Submitted by Alexandra Mlkvy on the 2016 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of English …
On Wednesday, our program headed to the Grampians, a national park also known as Gariwerd by local Aboriginals. We spent two days in Halls Gap, hiking and learning about Aboriginal culture. Kangaroos casually grazed on the lawn outside of my hotel window. It seems that kangaroos are the deer of Australia – they are everywhere. When we were eating dinner at a restaurant in town, we spotted kangaroos hopping across the street. During our hikes, we made it to Mackenzie Falls and the Balconies lookout. The Grampians were very green – covered in vegetation. While at the Balconies, we were able to see the rain across the way. It was a surreal experience. The next day we visited the Aboriginal Culture Center. There we learned about Aboriginal art, artifacts and history. Our guide also taught us how to throw a boomerang. Everyone, even Professor Yagoda, gave it a try. Some of us were actually good!
My favorite part of the excursion was the second half when we got to explore The Great Ocean Road, which is registered on the Australian National Heritage list. The road stretches for around 150 miles along the southeastern coast of Australia. The view from the bus was incredible – infinite cerulean water meeting the rocky coast. We made stops along the way at outlooks our bus driver felt were essential – Bay of Islands, 12 Apostles, Bells Beach and the Grotto. The 12 Apostles was one of my favorite stops. I learned about these famous rock stacks in my Life’s a Beach Course with Dr. Trembanis during my sophomore year. Never did I think I would get to see them in person! We stayed in Apollo Bay that night, a small town with a beautiful beach along the Great Ocean Road. We were thankful for the opportunity to travel along the road because in months prior bush fires were destroying acres of land and many houses. Just a few days before we were scheduled to leave, the fires were controlled and they opened the portions of the road that were previously closed. As we drove along the coast, the black charred remnants of the trees were striking against the blue waters. Our bus driver did reassure us, however, that soon new vegetation would grow in place of the old.
