not see each other in our clothing or jewelry until the Corroboree celebration in the evening. For the women, we started with traditional gift making, also known as the second law in Aboriginal culture. The goal of this first activity was to take pieces of shaved, wet palm, and weave them into their pieces of jewelry such as bracelets, anklets, and necklaces, to wear during the evening celebration. Lydia, Douglas’s niece who helped teach us song and dance, said that palm is the material used as it’s very abundant and durable. grass can be used but it’s hard to find strong grass. The palm will last for decades after drying and can also be used to weave into other things like baby carriers. ...

On January 15th, we spent the day at O’Reillys Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park. We started the day on a short rainforest walk learning about the different wildlife and trees in Queensland. As we walked through the forest we were greeted with several types of birds such as Brush Turkeys. The best part was walking along the narrow and swinging bridge, only allowing six people at a time. Although it was scary it was a cool way to experience this rainforest from a higher level. After the 45 minute walk, we headed over to the “wildlife experience” to see some birds and other animals. I really don’t enjoy birds, but I thought it was really interesting to see how well trained and controlled both birds were. Right after, the rest of the class went on a hike, but due to an injury I skipped out on the hike and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the retreat. ` The next big activity of the day was the Flying Fox zipline! We took around a five minute car ride to the outer part of the pr...

A Night with the Glow Worms Led by our guide, Nathan, we explored the dark, mysterious rainforest, and learned some surprising things along the way. It was one of those adventures that makes you appreciate nature even more. The Walk to the Glow Worms Our journey started with us all holding red flashlights so our eyes could adjust to the dark. The red light wasn’t just for show—it helps you see without ruining your night vision. We were surprisingly able to see some creatures in the dark forest on our way to the glow worms.  Nathan pointed out some cool (and somewhat intimidating) creatures. One was the  Bark Frog, an endangered species that blends in perfectly with the bark of trees. We had to look closely to  spot it.  Another interesting critter we learned about was the  Lamington Crayfish . These crayfish can live up to 30 years and grow as big as 30 cm. Nathan shared that it’s illegal to catch or harm one of these crayfish, with fines up to $5,000 and jail t...

  Today we visited The Great Barrier Reef with Passions of Paradise. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system with over 400 types of coral and 1,500 species of fish. Passions of Paradise is a local company that was founded in 1987 to provide trips to the Great Barrier Reef.   We started our day early and boarded the Passions III, a 30-meter catamaran, at 7:45. We left the marina at 8:00 and began our 2-hour boat ride to our first location called Hastings Reef. Hastings Reef is a horseshoe shaped reef that is located 30 nautical miles northeast of Carins. We were very fortunate to be able to visit this portion of the Great Barrier Reef because it is closed for 11 months of the year because  of wind patterns.    On our way to the Reef, we learned about the citizens science program. It is important to Passions of Paradise to give back to the reef, so we had the opportunity to participate in an activity called the Eye on the Reef Monitor...

  On January 12th, our group drove the bus to the skyrail station to take the gondola up to the town of Kuranda. This was an incredible opportunity for my classmates and I to be able to experience and see firsthand. It was about a 45 min ride up to Kuranda and completely worth it. We stopped at each stop to educate ourselves more on the rainforest and wildlife. At the first stop, I talked to Josh, and he informed me that The Skyrail Rainforest Foundation funds research and education projects to protect rainforests globally. Fortunately, I had a money in my bag and was able to donate to the foundation! The next stop was Barron Falls which was also an unbelievable site to see. It reminded me a lot of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and watching and hearing the natural noises   was very relaxing. The view was absolutely gorgeous, and I could’ve stayed there for a while soaking in the moment. On my journey through the trail overlooking Barron Falls, there was a plaque that stood out to...

Hello everyone, my name is Cat. I’m excited to talk about our first full day in Cairns! Our group left in the morning on the bus that took us to the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Once we arrived, we got our tickets and got on the Skyrail in small groups. Before getting on, one of the walls had a message called “Our Commitment To Sustainability” where they explained the importance of protecting the environment and keeping sustainable practices while still allowing guests to explore the rainforest. They make sustainability one of their key messages by putting up signs to remind you to be more sustainable and explaining what they are doing on their part. The Skyrail was a gondola overlooking the beautiful trees below. You could also see buildings, mountains, and the sea in the distance. It was only a 15-minute ride to the first stop, Red Peak. This stop allowed you to get off and take a short walk through the rainforest. There were signs throughout the path telling what animals could be sp...

 Hi everyone! My name is Ainsley, and I am going to tell you about our journey from Tasmania to Melbourne. It was a major exercise in adaptability! Our day began in a cute Tasmanian town, where we stopped for lunch. It was full of beautiful murals and some of us were shocked to find a man roaming around with his llama named Pedro. After our lunch stop, we said our goodbyes to our amazing tour guides Ollie and Nat. They single-handedly got us up and down Cradle Mountain and made tasty meals for us along the way. The airport is where our trouble began. Upon check in, we discovered that our flight had been cancelled. We sat in a tiny Tasmanian airport passing time while our professors and guide, Andy sorted out our new travel plans. We were rebooked from a 2 pm to an 8 pm flight and then watched the time get pushed back later and later, finally taking off just before 11. Despite agonizing fatigue, we adjusted our plans to the next day. The airline, Jetstar, made an announc...

  Hello everyone, I'm Peter, and I’m writing about our canyoning experience at Cradle Mountain Canyons, specifically Dove Canyon. The canyon is fed from Dove Lake, which was formed by glaciation. For anyone unfamiliar with canyoning, it consists of navigating down a section of the river using numerous techniques such as walking, swimming, jumping, and rappelling. We started our day with an early breakfast at 8 am and left for the canyons at 10 am. We then met our lovely tour guides Pat and Felix who gave us a brief rundown of the day's activities. One moment that stuck out was them explaining that once we were in the canyon, we were committed to traversing down it no matter what, as there was no other way out. We were then fitted up on a lot of gear such as wetsuits, helmets, climbing harnesses, and lifejackets. This was all shoved in a massive bag and we set off on a 45-minute hike to the entrance of the canyon. Once reaching the top of the canyon, we changed into our gear whi...

                  I truly did not know what I was getting into when we set out for this hike. This experience was both one of learning about the landscape around me and what it took to preserve such a beautiful place and one of personal growth and perseverance in a difficult situation. In the interest of sharing what I gained from both learning experiences I will discuss both the things I learned about Cradle Mountain and its inhabitants as well as what I learned about myself during this day of hiking and what I observed in my peers (and climbing). When we arrived to the park we were quickly instructed to disinfect our boots. This was one of the first sustainability precautions I noticed in the park as it was meant to prevent detrimental fungi from entering the park and disrupting biodiversity. This theme preservation continued on through out this hike. There was an overall sense of accountability and resp...

Yesterday, 06/01, our group embarked on a 2 hour journey along the Great Ocean Road and stopped to visit an Australian historical landmark called the Loc Ard Gorge. The Ocean Road can be quickly summed up by long scenic views of the Ausi coast following the ocean. The road was often quite windy, filled with sharp twits and turns due to the unpredictability of the nearby landscape. The road was built following WW1, giving returned soldiers a way to work after sacrificing their lives. Outside the windows of the bus our views were the most beautiful oceans I had ever seen - the water could have never been more blue. We saw people swimming, surfing and even some of the famous 12 apostles. Along our journey we made a short stop to visit these apostles as well as the Loc Ard Gorge. The Gorge is a striking natural feature with a dramatic history. It is named after the Loch Ard, a British exploration ship that wrecked nearby in 1878, while traveling from England to Melbourne. Of the 54 passeng...

         On Tuesday, January 7th, we had the opportunity to go to two amazing places in Tasmania. The first one was Mole Creek Cave in Mole Creek, TAS. At the beginning, the tour guide did a land acknowledgement. While I came into Australia knowing that this land belonged to the Aboriginal people, I did not know which specific tribes lived in the places that I would be visiting, so I was glad that I was told. If I can find the time, I want to learn more about the Pallittorre tribe that originally inhabited Mole Creek.      Throughout our time in the cave, there was a big emphasis on not touching anything, (the oils on our hands can mess up the mineral formations) which reminded me of the concept of “leaving no trace”. However, there were pieces of limestone as well as other rocks that we were allowed to touch before going into the cave so that we could get an idea of what they feel like. Everyone in the class was very respectful of this, and we ...

  After a lovely day of seeing breathtaking views such as the Gibson Steps, 12 Apostles, and a rainforest, our group set out for The Spirit of Tasmania, an overnight ferry. Taking a boat lowers carbon emissions and therefore is more eco-friendly than flying! The Spirit of Tasmania, originally created in Finland, sailed to ports in countries such as Italy and Greece. To lower fuel costs in the early 2000s, the ferry stopped sailing to one of its stops in Sydney, but continues to sail sustainably to Tasmania. The Spirit of Tasmania was the first Australian ferry company to join Green Marine, a voluntary program that helps companies improve their environmental performance. At the moment, two new vessels are being built with renewable energy!  The bus ride was calm and quiet, with students reminiscing about their favorite parts of the day. After seeing the most cows I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and an unsuccessful kangaroo search, I took a long nap. Upon arriving at the G...

  Hello hello! Greetings from Australia! My name is Anita Bhat and I am excited to share with you the incredible adventures we encountered today. This is only our second blog post, and I have heard several remarks from my classmates as well and from myself about wanting to live here in the future. This means we are already off to a great start! Today we had the privilege of taking a surfing lesson, driving along the Great Ocean Road, and experiencing some backpacker activities like staying in a hostel, seeing koalas, eating a barbeque dinner and playing some cricket on the beach. There were also many instances today that helped us learn more about how these Australian tourist activities can be sustainable and more eco-friendly. Some of these examples which I will be sure to go into more detail about include making sure to use reef safe sunscreen, keeping items to a minimum on the beaches, and the wildlife details after our short walk from the bus. To start, the first main activit...