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My time in Australia is coming to an end. I’ve spent my final two weeks here squeezing in some last-minute local bucket list items, saying goodbyes to friends, and getting ready for travel back home.
This has been an amazing experience, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to take part in this study abroad experience. I’ve enjoyed my time here traveling and seeing all the sites and local gems around the city, meeting and bonding with new friends and roommates, and immersing myself in a new culture. As great as it has been, I’m excited to return home and reconnect with my friends and family.
I’ll include some of my favorite pictures from my experience below before I sign off. Thanks to those who have followed along on my journey through these blogs, and a special thanks to Linfield IPO for making this dream experience a reality!
Me and NelsonLoch Ard GorgeMemorial ArchSurf lesson at AngleseaView of the Mornington Peninsula from trail on Point Nepean
Over the weekend I went on a tour of the Great Ocean Road led by a group called REAL Australia. Our tour guides, Luke and Nash, had led the tour of Philip Island at the beginning of the trimester. My friends and I really enjoyed that tour, so we signed up for this two-day road trip with them as well!
Great Ocean Road lookout
The van picked us up at the University early Saturday morning. We drove towards the Great Ocean Road, picking up a couple other groups of people along the way. Our first stop of the day was at Anglesea, where we did a surf lesson. This was really fun and a nice day out in the water. Our instructors were very nice and helpful as well.
Surf lesson at Anglesea
We continued driving down the road, stopping at the Memorial Arch for a quick picture. Then we loaded back up in the van and headed for lunch in a town called Lorne. The town was super cute and right along the beach. This was more of a quick stop to grab a bite, but we had a bit of time to walk around and experience the town before heading out.
Memorial Arch
The road trip continued on as we headed to our final destination for the day, Apollo Bay. We made a few stops at lookouts along the way, as well as a stop at Kenneth River Koala Walk. Here we got to take a walk through a bunch of eucalyptus trees and try to spot wild koalas. As we approached a tree with koalas, I watched as one of the branches snapped and the koala almost fell. It had to climb back up the snapped branch to safety. We made sure the koala was safe, then headed back to the van to continue our trip. We reached Apollo Bay where we stayed in a hostel for the night.
Koala sighting
Our first stop the next morning was a hike in the Otway Rainforest. In was a very nice and easy little hike. Beautiful rainforest views the whole time, and a nice waterfall lookout to stop and take in. We loaded up and kept driving to our next stop, the famous twelve apostles. We also stopped at Loch Ard Gorge. These were both beautiful sites and lookouts, even in the pouring rain.
Waterfall in Otway Rainforest12 ApostlesLoch Ard Gorge
Overall, it was a really fun experience. Our tour guides were great people and were very easy-going. They made sure we got to see everything we wanted to. It was a lot of driving, but the views were beautiful the whole time, so it was most definitely worth it.
Over the last couple weeks, I’ve made some trips to local must-see spots in Melbourne. All these spots were within an hour of campus and easy to access with public transport.
The 1000 steps hike is a bush walk that goes through the Dandenong Ranges. It consists of about a thousand stone steps up to the top of the trail. A few of my friends and I made a day trip out to the Dandenong’s to do this hike. It was not as hard as I had expected, but definitely still a challenge. The views were beautiful, and I felt emerged in the rainforest the whole time. The walk down was the worst part because it was one big steep hill that destroyed my knees. It was a great hike with beautiful views and perfect weather.
Start of 1000 Step HikeView from top of 1000 Step Hike
There were two nights this term where the Aurora Australia, or the Southern Lights, were visible from campus. A friend and I walked to a park nearby and watched as the sky turned a vibrant purple and green. This was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience that I’m glad I got to see.
Aurora AustralisAurora Australis
A couple friends and I decided to spend a day at Brighton Beach. We started the morning off with a walk along the beach, spending hours looking at shells and stuff along the way. We made it down to the Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes, a row of bathing boxes painted in different colors and designs. We then walked back into town to get lunch and wander around. It was a very cute little town with a relaxing feeling to it. Once we had walked the town, we made our way to a garden where we laid in the grass and bathed in the sun for a bit. It was a lovely and relaxing day.
Brighton BeachBathing boxes
I decided to go to St. Kilda one day since I hadn’t been there yet and needed to go before I leave. I started the day out on the beach, walking along the boardwalk and the pier. The weather was perfect, and the beach was beautiful. I then walked up to the Esplanade Markets on the street. The sidewalk was lined with a bunch of tents that consisted of different products and food vendors. I walked the whole strip as I headed back towards the main street. I walked around and explored the town for a bit before catching a tram back.
St. Kilda BeachSt. Kilda PierStarfishBridge view of St. KildaSt. Kilda Beach
I flew straight from Cairns to Sydney for the second half of the week. We arrived at the airport in Sydney, it was about 11pm, so I head straight to my hotel and went to bed.
On Thursday morning, I headed towards the city to a shuttle bus pickup location. Here I got picked up for a tour of the Blue Mountains. This was an all-day tour I had scheduled beforehand. Our first stop on the tour was the Sydney Zoo. We got to the zoo about an hour before it opened, so our tour group had the whole place to ourselves. I got to go into the koala sanctuary and take a picture with Nelson the koala. Unfortunately, he was asleep, so I didn’t get to hold him and had to be very quiet not to wake him. After the zoo, our bus departed towards the Blue Mountains. Along the way, we learned a handful of random trivia from our tour guide/bus driver, Les, who was hilarious and made the tour very exciting.
When we got to the Blue Mountains, everything was fogged over. We were supposed to take cable cars through the canyons and see a bunch of waterfalls and landmarks, but nothing was visible through the fog. We hiked down at one spot that was a little clearer and were able to see a waterfall. Other than that, Les took us to about 12 different spots and not one had any visibility. We called it a day after a few hours of trying and headed on back. It was still a fun tour despite not getting the full Blue Mountain experience.
Waterfall on hikeBlue MountainsMe and Nelson
On Friday, it was pouring in Sydney. I decided to take the train into town and try to explore some landmarks that were indoors. I went to Market City, a decent sized mall with a few floors of stores and then a market on the ground floor. After that, I wandered to the Queen Victoria Building. That was a very beautiful building. By this point, I was soaking wet, so I headed on back to my hotel and called it a night.
Queen Victoria Building
On Saturday morning, the sun came out just in time for me to see some sights before my flight that afternoon. I got up and took a ferry around the bay. I got to see the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the water.
The ferry docked at Circular Quay, where I walked to a place called the Rocks Markets. Tents and food trucks lined the streets for blocks. I wandered around for a bit and got some lunch, then caught a bus to Bondi Beach. I walked through some shops at Bondi, got some gelato, then sat in the grass by the beach for a bit. I didn’t have much time before I had to catch a train to the airport. I reached the airport and flew back to Melbourne as my break came to an end.
Bondi BeachGelato at BondiSydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House
Recently, we had a week off classes for Easter break. I spent the first half of this week in the town of Cairns, located in the Northeastern coast of Australia. I had three days in the area, so had to squeeze everything I wanted to do into that short period of time.
My flight landed Monday morning. I went straight from the airport to the botanical gardens for a nice morning walk. I spent a few hours walking around the different trails. It was very pretty and from the moment I entered I felt like I was deep in the rainforest. After the botanical gardens, I walked to my hotel to get checked in and relaxed for a bit. Then I took a bus into town to meet up with a friend. We walked the main streets and wandered through some night markets, then had dinner at a bar near the pier.
Boardwalk in CairnsCairns Botanical Garden
On Tuesday, I had a Great Barrier Reef snorkeling tour booked. The tour was amazing. We got picked up by the shuttle around 7am and were boarded the boat and headed towards the reef by 8am. The crew on the boat made it very enjoyable. We stopped at our first reef location for about two hours. The time flew by. I was in the water snorkeling the whole time. I got to see a lot of different fish and coral, and even a couple sharks at that location. Then we boarded the boat and headed to a second reef location. During this time, we were fed a delicious lunch by the crew. At the second spot, I again spent almost the whole time in the water snorkeling. I finally found a sea turtle and followed it around for at least 30 minutes. After that location we headed back to shore. It was a great day and an amazing experience.
Sea turtle spotted at the Great Barrier ReefGreat Barrier ReefSnorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef
On Wednesday, a friend and I took a ferry to Fitzroy Island for the morning. The day started out beautiful, then as we were eating lunch it began to downpour. Our plan was to go kayaking, but we aborted that plan when the rain started. Instead, we took a hike through the forest, heading along the beach once the rain stopped. It was super pretty and a fun, quick trip before we had to head out for our flights. Once we got back, we gathered our things and headed to the airport.
This last weekend some friends and I took a day trip to the Mornington Peninsula. We started our morning at 5am in order to make the commute and be on time to board the boat for our dolphin and seal swim. We arrived to catch the sunrise over the ocean, put our wetsuits on, and hop on board as we headed out into the ocean.
Our first stop was at a location where a shelter had been built in the water for the seals. We put our snorkel gear on and jumped in the water! The seals would swim really close to you, and they were quite the show-offs. They would spin around and put on a little show while barking the whole time. The water was fairly shallow in the area so we had to be careful to keep our feet up, as rays would swim under you. It was a little scary at first. You would be focused on the seals and all of a sudden you look down and a huge ray is right underneath you.
After the seals, we boarded the boat and headed toward a little bay where we could snorkel and see cuttle fish and sea dragons. They both use camouflage really well. I was only able to spot one cuttle fish without the help of a guide.
We then boarded the boat and headed back to the dock. Over the course of the trip, we were supposed to be ready to dive in the water if any dolphins were spotted. Unfortunately, no dolphins were spotted in the area all morning, so we were unable to swim with the dolphins. It was still an amazing trip and the crew made it that much better.
Morning sunrise on the pier before departing on tourSea dragonCuttle fishGroup of seals showing-off in the water.Ray while swimming with the seals.
After the dolphin and seal swim, we walked through the town of Sorrento to a beach spot called the “Back Beach”. This area had tons of rock pools and a couple short hiking trails that overlooked the beach. After wandering through the rock pools and trails for a bit, we went to a little café on the beach and had some lunch. The view from the deck was amazing.
View of the Back Beach from hike lookout.Beachside view from lunch
We then went to our final destination for the day – Point Nepean National Park. Point Nepean was formerly an army base as well as a quarantine center. With about 30km of trails, Point Nepean spans toward the tip of the Mornington Peninsula. We took a tour bus out to the end of the peninsula and then hiked our way back. The hike was full of astonishing views, as well as remnants and tunnels from the army base. It was amazing and the weather was absolutely perfect!
I’m coming up on the end of my second week of classes here at Deakin University. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks adjusting to my new schedule and figuring out the flow of classes. I’m taking four classes this trimester, all of which meet once a week for 2-3 hours at a time. Outside of the in-person seminars, every class has online modules that you must work through on your own to learn the content that is discussed in class and on exams. It’s a lot more independent study than I expected, but once I get the hang of it, I think I might enjoy it.
Crossing campus bridge on my way back from classes.
Last weekend we had three days in a row of temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I spent one of these days going to Altona Beach with some friends. The beach had a long pier that you could walk out on, and people were jumping off the far end of it into the water. The water was very cold but felt amazing with the sun beaming down on us. The water was anywhere from ankle to hip deep for about the first 500 feet, which made for perfect spots to just chill and cool off.
Altona Beach
On Wednesday night I went to the final night of the Queen Victoria Market Summer Nights Festival. The Queen Victoria Market is in downtown Melbourne and runs through the day with streets vendors, food trucks, and produce stands. They do festivals over the summer where they reopen at night with live music and plenty of different vendors and food options. I had been to the market during the day before, but this was my first time going to the night festival. This was also one of the first times I’ve been in the city at night, and it was amazing. They put on a new night festival during the winter season, so I can’t wait to go to that one.
Queen Victoria Market Summer Nights Festival
Inside the Queen Victoria Market Summer Nights Festival
The 26th marks my first week here in Australia. Monday night I moved into my residence at Deakin University’s Burwood campus, and things have been in full swing since! I spent a day or so getting moved in and situated, figuring out how to get around and use public transport, and adjusting to this new lifestyle. Since moving in, I’ve met some great friends from all over the world and embarked on a few adventures.
I spent a day with some friends heading down to Torquay Beach, home of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach surf competition. After a few hours of travel through trams, buses, and trains, we arrived at the beach where we rented surf boards and wet suits. Then we went out into the water and taught ourselves how to surf! It was so much fun, but also so hard. We spent a couple hours out in the water, and I was able to stand up on the board only twice. Definitely will be going back and doing this again.
Surfing at Torquay
On Saturday we had our international student orientation event hosted by a company called Real Australia. We loaded up two buses full of international students and headed towards the historic Phillip Island. Our first stop along the way was at Maru Koala and Animal Park in Grantville, Victoria. Here we were given a lecture from experts on koalas, dingoes, and snakes (all animals of which were present during the lecture). After, we were given time to walk the park and see all the animals in their enclosures. However, throughout the park there were multiple kangaroos roaming unenclosed. We were allowed to walk up and feed and pet the kangaroos all throughout the park.
Feeding the kangaroosWallabiesTasmanian DevilKoalaDingoFeeding the joey
Our next stop was a hike at Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island. We took a walk down the beach and up along a trail to a lookout point. It was beautiful. Along the way we encountered some various wildlife such as wallabies and an echidna.
Lookout views
We then headed into town for dinner at a local pub. I felt the need to order an Australian classic meal, the chicken parma. The chicken parma is a typical Australian meal that consists of a breaded chicken breast topped with a sliced of ham, tomato sauce, and parmesan. It was really good.
Chicken Parma
Our final stop of the day was on the coast of Philip Island to a reserve known as the Nobbies. The Nobbies is a rock formation off the coast that is home to Philip Island’s little penguins. We walked the pier to the Nobbies as we waited for the little penguin parade to begin at sunset. Every night when the sun sets, thousands of the little penguins come to shore and make the trek across the beach and back to their homes. Philip Island’s little penguin parade allows for people to come each night and watch the penguins return home after feeding, while maintaining a safe environment to protect the penguins. It was a really cool experience and the penguins were so tiny and adorable.
