Travel: Day 6 - Long drives and history lessons

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011 (and 2015), I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico . (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! (Click here to read about the trip to Australia).

In January 2016, I taught Tanzania: Culture, Climate, and Connections and took students to Africa.

In 2018, a group of Midland University students embarked on a learning adventure to Australia for a course titled: Ecology, Environment, and Culture of Australia. This is what they gained on their learning adventure.

Click here for Travel: Day 1-3 - Lack of motion sickness

Click here for Travel: Day 4 - The Dandenong Range

Click here for Travel: Day 5 - En route to the Outback

Day 6: Long drives and history lessons

Subject Matter Expert - Michael Taddonio/Erikur Arnason

Today was another day spent driving towards our eventual destination - the Outback. We drove from Renmark to Hawker.

Our first night of sleeping at Renmark was a lot cushier to get us acclimated to what our new sleeping arrangements would be for the next few days. 

(C.S. Manish 2018)

Our first stop of the day was at Morgan, a town in South Australia on the right bank of the Murray River.

(C.S. Manish 2018)

Morgan was established in 1878, an important stop on the (then) railway line from Adelaide and was named at that time after Sir William Morgan, then Chief Secretary, later Premier of South Australia. Peter Hicks, a guide who joined us overnight at Renmark, led us on a tour of the abandoned railyard.

(C.S. Manish 2018)

At one point Morgan was one of the busiest ports on the Murray handling nearly all the goods that were being imported and exported (particularly wool) to and from a vast region upstream from Morgan along the Murray and Darling rivers. At its peak, Morgan was the second busiest port in South Australia (behind only Port Adelaide).

(Logan Paasch 2018)

However, the good times did not last. As road transport improved through the early part of the 20th century, river transport declined and the railway to Morgan finally closed in 1969.

(C.S. Manish 2018)

After lunch, we sat on the grassy bank by the river and unhurriedly chatted about everything under the sun, finally getting a chance to get to know our guides, as well as each other, a little better without the pressure of having to be on the move.

In the afternoon, we stopped in some smaller towns along the way and explored places such as Burra which had a World War II Monument in the middle of the city to commemorate the soldiers that died from the town in the War.

(Fred Wigington 2018)

The Burra mines supplied 89% of South Australia's and 5% of the world's copper for 15 years, and the settlement has been credited (along with the mines at Kapunda) with saving the economy of the struggling new colony of South Australia. The Burra Burra Copper Mine was established in 1848 mining the copper deposit discovered in 1845. Miners and townspeople migrated to Burra primarily from Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Germany. The mine first closed in 1877, briefly opened again early in the 20th century and for a last time from 1970 to 1981 (Wikipedia).

(Fred Wigington 2018)

After making a wrong turn out of Burra, we passed Peacocks Chimney, where they melted the above-mentioned Copper.

Eventually, as we left the towns behind we began to notice a distinct change in the landscape. Gum trees don’t have a trunk above ground, and they store water underground in the thick roots and branch out on the surface. The leaves are used to shade the tree by hanging down during the day to prevent the sun from drying out the tree. In the evenings they are able to get good exposure to sunlight to help the tree survive. Mistletoe gets deposited high in the gum tree by mistletoe birds, which is an invasive relationship.

(Jodi Kimborough 2018)

The gum trees gave way to frosted saltbush that surrounded us as we traveled down the highway. As the name suggest, saltbushes are halophytes - plants that are adapted to dry environments with salty soils.

(Logan Paasch 2018)

Even the saltbushes became infrequent as we headed up towards the Flinders Ranges. We crossed the Ranges and entered the real Outback.

(Derrick Kruetzfeldt 2018)

As we went over the ranges, we spotted our first Emu - just traipsing around unaffected by the convoy of intruders from a strange land. The sheep that are raised on the farms are stained red from the dirt and Barry Walker told us of a farmer who had one single alpaca guard 1,000 head of sheep. 

As anecdotes like these were shared by the guides the weather changed and, to the surprise of even the locals, it began to rain on us. 

(Logan Paasch 2018)

We did not know it then, but the rain would influence our trip in a day or two. But, at that moment, all we cared about was reaching the campsite in Hawker, setting up tent, eating dinner and then settling down for a good night's rest. We had reached the Outback.

Day 7 - A tale of two bakeries and a stick of dynamite

Travel: Day 5 - En route to the Outback

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011 (and 2015), I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico . (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! (Click here to read about the trip to Australia).

In January 2016, I taught Tanzania: Culture, Climate, and Connections and took students to Africa.

In 2018, a group of Midland University students embarked on a learning adventure to Australia for a course titled: Ecology, Environment, and Culture of Australia. This is what they gained on their learning adventure.

Click here for Travel: Day 1-3 - Lack of motion sickness

Click here for Travel: Day 4 - The Dandenong Range

Day 5: En route to the Outback 

Subject Matter Expert - Paige Kapperman

The Outback is the vast, remote interior of Australia. The Outback extends from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompasses a number of climatic zones, including tropical and monsoonal climates in northern areas, arid areas in the "red center" and semi-arid and temperate climates in southerly regions. 

The Australian Outback is  massive - about 2.5 million square miles in area. Compared to the United States, Australia’s seasons are the opposite. So when it is fall in Australia, in the United States it is spring. We experienced the Outback during its dry season. About 70 percent of the Outback is dry and composed of two arid zones, one with cold winters in the center and one with mild winter near the north. For the most part, the majority of the country is very hot. In the deserts, temperatures can get as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit and get as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit.  

But getting to the Outback from Melbourne is not a short drive. We had to break it up into two parts. On the first day we drove from Melbourne to Renmark, where we stayed overnight, before heading to Hawker (more on that in the next day's report).

On the way we left the state of Victoria and drove into South Australia. Because of the fear of spreading invasive species, the states are very particular about what food gets transported across the border and rightfully so.

(Fred Wigington 2018)

(Eddie Reddick 2018)

Technically we were leaving Victoria but it did not stop us from crossing the road and taking a picture in the other direction on the off-chance that we would not get that picture on the way back (and that was true).

(Eddie Reddick 2018)

We stopped a couple of times to refuel, eat lunch, and stretch our legs. During the stops the guides regaled us with stories about the local history and traditions of these small towns.

(Wigington 2018)

There are only about 60,000 people that live in the 2.5 million square foot Outback. The Outback is mostly a desolate place and most people live mainly in small villages. The small villages are close to connecting highways and dirt roads. When it comes to work and jobs in the Outback, the majority of the people are either cattle or sheep farmers or they are miners. 

(C.S. Manish 2018)

The rest of the day involved getting to know the guides as they drove on paved roads, eventually getting to a campground in Renmark on the banks of the Murray River.

Once we were directed to our campsite, we received out first (and last) training in how to set up and dismantle a tent. Each pair of participants was, thereafter, responsible to setting up and taking down their tents, a process that became a fun part of our routine in the days to come.

(C.S. Manish 2018)

Once the tents were set up, the students wandered around the campground while the guides cooked dinner. While we had (officially) not made our way into the actual Outback, the excitement was palpable and we knew that the next day would give us our first glimpse of what we had traveled halfway across the world to experience.

(C.S. Manish 2018)

Day 6 - It does rain in the Outback!

Travel: Day 4 - The Dandenong Range

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011 (and 2015), I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico . (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! (Click here to read about the trip to Australia).

In January 2016, I taught Tanzania: Culture, Climate, and Connections and took students to Africa.

In 2018, a group of Midland University students embarked on a learning adventure to Australia for a course titled: Ecology, Environment, and Culture of Australia. This is what they gained on their learning adventure.

Click here for Travel: Day 1-3 - Lack of motion sickness

Day 4: Dandenong Range 

Subject Matter Expert - Allison Buehring

The Dandenong Mountain Range is named after an Aboriginal word called, tanjenong, which translates to ‘lofty’. This word has no real origin other than the fact that it was named after the nearby Dandenong creek. 

(Allison Buehring 2018)

This range is found in Southern Victoria, which is just East of Melbourne in the Highlands. These are low mountain ranges that have several peaks exceeding 1,600 feet. Mount Dandenong is 2,077 feet high and is the highest peak in these ranges. 

(Nick Carson, Wikipedia)

This mountain range is very fertile due to the coastal rains and volcanic soils, leaving the vegetation dense in its coverings. This gets twice as much rainfall as the coastal plains receive. 

(Tianna Bertram 2018)

The ranges are mostly comprised of rolling hills, steeply weathered valleys, and gullies (a channels cut into the soil, in hillside formed by running water). The type of vegetation here is a thick temperate rainforest, which contains tall Mountain Ash trees along with dense fern-like undergrowth. 

(Erikur Arnason 2018)

Starting in 1882 lots of the parklands were protected, but intensive expansion created the Dandenong National Park in 1987. In 1997 the ranges were further expanded. These ranges receive moderate snowfall a few times a year, within the months of later winter into late spring. . The drier ridges are where the Eucalyptus regnans (Mountain Ash Forest) are exposed on the northern slopes and are covered by dry sclerophyll forest and stringy barks and box. This range experiences bush fires quite often as they are in the drier portion of the forest. There are 10 plus creeks trialing through these ranges along with two major water falls (Olinda Falls and Sherbrooke falls) along with quite a few summits. The climate is mild and wet with temperatures as low as 1 degree in the winter. Precipitation is common all year round, but peaks between April and October. Heavy fog is common within these ranges. 

Currently, the Dandenong Ranges occupy nearly 100,000 residents and allows lots of attractions with its National Parks. 

(Michael Taddonio 2018)

After reaching the Forest, all of us went for a walk on one of the many trails leading away from the Visitor Center.

(Erikur Arnason 2018)

After the walk, we had some English tea and scones before embarking on a learning tour of the forest along another, longer trail. Along the way, Manish talked about the history, geography, and ecological features of the forest.

(C.S. Manish 2018)

The mountain range is the remains of an extinct volcano that was active nearly 373 million years ago. The composition of it is mostly Devonian dacite and rhyodacite. The topography of this consists of lot of ridges dissected by deep cut streams. As mentioned already, lot of gullies are found in the southern portion of the range. These gullies are full of lots of fern. The drier ridges are where the Eucalyptus regnans (Mountain Ash Forest) are exposed on the northern slopes and are covered by dry sclerophyll forest and stringy barks and box. This range experiences bush fires quite often as they are in the drier portion of the forest. There are 10 plus creeks trialing through these ranges along with two major water falls (Olinda Falls and Sherbrooke falls) along with quite a few summits. 

We stopped briefly for the traditional "squad" picture.

(C.S. Manish 2018)

(Fred Wigington 2018)

At the Visitor Center, for a token price, guests are allowed to feed wild cockatoos that live in the mountains.

(Erikur Arnason 2018)

After a sumptuous meal, cooked on the barbeque pits provided by the facility (a feature we learned was common to most of the sites we visited) we headed back to Melboune. Some of the students went back to the ocean for another dip after which we packed our suitcases, placed them in storage, and got ready for the next adventure on our list - the drive into Australia's famed Outback.

Day 5 - To the Outback!

Travel: Day 1-3 - Lack of motion sickness

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011 (and 2015), I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico . (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! (Click here to read about the trip to Australia).

In January 2016, I taught Tanzania: Culture, Climate, and Connections and took students to Africa.

In 2018, a group of Midland University students embarked on a learning adventure to Australia for a course titled: Ecology, Environment, and Culture of Australia. This is what they gained on their learning adventure.

Day 1-3:

The excitement of traveling abroad vastly compensated for the really long time (and changes of flights) it takes to get to Melbourne from Omaha. Luckily, all the details of the trip were very well taken care of by an Australia-based adventure travel company, Ozi Expeditions.

And away we go....

(C.S. Manish 2018)

We left Omaha in the afternoon of Day 1. A brief layover in Denver was followed by a flight to Los Angeles, where we completed all our international travel check-ups and boarded the looooooong flight to Melbourne around 10:30pm. By the time we landed in Melbourne it was 7:30am on Day 3, thanks to our crossing the International Date Line. "Day 2" was therefore spent somewhere over the Pacific on a plane and did not exist in our timelines.

Clearing Immigration in Melbourne was not much of a hassle and a relieved group assembled for the first (of many, many) group pictures.

Back row (L to R): Sean Kelley, Michael Taddonio, Tieryn Arens, Paige Kapperman, Tianna Bertram, Payton Coon, Derrick Kruetzfeldt, Allison Buehring, Logan Paasch
Front row (L to R): Erikur Arnason, Fred Wigington, Tanner Swett
(C.S. Manish 2018)

We were received by the Ozi Expedition guides - Damian, Peter, Eddie, and Barry (and the other Peter, in absentia), who also doubled up as our drivers for the trip. Since we were going to be traveling deep into the heart of the Australian Outback, we were also accompanied by a nurse (Jodi) for any emergencies, medical or otherwise.

After collecting our bags, we got into 5 vehicles and went to a youth hostel. After freshening up, we went right back to downtown Melbourne as we had an entire day ahead of us.

We began a tradition that would last for the duration of the trip . The first photograph of each day was a group photo of our shoes

For each day of the trip, a student was assigned the task of doing background research and informing the group about the sights we saw and the places we visited. The city of Melbourne was research by Derrick Kruetzfeldt. Here are some excerpts from his findings:

Settled by the British in the late 1830s, Melbourne has a population of over 4.7 million making it the second most populous city in Australia. Located on the southern most part of Australia, Melbourne is in the state of  Victoria and is a very popular tourist destination.

(C.S. Manish 2018)

Melbourne is a very walking-friendly city and usage of public transportation is encouraged by the government by not charging patrons using the trams in the Central Business District. This significantly reduces traffic since visitors can simply park on the edge of the city and then ride the extensive network of trams for free to get across town for no additional cost.

(C.S. Manish 2018)

A hidden jewel of Melbourne is the street art (graffiti) that is encouraged and supported in certain locations. One such location is opposite Federation Square, joining Flinders Lane and Flinders Street - it is a cobblestoned street closed to traffic called Hosier Lane. Almost any surface is covered with creative graffiti honoring many known and unknown artists and ideas.

Melbourne is known for three very popular sports played in iconic sporting arenas. The Australian Football League and Cricket are played at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (commonly referred to by the locals as the G), which can seat more than 100,000 fans.

Melbourne is located on the Southern Ocean but not many people swim in it, especially during the winter months when it can get very cold. The Melbourne’s beach/coastline stretches out for more than over 2000 kilometers and has diverse creatures such as jellyfish, bull sharks, great white sharks, and even octopuses in it.

Swimming in the ocean in the winter is not for the faint of heart but Logan Paasch was definitely not going to be denied. Having never seen the ocean in his life, Logan was determined to take a dip it it no matter what.

After dinner at the hostel, Damian took us on a leisurely walk to St. Kilda beach (a couple of blocks from the hostel), where he sprung a surprise on us - a visit with penguins! The St Kilda breakwater at the end of the St Kilda Pier is home to a colony of Little Penguins. At the end of each day, just around dusk, come penguins swim back to the breakwater, climb out of the water and waddle over the breakwater rocks to their nests among the rocks.

(Tianna Bertram 2018)

(Tianna Bertram 2018)

This was an eminently satisfactory way to end our first day in Melbourne. 

Next up: Day 4 - The Dandenong Mountains and a walk through an old growth forest

Travel: Day 0 - Tanzania - An African adventure begins

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! (Click here to read about the trip to Australia).

In 2016, a group of 14 Midland University students embarked on a learning adventure to Tanzania, led by Dr. Jamie Simpson and me. The course was titled - Tanzania: Culture, Climate, Connections

Here’s a note from Jamie to start us off:

3 flights, 14 students, 15 days, 1 Kilimanjaro, 4 safari nights, 2 hospitals, 3 universities, 2 schools, 1 Evangelical Church of Tanzania, 2 parishes, endless memories!

Participants: Standing L-R - Kyle Courtright, Jonah Hoshino, C.S, Manish, Rebecca Walker, Mandi Uecker, Victoria Tuttle, Jamie Simpson, Amy Aufenkamp
Kneeling L-R - Jessica Harms, Emily Wiegand, Rachael Lehr, Paige Clemmons, Jessica Nekl, Ana Guenther, Sarah Hill, Elise Hubel

Tanzania here we come! Keep reading to learn more about what we did!

Twisted weather

Pilger, NE, is about 60 from where I live. A little town about an hour's drive from me is in the news today because of the almost total devastation wrecked by twin tornados that ripped through yesterday evening. By my count, this is the third major tornado-carrying storm we've had in the last month. I cannot recall so many storms in such a short frame of time.

(Reed Timmer 2014)

Here a video of the twister as it wound it's way through Pilger.

Travel: Day 10 - Australia - The long road home

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home.

(You can see the previous posts in this thread here).

Day 10 finally rolled around in spite of our best efforts to stave it off.  The wee hours of the night were spent in packing and reminiscing about our time in Australia. Even Marie's travel companion - Gumby - seemed a little sad that the trip was coming to an end.

(Katherine Lederer 2013)

So, it was with a heavy heart that we left Cairns early in the morning, getting onto the plane the old-fashioned way - via a stairwell to the cabin.

(Katherine Lederer 2013)

Cairns to Sydney was a short flight.  After a couple of hours, we then got onto the longer flight to Dallas. We left in the morning to bright skies, much appreciated by Gumby....

(Katherine Lederer 2013)

(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of  the post is displayed.  To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).

Travel: Day 9 - Australia - Botanical Gardens and scavenger hunts

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home.

(You can see the previous posts in this thread here).

In the original plan, Day 9 was to be a free day for the students to explore on their own.  However, since we had unsuccessfully tried to visit the Cairns Botanic Gardens earlier in the week, we added it to the agenda.

(Sandra 2013)

The Cairns Botanic Gardens is located about 5km from the city center.  We took a bus to the Collins Avenue entrance and began our tour of the facility.

(Trey Cusick III 2013)

The Cairns Botanic Gardens (also known as the Flecker Botanic Gardens) is a typical botanical garden containing a wide range of plants (clearly labelled with their scientific names), focusing mainly on ones found in the wet tropical regions of the world such as Southeast Asia.

(Trey Cusick III 2013)

Distributed over 38 hectares, the property was established in 1886 indicating that many of the trees are really old and well-preserved in their native habitat.  

(Katherine Lederer 2013)

(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of  the post is displayed.  To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).

Travel: Day 8 - Australia - Koalas, Kuranda, and Kool ways to travel

One of the advantages of teaching at a small liberal arts institution is the freedom to design and offer courses that are close to one's heart. 

In January 2011, I taught Tropical Ecology  and, for one of the class activities, I took a group of students on a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico. (Click here to read about the trip to Puerto Rico). 

In January 2013, I taught Ecology of Australia and, naturally, it entailed a field trip to Australia! What follows is a travelogue of our adventures together, the sights we saw, the things we did, and the lessons we learned while exploring a land far removed from home.

(You can see the previous posts in this thread here).

After getting a close look at the rainforest in the crane on the previous day, on Day 8 we took a more scenic path to (and through it) via the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

(Katherine Lederer 2013)

The skyrail is a series of gondolas that rise from the base station at Caravonica Terminal, located about 15 miles from Cairns, and traverses about 7.5km (4.7mi) over the rainforest with 2 stops along the way at Red Peak, Barron Falls, finally ending at Kuranda.  Along the way, we got a close look at Barron Gorge National Park.

(C.S. Manish 2013)

The Skyrail system comprises of 114 gondolas that travel over a path that is held up by 33 towers, the tallest of which is 133 feet (40.5m) high.

(Katherine Lederer 2013)

(Note: In order to conserve space on the blog and make it easier to scroll through, I am condensing how much of  the post is displayed.  To read the rest of it, simply click on the "Click here for the rest of my jaywalk" link below).