Conclusion

As I’m writing this on my last day in Australia, I can’t help but reminisce about my time here. This island continent is completely unique in this world: ancient rainforests, dry deserts, vast plains, stunning beaches, and primordial islands. Home to a vast array of biomes, animals found nowhere else but here, 700 species of reptiles, and a continent with so few people; anything used to describe Australia as less than extraordinary does not give this place justice.

The people I have met here have also been something else. During my time here I have never met an Australian I have not liked. the people here have accepted me with open arms and when I have traveled, complete strangers have welcomed me into their homes. I have met surfer dudes, former professional athletes, bogans, young professionals, and people from all around the world and all walks of life. These past 5 months have been a whirlwind of introductions, networking, and building new relationships. I know there are many that I will never see again, but I hope that there are some that I will be friends with for a while.

Upon arriving in Australia, I had a list of goals to accomplish. All of them have been achieved and then some. I can’t tell you enough about how much I have enjoyed the experiences I have had here. I’ve gotten to hold baby kangaroos and pet the older ones, taken pictures with koalas and seen them in their natural habitat, been up close with wombats, wallabies, and dingos, fed emus and almost even hit one with my car, and I had the rare opportunity to see not one, but two platypi swimming about. Apart from the echidna, I have seen every major animal native to Australia. Although I had only seen it at a park, I even saw a Tasmanian Devil. I had the opportunity to dive the Great Australian Reef (and even sleep out there on a liveaboard), dive with seals, and cage dive with Great White Sharks. All three were on my bucket list and my experience cage diving will stick with me forever. I accomplished my goal of not only learning how to surf (though I still suck) but also playing rugby there. I traveled across the continent by car through the outback, seeing wonders like Uluru and King’s Canyon along the way. I have spent a week in the wilds of Tasmania by myself- isolated from the rest of the world. Above all, my biggest test that I wanted to do was to see if I could be dropped off in a foreign country, not knowing anyone at all, and seeing if I could adapt and make a life for myself. I didn’t just succeed, I thrived. Not once had I struggled with this big adjustment, and by March, I knew I accomplished this goal. For someone who wants to live and travel around the world, this bodes extremely well for me. I am proud of all that I have accomplished

Despite all I’ve seen of Australia, there is still more that I want to do. I want to explore the east coast between Sydney and Cairns, I want to see Western Australia, I want to see more of the top end, and I want to do the Overland Track. Already, I am thinking of ways I can move back here in the future. Australia has already captured something in me. I know how cheesy that sounds but it’s true. These past few months have been the best months of my life. I know I’ll be back here again, its just a question of when.

FUN FACTS:

  • The constellation Orion is still visible here, although it is flipped and appears in the summer.
  • The British Empire drives on the left side of the road supposedly because it was an easier way to draw swords and fight on horseback when traveling. The French, on the other hand, wanted to avoid fights so they traveled on the right side, making dueling from crossing paths much harder.
  • Cockatoos are the most annoying creatures on Earth. No, that’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. I swear to god I’ll fight anyone who disagrees with me on this.
  • South Australia has a strict quarantine on outside fruits and veggies. They don’t have fruit flies there and they intend to keep it that way.
  • The famous railroad through the Outback that connects Adelaide to Darwin, the Ghan, is named after the Afghan Camel drivers used in the 19th century.
  • Australian feral camels are in high demand in Middle Eastern countries.
  • Adelaide is known as the city of churches, even though there are only 2 main ones.
  • It takes only 2 dingoes to take down one alpha kangaroo.
  • Baby joeys can survive the impact of a car hitting its mother while they are in her pouch.
  • Goannas eat snakes.
  • The Outback used to be an inland sea million of years ago.
  • Australia is 14-16 hours ahead of EST.
  • The $2 coin is the only coin with an Aboriginal individual on it.
  • The Great Barrier Reef is 600,000 years old.
  • Conversions: 1 kg= 2.2 Ibs, 1 mile= 1.6 km, take the temperature in Celsius and double it and add thirty yo convert it to Fahrenheit.
  • Huon Pines, one of the best lumber trees in the world (strong and rot-resistant), is native to Tasmania. It takes 500 years for a tree to reach maturity as they only grow 1 millimeter per year.
  • Seen as a pest, Thylacines were hunted to extinction in the 20th century, with the last one dying in captivity in Hobart’s zoo in 1936. However, there are still believers out there that the Tasmanian Tiger is still alive. After seeing the vast immensity of wilderness in Tasmania (especially in the Great Western Tiers) I would not be surprised if they are still some out there.
  • Kangaroo penises are below their balls.
  • The gold rush in Victoria occurred around the same time as California’s (the 1840s).
  • If you go 14 km over the speed limit in South Australia, you will get a $360 USD ticket.
  • Fishing houses on Macquarie Heads in Tasmania are only $10,000. However, they are only accessible by boat.
  • Double coat tim tams are the best.