Scuba Diving at the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the natural wonders of the world. Scores of tours leave the city of Cairns every day. People can go snorkeling, scuba diving, or simply cruise along on a glass bottom boat. The amount of biodiversity in the reef is breathtaking. I saw fish I had never even seen in aquariums or in science textbooks. There are also many varieties of coral. The entire Great Barrier Reef is made up of close to 3,000 individual reefs.

the mask I wore

the oxygen tank that is used when scuba diving. here you can see how large it is in relation to the diving instructor's leg

people snorkeling. notice the difference in water color where the reef is

people getting their scuba equipment put on while sitting on the platform at the back of the boat

sporting the wetsuit I wore. again notice the difference in water color

holding on to the rope that the boat was anchored on while I practiced breathing through the apparatus and edged deeper and deeper into the ocean

underwater in all of my equipment. I did two dives. each lasted about 25 minutes. the furthest I went down was about 10 meters

Cairns

Cairns is considered "the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef." The city is much smaller than places like Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne, however it is still famous due to its proximity to one of the natural wonders of the world. The city is right next to the ocean, however people do not swim in the ocean because of the high prevalence of crocodiles in the area. Instead, the government created an enclosed area of ocean water called the "Lagoon," in the central business district of Cairns.

the mudflats where crocodiles frequent

lowtide

the area around Cairns is very tropical, has mountains, and rainforests 

the Lagoon

Auckland

Auckland is the most populated city in New Zealand. 1.5 million people live here. That's 1 in 3 New Zealanders! The city's nickname is "The City of Sails." The tallest structure in the southern hemisphere at 328 meters, the Sky Tower, is located in the center of the city. The city is built on scores of dormant volcanoes.

looking up the Sky Tower

looking at Auckland's skyline from a suburb called Devonport

one of Auckland's dormant volcanoes in the distance

the huge marina for which Auckland gets its nickname of "the City of Sails"

Australian Ranches

Much of Australia's land is made up of ranches. These ranches make up a large part of Australia's economy and also the country's culture. Ranches have various animals like sheep, rams, goats, cattle, chickens, etc. some of the same types of animals one might see on an Indiana farm. The livestock industry makes up a significant part of the Australian economy.

ram

sheep being herded by a sheep dog

the dog then herds the sheep into a paddock

a sheep shearing demonstration

waiting for their turn to be sheared

States of Australia and the Country's Political System

Like the United States, Australia is made up of states. There are six states, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, and South Australia. Like the US, there are state governments and a federal government. There are state parliaments and a national parliament. All of the parliaments, except for one state have an upper and a lower house. The heads of the states are called premiers. The head of the country is the prime minister. The current prime minister for the country is Tony Abbot.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world's oldest and largest sanctuary for koalas. While here I had the chance to hold one of these famous creatures. However koalas are not the only animals on display here. Other famous Australian animals that could be seen are platypus, emus, and kangaroos. I even got to feed some of the kangaroos!

Laughing Kookaburra 

holding a koala

a selfie of me feeding a kangaroo

we became good pals

roo

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital of the Australian state of Queensland. The city has over two million people in it and at the center of the city is the Brisbane River. Brisbane as of late has been referred to as "Australia's New World City." In 1988 the World Expo was held here and in 2014 the G20 Summit was located in Brisbane.

Brisbane's Story Bridge

Brisbane's City Hall

Brisbane was an important location during WWII

prior to the 1988 Expo, statues representing life in Australia were placed all over the city 

looking at Brisbane's CBD, Central Business District