One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

*disclaimer: all future blog entries will use Australian spelling for added authenticity.

When Loyola students sign up to study abroad in Australia most have them have heard of One Fish Two Fish, the amazing spring break trip up the eastern coast from Brisbane to Cairns.  One of the first decisions students make upon their arrival down under is to pay the hefty price for this trip.  Should they do it?  Do they really want to fork over that much money so soon? (future Loyola abroad students the answer is yes!)  Loyola students always make up a third of the trip so when they announce sign ups its always with a chorus of “Where are my Loyola people at?”  That being said we were all excited to head over to the on campus travel centre to pay our deposits (admittedly while cringing inwardly at the price).  After that it was a month of waiting and then the day was finally here.  It was finally happening, our first big trip in the month and half we’d been in Australia.

We woke up bright and early on Thursday morning (yes we skipped a day of class) to catch our 11 am flight into Brisbane.  The airport is forty minutes from campus but even with the distance we ended up being too early for our flight (airport security here isn’t as intense as it is in the US) so it was ham and cheese croissants and coffee from the airport cafe while we waited with anxious anticipation.  When they finally called our flight for boarding we filed out to the tarmac and up the stairs of the plane (feeling like we were in an old movie).  The trip was supposed to depart early the next day so we had all afternoon to explore Brisbane after the plane landed and we checked into the first hostel of the trip.  Filled with excitement for the adventure ahead we wandered about the city snapping touristy pictures in front of everything imaginable before heading off to bed.

Brisbane

Alarms woke us the next morning and we rushed off to the bus station to start what was sure to be the adventure of a lifetime.  Once we boarded the bus our tour guides, Kyle and Doggie, whizzed us off to the Steve Irwin Zoo to pet kangaroos (which are some of the cutest animals ever) and see the crocodile show.  Then, when the croc show ended it was off to climb the Carlos Sandblow at Rainbow Beach.  The views here were nothing short of amazing and we didn’t want to leave but it was time for the sangria welcome party where I met my two new British friends Sarah and Fraser.  Both of them were also on exchange at Monash University (my uni in Australia) but we hadn’t run into each other before.  We talked late into the night before heading to bed knowing we had to be up at 7:30 the next morning (a difficult task for any college student).

Kangaroos!

Carlos Sandblow

On the second day of our trip it was driving on the sand dunes of Fraser Island on our way to Lake McKenzie.  Our group laughed (and screamed) as the jeep took us over bump after bump with nothing but the ocean outside the window.  Further inland we reached our destination after passing some coffee coloured rivers (which according to our jeep driver actually run with tea).  Lake McKenzie is a fresh water lake.  Its also some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen and pretty much looks like someone stuck a large, clear, glass bowl full of water into a hole in the sand.

Lake McKenzie

Fraser Island

After a night of roughing it on a thirteen hour bus ride it was time to sail off to the tropical Whitsunday Islands for the next two days.  The yellow banana boats weaved through waves, wakes and whirlpools effectively soaking us but we didn’t mind.  After a little snorkelling in the iridescent waters it was time for the beach (anyone who knows me knows how much I love the beach).  Whithaven beach’s sugar white sand was calling to us with promises of tans and relaxation after a night on the bus.

Loyola in Whitsundays

The next was ours to explore the island so after grabbing some water bottles Bianca, Katie, Hailey and I followed Kyle and Doggie on a hike to the lookout.  The views from high above the island easily rivalled even the gorgeous views from Rainbow Beach and although I took countless pictures they don’t do it justice.  We just stood there silently taking in the scenery and I remember thinking there’s no way this is real life.  It was like we were in a dream.  There was no way places like this actually existed...except they did and we were actually here.  This wasn’t some picture on Pinterest or google images.  It was real.  That night we gathered the rest of the Loyola students and took a shorter walk through the woods to see the sunset, joking on the way back (in the pitch black) about how we’d have to write Apple a thank you note for the flashlight app since between the twenty-three of us we didn’t even have a collective battery life of 80 percent.

Whitsunday Islands

More Whitsundays! I love it here!

When we finally had to leave the breathtaking Whitsundays, we had one more day before it was time to start the “Extreme Adventure” half of the trip.  After waving goodbye to our island home we boarded a catamaran for a day of sailing, tanning, and snorkelling.  It was another early day so large portions of the catamaran trip there were spent sleeping in the sun, but after snorkelling it was all talking to friends and taking in the views on the way back to Arlie Beach.

sailing on a catamaran

White water rafting on the Tully River the next morning started the “extreme adventure” part of our trip.  The river runs through a rainforest so when you’re not hurrying to follow the instructions of the guide the views are pretty amazing.  As cool as the views of the surrounding rainforest were though, the foamy white sprays of the water rushing over the rocks ahead was enough to draw our attention away from the views as we fought to stay upright. I’m proud to say my group didn’t flip over once, even when the guide made us go down the rapid lying in a human pyramid in the front of the raft.

White Water Rafting

The next day was exploring on our own until 3:00 when we headed off to the AJ Hackett tower in Cairns for bungy jumping.  I’ve always had a fear of heights but after making an “I jump you jump” (cue Titanic reference) promise with my roommate in New Zealand I was determined to do it.  I had to prove to myself that I could do it (more on this later) and although it was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done, I did.

Bungy

After that it was onto another boat (this one a lot more rocky than a catamaran) for more snorkelling, but this time it was different.  This time we’d be seeing the Great Barrier Reef up close and personal.  We watched a rainbow of fish swim through the brightly coloured coral chasing some of them to get better pictures with our underwater cameras.  I didn’t find Nemo but I did get to catch a glimpse of Dory before we had to head back to land and our final day in Cairns.

snorkelling in our stinger suits

The last day was a little more low key than the previous days.  After hiking through the lush green of the rainforest, jumping off rocks, and swimming through the waterfalls at Crystal Cascades it was back to town for the farewell party that marked the end of our unbelievable journey.  Doggie’s slideshow playing in the background, we sat around and shared favourite stories and memories from the best ten days our lives so far.

Sitting in a waterfall

General Cairns

“10 days, 61 friends, thousands of memories,” read the screen in front of me as it flashed through the pictures and videos from the last ten days.  Watching the slideshow I couldn’t help but realise how true it was.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well 1,352 pictures, 22 videos, and countless camera/iPhone charges later I still don’t have the words to explain just how amazing my spring break down under was (despite how long this blog entry was). 

Mapping our travels