Virtual Fieldtrip: Cities

Brisbane:

Brisbane is Australia's third largest city and the state capital of Queensland. Not so long ago, the rest of Australia considered it little more than an overgrown country town, but it has shirked off this unwelcome reputation to become one of the country's most progressive centers. Brisbane has developed into a lively, cosmopolitan city with several interesting districts, a good street cafe scene, a great riverside park, a busy cultural calendar and decent nightlife.

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland.

I will take you to a couple of sites that I went to while in Brisbane. Our first stop on the tour is at the University of Queensland in St. Lucia, a suburb of Brisbane. I studied for 6 months here during the fall of my junior year at Gettysburg College. Here is a picture of the college at which I stayed at. A collection of dorms in Australia were known as colleges. This is Emmanuel College:

The next place we will go is just outside the city. It is called Lone Pine Sanctuary and it is one of the few places were you are actually allowed to get your picture taken with a real Koala. Pretty neat, but don’t go talking loud into their ears, they don’t like that too much and will harm you. Here is a picture take from a live-web cam on July 11, 2003…I feel like I am traveling in time, just a little bit of a time difference.

After playing with the koalas and kangaroos all day a man can get quite thirsty. Another place which I visited often was the RE. This was a college bar that everybody from ‘uni’ went to. It was in another suburb of Brisbane known as Toowong.

Sydney

She is Australia's premier city, the oldest settlement in Australia, the economic powerhouse of the nation and the country's capital in everything but name. The capital of Australia is Canberra. Built on the shores of stunning Port Jackson, you would have to die and go to heaven before you see a more spectacular setting for a city.

I was in Australia during the Olympics and got to attend several Olympic events. This was one of my favorite cities to explore, partially because something entertaining was going on every day due to the Olympics being there. At the Darling Harbor you can explore the beautiful shops, restaurants, pubs, the Opera House as well as the Harbor Bridge.

Here is a picture of Sydney’s Olympic Stadium from the air.

Hobart

Now we are really going down under. Hobart is on the island of Tasmania. Hobart is Australia's southernmost capital city and the country's second oldest. The fact that it is also the smallest is a key to its particular charm. A riverside city with a busy harbor, its mountain backdrop offers fine views over the compact suburbs below. This is an aerial shot of the city of Hobart. The high-rise in the foreground is actually the Wrest Point Casino.

From Hobart I took a bus trip to the old penal colony of Port Arthur. This was considered by its inmates as hell on Earth. After cutting trees all day the inmates would return to the confinement of their cells, what a life.

This is the main building in the penal colony. In 1996 a massacre occurred on the ground just in front of this building. After this firearms were banned in the country of Australia.

Airlie Beach

Think turquoise blue water, add 74 islands scattered like jewels, throw in boats of all sizes, balmy tropical weather,accommodation and resorts to suit every budget. This sums up the Whitsunday islands located in The Great Barrier Reef. These islands can be reached by boats traveling out of Airlie Beach. This small town north of Brisbane is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and The Great Barrier Reef. I went on a 4 day 3 night scuba cruise out on the Great Barrier Reef. I completed 10 dives while on this trip, 1 of which was a night dive. Here is a picture of the boat I was on.

Whitehaven beach is also a must see destination when traveling to Airlie Beach:

It is absolutely amazing on this stretch of warm, white sand that slides gently into the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean.