There was so much to do here in Australia! My free time when I wasn’t working was filled with shopping, eating, and exploring Cairns and the surrounding rainforests.

The first weekend here we went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and we took the Cape Tribulation tour. Snorkeling was quite the adventure. The reef is beautiful to explore with plenty of fish and coral to see. We went to two different sections of the Great Barrier Reef. The Cape Tribulation tour was amazing!! We started out leaving Cairns and making a stop in Port Douglas where we shopped the markets that were set up. Then we headed up to the Daintree Rainforest where we were able to hike through the rainforest and take in its beauty. On our way out of the rainforest we stopped for ice cream at the Daintree Ice Cream Company. The flavor a were made from scratch using different fruits grown right there on the farm. I was able to try the 4 flavors of the day and they were so delicious. After ice cream we went on a guided boat on the river. We saw baby crocodiles and our guide even pulled a snake right out of the trees lining the river to give us an even closer view of the wildlife! To end our tour we stopped at Mossman Gorge for a swim in the freezing cold mountain water.

Our last weekend here we spent Saturday shopping the market of the Esplanade right in Cairns and Sunday in Karunda. The Esplanade is the strip that lines the ocean in Cairns. There is a lagoon pool here as well as all kinds of restaurants and shops. Every Saturday a market is set up along the ocean. Karunda is just outside Cairns in the mountains. They have a small zoo where you can feed birds, koalas, and wallabies as well as many more markets and shops to explore.

While on the island, after working with the sea turtles, we had some time before embarking on the 45 minute ferry ride back to Cairns. During this time I was able to snorkel the reef surrounding the island and I made the 2.3km trek to the lighthouse and to the summit (literally the tallest point of the island). While snorkeling I was able to spot two sea turtles as well as an abundance of fish and coral. The trek to the summit was brutal, filled with climbing rock stairs all the way to the top and all the way back down. The view was completely worth it though. You could see every part of the island as well as the ocean on all sides and the mountains of the mainland in the distance. Absolutely stunning.

We took one day during the week to visit Hartley’s Crocodile Farm. This place was great! We were able to cuddle a koala bear, learn about the crocodile farm (where they raise and breed crocs for product), feed wallabies and kangaroos, and watch crocodiles being fed right off the side of a boat.

The adventures that I was able to go on were absolutely incredible! The memories will last a lifetime!

While here in Australia, the opportunities that this study abroad has allowed me to experience have been quite amazing. I’ve been able to work with people who are passionate about the animals they work with and they’ve shared what they get to do everyday with me. During my time here I’ve worked at the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center on Fitzroy Island, the Sea Turtle ICU Center on the mainland, a veterinary clinic right outside of town, and Cairns Marine.

On Fitzroy Island is the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center where sea turtles that have been rehabilitated are awaiting their return to the ocean. They currently are holding 6 turtles, one to be released in the next couple of weeks back into the ocean. I was able to learn about each of the turtles including how they ended up at the rehabilitation center and the treatment they have gotten while there. I spent my days here cleaning the tanks, preparing meals, and feeding the sea turtles.

The mainland center for the sea turtles is where the they hold turtles that are undergoing treatment. They had 5 turtles there, but over this past weekend one of the turtles was able to be released. Normally after treatment in completed the turtle is moved to the island until it is ready to be released but in this case the sea turtle, named Olive, was being fitted with a tracking device on the mainland and was ready to be released right after. My day here was similar to the island, I would clean tanks, prepare meals, and feed the turtles. I had the extra opportunity to hold one of the turtles while her plastron (underneath of her shell) was sprayed with a medication. This turtle, named Penny, was suffering from severe starvation and had wounds on her plastron that need antibiotics daily. Also while at this center, I was able to get an up close view of how Fibropapilloma affects sea turtles as one of the turtles their is suffering from it. It is a very contagious herpes virus that affects green sea turtles.

At the veterinary clinic I was able to experience the similarities and differences between how Australia clinics are run compared to American clinics. One thing I noticed right away was that they spell Spay as Spey. I had written it on the board the American way and was immediately called out for it! Much of what they do is similar to how we do things. I did ask questions about the laws they have here in this country and found the answers to be quite interesting. Declares, ear crops, and tail docking is illegal in this country. All pets that are slated/neutered must be tattooed on the inside of their ear to show that they have altered. Also, pitbulls are banned from this country, but pitbull mixes and American stafferdshire terriers are allowed.

The marine center was probably my favorite to work at. The center collects fish and coral from the reef and sells them to private owners and aquariums around the world. What is very interesting about this center is that they are passionate about the animals and doing little to absolutely no harm to the environment and the animals. They care about educating the public as much as they can about the different animals they have. Any animals that are injured or diseased are quarantined and will go through treatments to be brought back to health. All animals are quarantined before they are sold to ensure they are healthy. During my work day here I was able to learn about everything they do, view all of their different sea creatures they have, clean tanks, feed fish and coral, help with calculating salinity and the pH of the water that new shipments of creatures arrived in, and helped with setting up new arrivals in their tank. It was definitely an amazing experience and I learned a lot about the care of the different sea animals.

Overall my experience in the different areas were absolutely amazing. I was able to learn so many new things that I can use in the future in my field. If I decide to move towards marine veterinary work I have a great start!