The last few days of the trip have definitely been my favorite. There is not a lot to complain about when you get to go Island hopping off the coast of eastern Australia.
After ending our adventure exploring the Great Barrier Reef our group began to travel to a new island where we would all have an unusually pleasant final exam experience. Yet in order to reach Fraser Island and begin this unique experience our group had to catch a charter plane, over to a bus, which then proceeded to take us onto a ferry.
The entire time we were traveling to Fraser Island I could only think back to earlier in the trip when we visited North Stradbroke, or Straddie, one of the worlds largest sand islands off the coast of Australia.
Earlier in the semester I had an amazing time tromping through the mangroves and spotting wild koalas slouching in the trees at Straddie. I knew that there was no way Fraser Island could disappoint if Straddie had been such a good time. How could the world’s largest sand island not be just as good, or even better than Straddie.
Fraser Island is located about 200 Kilometers from Brisbane (Or about 120 miles. Similar to most of the world Australia uses the metric system. The conversion usually just confuses me so I tend to just nod my head and try to look like I know what people are talking about when referencing measurements). Similar to Straddie, Fraser has a variety of ecosystems present on it’s shores; rainforest, eucalypt forest, mangroves, and coastal heaths, just to name a few.
However it was not until we arrived at the resort that I remembered we still had to take our biology final. The beautiful coast lines and tree covered cliffs made it easy to forget that I was still at school. Although I knew that the beauty of the island would ease the pain of the exam.
Thankfully, the day that we had to study for the exam was rainy and cloudy. Making it easier to stay inside and review all the material we would soon be tested on. As I studied for the exam it was hard to believe that I was on the worlds largest sand island. The sound of the rain falling on the tin roof was comforting, and made me feel as though I was back at Lewis & Clark, instead of more than halfway around the world.
However the day of the exam the weather cleared and granted us with a warm and sunny day that allowed us to truly enjoy the beauties that Fraser had to offer. After the exam we all gathered around the table, tropical drinks in hand as we cheers to a job well done and a semester well spent.
After our celebratory lunch many of us were found lounging pool side at the resort. While others enjoyed the beautiful views at the Kingfisher Bay’s salted ponds. A wave of relaxation truly washed over the group as we realized our summer vacation had begun and that we were lucky enough to be on one of the destinations on the World Heritage List at the start of it.
At the end of the day a group of us moseyed down to the coast to watch the sunset before dinner. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets that I have ever seen. The waves were calm and the ocean so blue. The sky was filled with hues of pink, orange, purple and yellow. As the sunset in the horizon the silhouette of sailboats could be seen gently rocking in the calm tide.
This trip has been full of adventures but my favorite has by far been Fraser Island. It is not every day you get to end your school year taking an exam on the worlds largest sand island.