Phillip Island

We arrived safely in Melbourne yesterday. It is much cooler here, but nothing like our winter in the states. We went to the Queen Victoria markets for some quick souvenir shopping.

We left for Phillips Island @2:00.  This excursion was to see the Little Penguins native to Australia. Every night at dusk The Little Penguins make their way out of the ocean to their homes to feed their chicks.  This is the smallest penguin in the world. There used to be 10 colonies on the island and now there is only one. We learned that these Little Penguins live about 7 years. They do not mate for life. They can stay under water for 2 minutes but can dive very deep. The record dive is 236 feet. They swim about 32 miles a day and may dive 200 to 1,300 times a day.

We were able to view the penguins emerging from the ocean. They emerge at dusk when it's safe for them and there are no predators flying about. Fox are also a threat to the penguins. The rangers are working on reducing the fox population on the island. Another threat to these cute Little Penguins is man: oil spills and litter.

This was a great night and a chance of a life time to see the Little Penguin in its natural habitat. Check the Melbourne page for pictures later! Bye for now, Ann, Melissa & Hollie

Having Fun in Cairns

When we arrived in Cairns, we were quick to change into our swimming costumes because we wanted to get to the beach.  Little did we know that the beach was a half hour cab ride away... so we went  shopping instead.  At the night market, we made a connection with an Indigenous Aboriginal artist.  He   taught us how to throw a boomerang, along with the different models. He agreed to Skype with us on our parent/student night! Our School Connection was at Cairns West State School with a school enrollment of 727 students.  It was a diverse population.  About 70% are aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students.    Mr. Hansen and his staff were very welcoming.  We had an extensive tour of their buildings and grounds.  They have an open air concept.  We were amazed by the school garden and "teaching kitchen"  The older students prepare recipes using the garden harvest in the life skills center!  (A school kitchen with student lessons and preparation area.)  They were very excited to build an international bridge with us.  We presented them with Madison School attire.  We look forward to our new global partnership in Cairns.  Today we had a life changing excursion to the Great Barrier Reef.  We visited The Michaelmas Cay on the Ocean Spirit Catamaran.  We scuba dived, snorkeled and rode in a semi-submersable boat. We were able to get up close and personal with green turtles, clown fish,  a ray, angel fish, barracuda,  sea cucumber, and many different kinds of coral and sea life.  Stay tuned for our Rain Forrest update.****To view our pictures please click on the Cairns page.

Leaving Sydney

We are up early and ready to head for the airport! All of us are excited to get to Cairns! Sydney has been amazing. We've met lots of nice people and we made 2 school connections. We met a lovely newlywed couple Sarah and Stephen from England. They are both teachers and we have enjoyed getting to know them and sharing teaching stories. We hope to meet up with them at our next destination as well. We also visited a school in Epping. The principal, teachers and students were very gracious hosts. They loved our accents. We found an award winning candy shop where we bought some fudge, caramels, and toffee. The children at the school suggested we spend our last day at Bondi Beach. It was a bit brisk but we enjoyed our walk. There was a couple from Ohio that took our picture. The woman is a school psychologist. We visit a local establishment called Bad Mamma. The man who waited on us was from Hawaii. Then we walked to a pizza place and had some unique and delicious pizza. We learned a lot about the people that work there. Our waitress was Palmina. She was from Spain. The sights are beautiful but the people we are meeting and learning about are what makes this a fantastic fellowship. The internet here is slow....We will upload pictures and videos on the Sydney page when we get a chance!

I can't wait to leave for Australia.