By Claire Heinichen, ’11, Lighter Fare Section Editor
In July Emily Grupp, ’11, and I took a 14 hour journey (with a minor pit stop in Fiji) to Brisbane, Australia, to do community service, see the sights, and have a bit of adventure. I’ve taken a little inspiration from Ali Breneman, ’11, and rather than re-write my travel diary on The Scroll, I’ve taken what I learned while I was gone and made a list of some helpful tips in case you find yourself Down Under anytime soon!
1. Leave your guns/weapons at home! Not only will airport security rip you to pieces, but owning guns is illegal in Australia! Imagine that…
2. Don’t attempt to drive. Not only does the whole driving on the wrong side of the road thing mess with your mind like the ending of Inception, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find any stop lights. Instead, the Australians rely on roundabouts every hundred yards or so, and after two weeks I still couldn’t figure out how they worked.
3. Check out Steve Irwin’s Zoo! It has every animal and exhibit you can think of, you can get a picture with a koala bear (so cute!) and get into the enclosure with the Kangaroos! But don’t try to fit inside their pouch. They don’t like that.
4. Three words: Tim Tam Slams. They’re unlike anything you’ve ever had. I put all my shoes in my carry-on just so I could fit four cases of them in my suitcase. Totally worth it.
5. Climb the Brisbane Story Bridge! The tour guides are insanely boring, but the view is amazing. I climbed during the day, but I’ve heard the night view is amazing. And don’t worry, you’re harnessed to the bridge so you won’t fall off and die.
6. Learn to throw a boomerang, but only from a true Aussie. It’s so much harder than it looks! Also, buy a boomerang to take home, they have great ones at the Eumundi Markets, but make sure you don’t accidentally buy the wrong-handed one. It’s a bummer.
7. Eat a kangaroo. Yes, it’s a little gross, but where else will you have the opportunity?
8. Check out the Wonder Factory at the Brisbane Children’s hospital. It’s an amazing playroom where sick children and their siblings can go and just be kids for a few hours. They have more video games, board games, and art supplies than you can imagine; it’s so much fun! A 7-year old with a broken arm beat me at fuse ball… twice.
9. Camp out! The view of the Milky Way from Australia during their winter months (our summer) is awesome. It looks almost as good there as it does in Dolphin Cup.
10. Jump out of a plane! Seriously! The view you get while falling 14,000 feet over Coulum beach is unbelievable. And the adrenaline rush isn’t so bad either.
Photos courtesy of Claire Heinichen ’11.
