Previously: Part III: Conservation Volunteers Australia
The Sydney Tower was our first chance for both teams to meet up together, with the superb chance to see the Sydney cityscape by night. The buffet style dining was a chance for the group to help themselves to a great selection of food, and the chance to try more exotic dishes like roast kangaroo and octopus.
As a special thank-you to the group, both the Skippies and Koalas were taken on a boat dinner from Sydney harbour. It was a chance to talk about the happenings of the past few weeks, and for most, a final night out before the big return journey.
The alarm clock rang at 7 a.m., in our dorm at the Sydney YHA. It was the morning everyone had to pack their bags, and go our separate ways.
As the afternoon came around, the Skippies and Koalas began shuffling down the stairs, and down the elevators, dragging their cases behind. In the lobby, people exchanged last hugs and a sometimes tearful goodbye, before boarding the airport coach.
And thus, the end to an amazing trip with some of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Or at least, the part that involves The Joshua Foundation… Check back for the final instalment: Part V: Blue Mountains National Park.
Thanks guys, it was an amazing summer.
This series of posts document The Joshua Foundation’s 2009 trip to Australia, as part of their Oz Experience fundraising program. They include a sample of photographs and text from my book documenting the trip, available as a paperback and free PDF at Lulu.com.
Posted 1 day ago in Oz Experience 2009, Photography, Writing
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Posted 5 days ago in Et Cetera, Photography
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Previously: Part II: Melbourne
The long-awaited third instalment of The Joshua Foundation’s 2009 trip to Australia, beginning with our journey and beautiful Wirrabee Gorge State Park.
I’d like to take this chance to thank Marcus and the entire Conservation Volunteers Australia group, for their hospitality and continuing service to the Australian countryside.
At 9 a.m., two CVA representatives arrived and described the week’s work sites to the Skippies. We would have to split into two groups – of which I joined the ‘first’, travelling with CVA representative Marcus, as part of the aptly named A-Team. Midway through the week, we would switch work sites with the other group.
Seeing as it had taken a few hours to get everything organised, we stopped for a morning drink before work. It was a cool day, like most of the days on the work sites: around 17ºC with a slight breeze, similar to mild autumn weather in the UK.
I looked up the road as we were packing up: “Kangaroo to the north!”
Everyone swivelled their heads as the brown-furred marsupial made its away across the road, and over our work site — followed closely by a dozen of its brethren, all making their own paths around the trees that had already been planted on the hillside.
A few of them stopped, and started grazing on some of the trees (and as we later found out, the guards too). […] The guards were assembled at the main ‘site’, with all the equipment locked away in cargo containers to protect against the wind. The first day was spent assembling hundreds of tree guards, and to navigate around the site.
Our last day working in Victoria was a welcome change of scenery for all. Rather than the wind blowing tools over, and the sun beaming through the cool air, we found ourselves at a cool woodland in Mount Buangor State Park.
Unaffected by the Victoria fires earlier in the year, the trees here towered over everything, rich with ferns and flowers lining the various bush-walks through the park.
And that concludes our Victoria leg of the trip. Check back later this week for Part IV: Sydney!
This series of posts document The Joshua Foundation’s 2009 trip to Australia, as part of their Oz Experience fundraising program. They include a sample of photographs and text from my book documenting the trip, available as a paperback and free PDF at Lulu.com.
Posted 5 days ago in Oz Experience 2009, Photography
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Posted 103 days ago in Software
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