Journals from the week ending November 29, 1996

The Gold Coast
by Michelle Lanteigne
11/29/96, Brisbane...

Early Thursday morning, all of the Class Afloat students piled into a bus headed for the famous Gold Coast of Australia. The Gold Coast is well-known as a surfer’s paradise because of the big waves. We spent the day on this beautiful beach which seemed to stretch for miles and miles. There were many big waves which excited the students in our group who like to surf. There were not many people on the beach that day so we had it pretty much to ourselves and we enjoyed lying in the sun, swimming, and surfing. The beach had lifeguards that watched from towers. Since the surf can be very rough, it is important that the lifeguards are there. In addition to the beach, there were also many shops at the Gold Coast, a lot of surf and tourist shops. In all, the Gold Coast was a fun place to visit.

Koalas and Kangaroos
by Charlotte Redway
11/24/96, Brisbane...

I never imagined I would ever have a chance to hold a koala and pet a kangaroo...but I did. On one of our days visiting Brisbane, we took a tour bus to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. The koalas were extremely cute. They sat in the trees and hugged the branches. Some of them hugged each other. We all had a chance to hold the koalas. When it was my turn, the koala was placed in my arms and it immediately grabbed my shoulders. I didn’t want to give it back.

The kangaroos were in a big pen that we were allowed to go in. They were much smaller than I had imagined they would be. The only kangaroos I can recall seeing were the ones in cartoons that are drawn really big. In reality, the tallest kangaroo was up to my waist. Two of the kangaroos had babies in their pouches. I loved seeing them. What I thought was the most unique part about seeing the koalas and kangaroos was the way that they moved. I had never seen anything like that before.

Sheep Sheering
by Nick Hurzeler
11/24/96, aboard ship...

While touring Brisbane by bus, we stopped at a place where we would witness sheep sheering. The presentation began with two men introducing themselves and explaining that wool is one of the major exports of Australia. Next, they introduced a sheep while playing music, and a sheep would come on the stage by itself. The men introduced eight different varieties of sheep and soon there was a whole bunch of them on the stage. Then, a small sheep was brought on stage and sheered, creating a surprising amount of wool. We were happy to learn that sheering does not hurt the sheep at all. Afterwards, we were taken outside to see some well-trained dogs herd sheep into a paddock. All in all, it was a very impressive show.

Homeward Bound
by Corrina Wong
11/16/96, aboard ship...

Although I have had a fantastic time sailing onboard Concordia and visiting so many wonderful places, I am looking forward to returning home to Victoria, British Columbia. I can’t wait to see my friends and family. It will be great to see how much they have grown and changed. I have talked to a few friends and my parents since I left home in August but it will be great to see them in person. I am also looking forward to having a full night of sleep. Onboard, we have night watch and we must get up in the middle of the night. At home, I will be able to sleep through the night and get up past 7 AM. A home cooked meal will also be nice because while in port we usually eat junk food and fast food. Even though I am excited to return to Canada, I will really miss my new friends (the teachers, professional crew and my fellow students) and my new home away from home (the Concordia).

Ocean Challenge / e-mail: ocean@oceanchallenge.com / Class Afloat '96-'97
(c) Copyright 1996, Ocean Challenge