Don’t Touch the Wildlife in Australia

Submitted by Rebekah Houser on the 2016 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Mathematical Sciences…

This week afforded our first chance to really get outside the city for a bit. Much as I enjoy being in Melbourne, I was excited to see more of the country. As the bus pulled away from campus, our guide, quickly briefed us on animals in the areas we were visiting. These included the echidna, platypus, and koala. For each animal, he explained how it could hurt us, and concluded with “Don’t touch it.” Finally he just said, “Don’t touch anything. Australia is designed to kill you.” His statement summarized the impression given since our arrival, and emphasized on the program that this is a harsh and beautiful country.

Most of the time, the beautiful is more evident than the harsh. As we traveled the Great Ocean Road, I enjoyed stunning views of green-blue waves pounding the foot cliffs rising to tree covered slopes. When we stopped at the Twelve Apostles (famous limestone stacks near Port Campbell) we heard and saw the power of these waves more clearly. Our guide explained that the rock formations we saw are eroded two inches a year by the constant pounding, and that one stack has already fallen. The waves were at least as powerful as pretty.

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Also, along the Great Ocean Road, we passed through the area damaged by forest fires in December. In particular, our guide noted the town of Lorne, where Christmas dinners were left half-eaten when people had to evacuate. Lorne was not burned, but outside of the town, charred trees and ash-covered ground provided a sobering reminder of the extent of the fires.

Despite our guide’s warning about Australian animals (or perhaps thanks to the respect he instilled in us) we had no threatening encounters with the wildlife. We saw many kangaroos, and several koalas, lots of cockatoos and other birds, and a few of us spotted a snake, but all these either ignored us, ran or flew away. The most threatening animals we met the entire time were the emus wandering through a picnic area. They skulked around like grounded seagulls while we ate, and one came right up to me, eyeing my banana. Since the emu stood about as tall as me, I found it rather intimidating, though I was excited to see it up close.

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Finally, an ever-present reminder of the mixture of ruggedness with beauty was the sky itself. From stunning sunrises, to a brilliant blue dome all day, to starry panoramas, the sky often staged amazing views. Of course, during the day, the sun always dominated and threatened to scorch any exposed skin. One gentleman we met introduced us to the saying “Slip, Slap, Slop.” That is: slip on sunglasses, slap on a hat, and slop on sunscreen. These we did, but the intensity of the sun still tired me out by the end of the day.

Overall, the trip outside Melbourne was very full. We hiked mountains, stalked kangaroos, waded in the ocean and walked for miles. Images of imposing mountain ranges, starry skies, echoes of pounding surf, the sensation of cool breezes in my face and the strong Australian sun on my back: These are, I hope, etched forever in my memory as reminders of this harsh, beautiful country.