Still Intact: Our Great White Adventure

This past weekend, in a somewhat strange observance of Valentine's Day, Callie and I traveled to Port Lincoln, South Australia in order to dive with the great white shark. Port Lincoln is a small coastal fishing town and is close to the Neptune Islands, which is home to a colony of New Zealand fur seals, a favorite meal of the "white pointer." Needless to say, we were both excited and nervous, but now that we have returned to Sydney in one piece, we can safely recount our adventure.

We left Sydney on last Friday morning for an early flight to Adelaide. For regular readers, you will recall that we spent some time in Adelaide on our last trip, but this time we had only a short layover before catching a small regional flight to Port Lincoln. Port Lincoln is about 35 minutes by air from Adelaide and is home to a large proportion of Australia's tuna fishing industry, yet another reason that it is frequented by the great white. We arrived mid-afternoon and spent the remainder of the day walking along the harbour foreshore and enjoying the lovely weather. We had dinner at the hotel and went to bed soon thereafter given the early start the next morning.

The Neptune Islands is about two and a half hours from Port Lincoln by boat, which meant that we had to be at the dock at 6:30 A.M. The journey out was a a little rocky and some of our companions (there were about 20 of us in total) began to look a little green around the gills. Callie, on the other hand, had taken two dramamine and was having trouble staying awake, but once we reached the Neptunes, things began to get exciting. The crew began chumming the water with a mixture of fish innards, blood and tuna pieces while making as much noise as possible in order to attract the sharks. This ritual continued for about forty-five minutes before the first visitor arrived and the cage was in the water.

To say that the great white is a large animal is a gross understatement. Not only is it long-the ones we saw averaging about 15 feet- but it is thick and heavy, and given how powerfully it moves through the water, it is no wonder that we are afraid of it. However, after observing the sharks once they arrived, they did not seem to be overly aggressive or violent; rather, they appeared to be curious- like a really big dog with really big teeth. Nonetheless, when we got in the cage (yes, Callie got in as well), it was hard to not be somewhat overwhelmed by their presence. 

 

We were the fourth group to get in the cage, which was good because it gave Callie enough time to see that others had survived the experience without incident. There were four of us in the cage at once and we each had a regulator (like on a scuba system) to breathe through that was connected to an air compressor on the surface. The cage sits near the top of the water and is attached to the stern of the boat so that you are always close to help. Each group was in cage for about forty-five minutes, and during that time, sharks would come and go, circling the boat and trying to eat the bait in front of your face. In what was probably the most aggressive moment of the day, a shark went for the bait and instead bit down on the corner of the cage where I was standing, which prompted all of us inside to move back a little bit. You could hear the grinding of the teeth and the violent thrash of the jaws shook the cage in the water, but we returned with all our limbs and extremities intact. 

*Please note: that is a large black garbage bag in the bottom left corner of the picture- just so you can appreciate how large the shark is. 

Over the past several weeks, many people have asked me why I wanted to do this, and I always say that ever since I found out that we were going to Australia, this was something I just had to do. I have always loved the ocean and the chance to see arguably the world's most sophisticated and lethal marine predator in person was something that I couldn't pass up. Having safely returned to Sydney, we again feel extremely lucky that we could have an experience like this one, although I'm not sure that Callie will entertain the thought of another high adrenaline Valentine's Day next year.   

An Update on the Victoria Bushfires

As many of you have undoubtedly heard by now, the state of Victoria is the site of the worst peacetime disaster in Australian history. One hundred and eighty-one people have currently lost their lives and many expect the death toll to climb past two hundred in the coming days. Over one thousand homes have been destroyed, and it is estimated that five thousand people are left homeless. As of Thursday evening, twenty-two fires are still burning, but cooler temperatures and less severe winds have made the situation more manageable for country fire authorities.

As mentioned in the last post, Sydney is not threatened by the current devastation, but it is hard to feel unaffected. The country is gripped by a sense of shock and sorrow, and as evidence has surfaced that some of these fires were deliberately lit, there is also a palpable anger. However, there has also been an outpouring of generosity, and according to the Australian Red Cross, over fifty million dollars have been raised for the bushfire appeal. 

The horror and tragedy experienced by those in Victoria this week is absolutely unspeakable: story after story recounted the overwhelming noise and the suffocating heat and how the earth became a "living hell" last Saturday. Needless to say, our prayers and sympathies go out to all those families and communities who have been touched by this crisis, and we certainly hope that we have seen the last of the current devastation. If you would like to find more information about the bushfires or donate to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal, please see the links below. 

News- The Australian

Australian Red Cross

Weekends: Surfing and Cricket

So that's me this time. After repeatedly falling and getting rolled by countless waves and swallowing an untold amount of saltwater, I have managed to crudely master the art of standing up on a surfboard. Now the problem is standing up for an extended period of time. Again, surfing is one of those things that is harder than it looks, but I am convinced that with further practice, I can manage to spend less time embarrassing myself at the beach.

After returning from our trip across Southern Australia, Callie and I have been working our way back into a more normal routine. Callie started classes in her superior program last week and things seem to be going well. She would admit, however, that some of their products are more sensitive and temperamental than perhaps she would like. She also might concede that she is having some difficulty adjusting to the new class schedule. As with previous terms, class is Monday through Wednesday, but now she is going from 3:00 P.M. until roughly 10:00 P.M. For anyone who knows Callie, they would immediately recognize that this falls within her going to bed hours, and as a result, she has been forced (quite reluctantly) to alter her sleeping schedule. 

For my part, things have been back to a somewhat more normal routine as well. While my classes will not begin until the first of March, I have managed to remain occupied with Rotary presentations and weekly sailing and waiting to hear back from law schools. I have also begun work on a health policy project in the Solomon Islands in conjunction with our host Rotary club, so while I am not baking away until after bedtime, I have some things to do as well. Needless to say, we are again enjoying our time back in Australia, and this past weekend, we were able to enjoy arguably the most Australian of summer traditions: cricket. 

Unlike the post on the various rugby codes in Australia, I will not attempt to explain the subtle nuances and intricate strategy that is cricket. Suffice it to say that it is kin to baseball, except it is played on a circular pitch, and there are two batsmen at a time, and there are no bases but rather wooden "stumps", and the players catch the ball with their hands, and a home run counts for 6 runs, and . . . it's really not anything like baseball. Nonetheless, we have found ourselves quite entertained by summer cricket and so this weekend we decided to go to the Sydney Cricket Grounds to watch Australia take on New Zealand. The weather was warm and the crowd was openly enthusiastic (which is somewhat surprising considering that many might compare cricket to watching paint dry), and best of all, Australia won! We didn't stay for the entire match, but we enjoyed the atmosphere and the spectacle and it was a nice way to begin the week. 

In conclusion and on a much more somber note, we would like to let everyone know about the terrible tragedy that is unfolding in country Victoria. Victoria, the state south of New South Wales, has been struck by the worst bushfires in Australian history. The death toll is expected to climb above 200, and last we heard, there were at least 700 homes that were destroyed and over 5,000 people had been made homeless. We have received emails from many people at home asking if we are okay, and while Sydney is not in danger, the entire country is in a state of shock and sorrow. Below is a link to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal that is being organized by the Australian Red Cross, so if there is anything that you might be able to contribute, it would certainly be welcome. Our thoughts and prayers are with those families and communities that have been affected by this terrible crisis, and we will let you know more as more news becomes available.

https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/OnlineDonations.asp

Happy Australia Day!

On 26 January of every year, Australians take a day off to celebrate the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. It is to Australia what the Fourth of July is to America, and we enjoyed the morning at the home of David Brawn and Suzanne Campbell eating brunch with fellow Rotary scholars and Sydney Rotarians. In the afternoon, we went to the Art Gallery of New South Wales to catch an exhibit on Monet and other Impressionist painters. Additionally, we walked through the city center and around Hyde Park amidst a sea of Aussies donned in green and gold paraphernalia admiring a display of antique cars, buses, and emergency vehicles.   We unfortunately missed the "Best Dressed Parade" of patriotically decorated yachts in the harbour, which I'm certain can't compete with the annual Fourth of July affair at Lake Martin.  All in all, it was a terrific day that once again revealed the fun-loving and celebratory nature of the Aussie nation.

Photo Link

Here is a link to some more photos of our recent trip across Australia. It is a Facebook album but everyone should be able to access it.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2303230&l=51232&id=7000137

Across the Great Southern Land

Over the past week and a half, Callie and I have been traveling across the Southern expanse of Australia- from Perth to Adelaide to Melbourne and back to Sydney. We left last Monday bound for Perth, which interestingly is closer to Singapore that it is to Sydney.  As Australia's most remote capital, Perth sits on the Swan River and is growing rapidly thanks to the mining windfall in Western Australia. We didn't have long to spend in the city, however, as we were leaving on Wednesday morning, but we did manage to see most of the sights. We visited the Perth Mint on Monday afternoon, which is a unique exhibit of Australia's gold history. We walked through King's Park on Tuesday morning, which is an incredibly large urban park and botanical gardens that displays the rich biodiversity of Western Australia. And we took the ferry down the river to Fremantle on Tuesday afternoon, which is a small port city on the Indian Ocean. Fremantle also has a particularly notorious prison that we toured before returning for an early dinner.  The next morning we were off for the Indian Pacific Railroad and the trip to Adelaide.

It strikes me as an incredible feat that a railroad could be built 1,656 miles across the most inhospitable stretch of earth I have ever seen. But that is exactly what happened. The Indian Pacific Railroad, which runs from Perth to Adelaide and eventually on to Sydney, crosses some of the desolate terrain on the planet- from the Wheat Belt on the outskirts of Perth to the unbroken nothingness of the Nullabor Plains to the Red Hills north of Adelaide. It crosses through towns like Kalgoorlie and Maralinga and Cook (with a population of 4 permanent residents), and while we were glad to see the station in Adelaide, the journey was quite spectacular. We met some incredibly interesting people- from a U.S. Coastguard officer on leave from the Persian Gulf to a lawyer from Adelaide to the quintessential Aussie bloke who helps manage sheep and cattle stations in Western Australia. We saw kangaroos and dingos and wedge tailed eagles; the food was good and we were able to savor the journey itself as the environment changed gradually and fluidly from one landscape to another. As mentioned above, we were glad to "detrain" once we arrived in Adelaide, but the trip was very enjoyable given that we probably would have never had the chance to experience such an incredible environment without the Indian Pacific.

 

Once we arrived in Adelaide, we wasted no time in leaving again- this time bound for the Barossa Valley.  The Barossa is Australia's premier wine region and is located about an hour north of Adelaide.  We spent the day on a winery tour learning about wine making and production, and it was interesting to discover the reason the Barossa such an exceptional wine region is that the parasite that normally destroys the roots of grape vines doesn't live in Australia. As a result, the Barossa (known for its Shiraz) has grape vines that are over 150 years old. We stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast and on Saturday morning, we visited the Barossa Farmers Market. All the vendors are also the producers at the market so the food was exquisitely fresh and flavorful, but what made the morning memorable was the fact that Callie had the chance to meet and talk with Maggie Beer. Maggie is an Australian food icon who lives in the Barossa and is responsible for really starting the locally grown movement in Australia. We spoke to her briefly at the market and then ran into her again at her farm shop, which showcases some of her recipes and cookbooks. After browsing enviously, we made our way out of the Barossa back towards Adelaide through the Eden Valley (another wine region famous for its Riesling) along a beautiful scenic highway. We stopped at the world's largest rocking horse and toy factory; we had lunch at a beer house in Lobenthal; we went by the Melba Chocolate Factory, and we stopped at a quaint German town called Hahndorf. It was a pleasant and enjoyable drive back, and we returned to Adelaide in time for dinner and an early evening.

Adelaide (a little larger than metropolitan Birmingham) is known as the "City of Churches," which is an appropriate characterization given that it has over twenty churches in the city center. It has lots of green space, a gentle river, some nice looking buildings but not much else. Honestly, Adelaide is not one of those cities you would normally visit when traveling in Australia, but it would be a great city in which to live. We spent most of our time exploring the abundant shops and restaurants, and we were pleased to find out that the Tour Down Under would begin in Adelaide while we were visiting. For those of you who follow cycling, the Tour Down Under is Australia's equivalent to the Tour de France without any of the pomp or reputation. However, it has received significant coverage this year because it is the site of Lance Armstrong's professional comeback. So, we went to watch as Lance rode in a cancer foundation sprint on the eve before the Tour Down Under began. Having never been to a cycling event, I'm not sure we knew what to expect, but it was quite exciting to see some of the world's best riders right in front of you. Again, there wasn't a lot to do in Adelaide, so we were glad to see that Lance was in town.

From Adelaide it was off to Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, for the Australian Open which began on Monday morning. We had tickets on Rod Laver Arena for the Monday through Thursday day sessions, which means we had the chance to sit court-side to watch some of the world's best tennis players. We saw Andy Roddick, Jelena Jankovic, Novak Djokovic twice, Roger Federer twice, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic, James Blake, the Bryan Brothers, Lleyton Hewitt and Ferando Gonzalez. It was exceptional tennis, but it was incredibly hot and so we spent many of the days sweltering in the sun. Nonetheless, it was a great occasion and we were lucky because we had the chance to see most of Melbourne while we were there. Melbourne is a little smaller than Sydney, but it is the self-proclaimed cultural capital of Australia. It is distinctive architecturally, it has the world's oldest zoo, it has the world's largest tram network, it has great restaurants, two beautiful cathedrals and lots of urban gardens and parks. Additionally, it is home to the Old Melbourne Gaol (Jail), which was the last residence of notorious outlaw Ned Kelly.  Kelly is one of Australia's folk heros, but we felt that his iconic reputation might be undeserving given his penchant for robbing banks, taking hostages, killing police officers, etc. In sum, Kelly was born a criminal, especially considering that both of his parents also spent time in prison (Interestingly, Kelly was reunited with his mother in the jail in Melbourne). In addition to seeing the prison, we went to the Queen Victoria Markets, Cook's Cottage, and we walked past the Melbourne Cricket Grounds, which is arguably one of the most famous cricket venues in the world. Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Melbourne, but when Friday morning arrived, we were eager to return to Sydney in order to restore a sense of personal normalcy. We had a great trip and we had a chance to see parts of Australia that many Australians probably never had seen, but it was nice to return so that we could stop living out of our suitcases. Plus, it's Australia Day tomorrow and we wouldn't want to miss the celebration in Sydney.

We Made It Back

So this is what international first class looks like, just in case you were wondering.  And this is where we would have been able to enjoy our return trip to Australia if United Airlines had lived up to their promise.  Instead, we arrived in Sydney early Sunday morning cramped and mildly irritated after being demoted to Economy Plus.  We are not bitter, per se, but after being delayed a day (due to late flights and inclement weather) for our return, it would have been nice to have a little more legroom.  

Nevertheless, we made it back safe and sound, and we are now preparing for another trip across the southern expanse of Australia from Perth to Melbourne.  We are flying to Perth for a few days, taking the Indian Pacific Railroad to Adelaide, and then traveling to Melbourne to watch the opening rounds of the Australian Open.  We plan to take a tour of wineries in the Barossa Valley, stroll through King's Park in Perth, and we may even try to go see Wicked while in Melbourne.  Needless to say, we are quite excited about this opportunity to see a different part of Australia, and we will definitely post along the way.  It was great to be home over the holidays to see friends and family, but we are glad to be back in order to enjoy some more of this amazing country.