Chapter 1: To The Land Down Under

Airlie Beach, QLD Australia

So in case anyone doesn’t know the background to this trip, I’ll start with that. Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to visit Australia. The combination of unique wildlife, exotic scenery, vibrant history, and colourful people has always been captivating for me. My mother has been to Australia twice before – once in 1983 with a girlfriend, and two years later in 1985 with my Dad just before they got married. Her stories and fond memories fueled my imagination, and made Australia a definite must do on my bucket list.

Sometime after starting vet school I attended a presentation by Animal Experience International, a group that connects eager animal oriented volunteers with organizations around the world that need their help. Traveling has long been a passion of mine, and combining it with the opportunity to give back to the world around me has always seemed like the best of both worlds. I looked into AEI’s trips and lo and behold, there was an opportunity to work with native Australian wildlife at the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Wildlife rehabilitation is one of my favourite aspects of veterinary medicine, so I knew this was the perfect trip for me. I was able to connect with Dr. Heather Reid the co-founder of AEI who helped me immensely in organizing my trip and catering it to my specific needs as a final year veterinary student doing an external placement. I will be spending two weeks working at Kanyana and two weeks working at the nearby Wattle Grove Veterinary Hospital, which sees a combination of wildlife from Kanyana and domestic companion animals. I planned the trip for January 2016, which allowed me the opportunity to explore Australia as a tourist with my Mom for three weeks over the Christmas break. This trip is a dream come true for us – I get to experience this beautiful country for the first time with my Mom, 30 years after her last time here. My Mom kept the details secret from me until we got here, so I will keep them secret from all of you until each part of our journey unfolds.

December 14^th-16^th 2015

Our journey started on Monday December 14^th 2015 with a flight from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to Sydney Australia, via Vancouver BC. That flight was unfortunately delayed due to mechanical issues with Air Canada’s plane, so they put us on a midnight flight from Vancouver with Air Canada. We missed our original connection in Sydney but were thankfully able to catch the last flight of the day to the same destination. After much delay, frustration, and frantic running we were on our way to Hamilton Island Airport, the first stop in our adventure. We arrived the night of Wednesday December 16^th. Another hiccup occurred in the form of my luggage being left behind, but it arrived on Thursday. From Hamilton Island we took a ferry to Port of Airlie, Airlie Beach. We are staying in a beautiful private apartment with a breathtaking view of the coastline. After over a day’s worth of travelling it finally felt like the real start of our vacation! We walked down the world’s steepest hill to town, where we decided to grab dinner at Breeze Bar after the delightful owner took a liking to us and ushered us to a prime spot on the patio. Mom had Atlantic salmon and I had garlic prawns in pasta, paired with a gorgeous rose to make for a fantastic first meal. We didn’t do much after that as we were pretty dead tired.

December 17^th 2015

Thursday morning we woke up early and wandered into town for a coffee and some wifi. We picked up supplies at the grocery store and enjoyed a delicious omelette breakfast on our patio in balmy 29 degree weather. We have booked excursions for the next two days, so today was spent lazing around at the beach and drinking wine (Australian variety of course). We had dinner at a local seafood place called Fish D’Vine – the food was AMAZING. Started with fried crocodile appetizer (because why not?!) and I had the most delicious seafood chowder while Mom had a delicious fish meal. Good food, good wine, and good company makes for a good night.

December 18^th 2015

Friday another dream came true – we took a cruise out the the Great Barrier Reef!! One of the seven natural wonders of the world, and able to be seen from space, I have always wanted to visit the reef. The boat ride out was a little rough (poor Mom), but I like being at sea so I thought it was fun. Our destination was a giant pontoon set beside “Knuckle Reef”, which is essentially a giant mound of coral. After setting up our towels in the sun we grabbed two wet suits, struggled our way into them, and set out to start snorkelling the reef. Oh my god, was it ever breathtaking. Imagine peering through warm blue waters, and as you move forward a rainbow of coral emerges from the depth. Everywhere you look the reef is teeming with life – plants, clams, and fish in every nook and cranny. There are schools of little tiny fish and absolutely gigantic fish that swim by and underneath you. Truly an amazing experience.

After getting our fill of snorkelling we grabbed lunch, and then took a ride in the semi-submersible boat to get a look at the reef life underwater. A marine biologist on board guided us through what we were seeing. I got a brief glimpse of a sea turtle that was well hidden by the reef. After that adventure we decided to go snorkelling one last time. I was glad we did, as I got up close and personal with a Maori Wrasse fish!! It was very friendly and came right up to us and let us pet it. An underwater photographer captured the moment, but we also got some of our own photos with our underwater camera. Once out of the water I took a brief walk through the underwater viewing area, and then we settled back onto the boat for our journey home. The way back was a lot rougher, but we got back to port in one piece. We’re at the hotel now sorting out some phone issues, and heading out to dinner soon. Will post more updates soon!

December 19^th 2015

            Saturday was another day spent out on the water. We took a cruise on “Camira”, one of the world’s fastest commercial sailing ships, out to Whitehaven beach, which is the #1 ranked beach in Australia and the #8 ranked beach worldwide. The journey out was beautiful, and we stopped for some snorkelling at Boulder Island. Low tide meant we could get really close to the coral and fish, and it was just as breathtaking as yesterday (if not more so). Unfortunately, no sea turtle sightings. After snorkelling the bar opened up – yay! Our next stop was Whitehaven beach itself, which was beautiful. Saw some goanna lizards who even posed for some close-ups. After the beach we enjoyed a delicious lunch on the boat. The rest of the afternoon was spent sunbathing on deck, admiring the beautiful scenery, and waving to tourists at the luxury 6-star hotel on Hamilton Island as we passed by. We also got some great tips from the staff for the next part of our adventure.

Currently in Sydney (5:00pm Sunday December 20th local time) ready to start the next chapter tomorrow! 

Cheers!