Platypus TRP days and free days in Cairns

In addition to our 4 classes, every student abroad also completes their own TRP, or targeted research projects. There was a variety of research options, and I ended up getting a project about the birds and pollination in the rainforest. However back in Brisbane when talking to my advisor, John Hall, he informed my group that we were going to a different site than previous years, then proceeded to apologize and ask us if it we were ok with monitoring platypus instead. Where we ok? YESSSS! We all informed John that it would be more than ok if our TRP involved platypus watching.

So here we were in Yungaburra with 3 days to conduct all our research for our TRP. Three other student and I, the “platypus crew” set up our experiment design.

Basically, the 4 of us each monitered a different region of a river for an hour, 3 times a day. (sunrise, midday, and sunset) for 2 days, hoping to find some trends.

Here's some pictures of the river:

Within each hour, we recorded how long each platypus surfaced for, and what they were doing at the surface.

on our last day, we also got into the water and took measurement of the river.

KL, Me, Eva, Joanna, and John Hall (our professor)

While jumping in the water in the river, I also had what I'm gonna call a near death experience with a platypus! So I thought that platypus were easily frightened animals, and scared by humans, but this definitely wasn’t my own experience. While in the water collecting the river date on our last day, our professor on shore calmly informed us that we were currently swimming with platypus (platypi?)!! A platypus had surfaced right about 10 feet from where we were measuring river width! We were all so excited that we just stopped working and stood there in the water. Next thing I knew, a platypus popped up less than a couple feet from me, surfacing between me and the shore. I screamed, and then was silent cause I didn’t want to scare the platypus. Our teacher, who tends to be easily concerned about our safety, freaked out, thinking something had happened. KL, watching the whole thing, informed John what had happened, and John encouraged me to back away slowly from where the platypus had been. Well, I was stuck in mud, but I eventually was able to move and make my way out of the river. APPARENTLY, platypuses are very dangerous creatures, as they have a barb on their tail that can cause a pretty painful injury. Nobody really knows too much about their venom since platypus aren’t known to attack. I personally think im pretty luck to have such a close encounter with a platypus; I mean, how many people actually get to swim with platypus! :)

In addtion to our own research, we also helped the other TRP students (there were 8 of us in total). One of my friends, Steven, ran a light trap at night to atractinsects.

Helping him actually made me somewhat interested in bugs for the first time ever!!

By the end of the second night, I was the one who was catching all the difference species of insects so our tutor, Claire could identify them. Speaking of Claire, she is amazing! Last year she was featured on Planet Earth as the glow worm expert, and is currently growing her own colony of glow worms in Yungaburra! So legit.

We used our flashlights (aka torches) to spell "bugs" out. Claire LOVED it!

On our last night in Yungaburra, we decided it was our turn to introduce the Australian to the American tradition of smores! KL and I went out and bought the closest thing we could find to normal marshmallows, chocolate, and gram crackers. We ended up with a Cadburry chocolate bar, candy package of normal and strawberry flavored marshmallows, and some malt crackers.

o ya, and we also didn't have a real campfire, but we improvised! :)

Claire thought they were a little sweet but John and Kate (owner of On the Wallaby) enjoyed them.

John, Me, Claire, Kate, and KL

It was a great way to end our time in Yungaburra!



We headed to Cairns, for 2 days off before Heron Island.

(how amazing does this look?? im soooo excited!)

We took one day to explore the city and relax

and we on my first scuba dive!!! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!



A group of almost 20 of us all booked the same diving company.

It was an all day trip, including 3 dives and morning tea and lunch were both provided.

the boat we were on was called SilverSwift.

After getting back from scuba diving at each location, we were allowed to snorkel around if we had extra time.



They provided us with gear, including a full sting suit to wear under our wet suit.

These sting suits were awesome, especially since we jumped in the water at our first site and there were jelly fish everywhere!





After our first 2 dives, we headed out to the front of the boat to eat lunch, and lay out and warm up before our last dive. Ok so it actually wasn't that cold, but the sun did feel amazing!

Coop, Me, Liz and KL

Here are some pictures from snokeling, courtesy of KL's waterproof camera (we couldn't take it diving cause it doesn't go deep enough)



All the fish and colors were gorgeous,



and the corals were incredible!

The diving experience all-in-all was amazing, and I couldn't have expected more out of a first dive.



Now were taking a 21-hour sleeper train to the tiny port city of Gladstone where we're then heading out to Heron Island by ferry.