Friday(‘s never work)

On Friday we spent the day soaking up the sun at Burleigh beach, where I also tried an acai bowl for the first time! For those of you not informed of this delicious meal, it’s essentially a blended acai base of berries, with granola and fresh fruit, sometimes other added items like shredded coconut or more fruit. Along with fresh squeezed juices and smoothies, acai bowls are very common around this area. An another note, it’s pronounced ah-sigh-ee.

It was a lovely day relaxing on the beach, and after heading back to campus we decided to have a barbeque at one of our friends apartments. Due to it being Good Friday, most businesses were closed, and every other Friday that we have tried to have a fun evening out, it has coincidentally just not been that eventful. Friday evenings don’t seem to be as popular here as in the States, so we decided to make a tradition (with what’s left of the semester) of having a cookout and enjoying some pool and hot tub time on Friday evenings!

Currumbin Rock Pools

The following morning my friends and I had a similar get together, and met at a different friend’s apartment to make a breakfast of pancakes, fresh fruit, and coffee. Enjoying homemade breakfast on the balcony was a great way to start the morning!

Later that afternoon, I visited the Currumbin rock pools, a natural swimming area about a half hour from campus. There are several swimming areas connected through the rock formations, some more shallow or deep than others, as well as a small rock jump and picnic areas. Although it was starting to get later in the day, and cooler with the prediction of rain, it was definitely still a check off my Gold Coast bucket list. I can imagine the area being very enjoyable (but probably crowded) during a hot summer day!

If you happen to be following my blog, you may remember a post I wrote about exploring Currumbin near the beginning of the semester. If not, refer to my post titled “Adventures in Burleigh & Currumbin”. Moral of the story, we hiked down a mountain with the intent of ending up at the rock pools (with little and vague direction), and eventually decided to head home when they seemed too far out of sight and sunset was approaching. As it turns out, if we had crossed the bridge near the small park we were in, then walked five minutes to the left and around the corner, we would have been there. Ironic looking back on that day, but appreciative that I eventually figured out where the rock pools were located, and got to enjoy them!

Currumbin rock pools

Sunday & Monday

This morning a couple friends and I went for brunch in Broadbeach, then spent most of the day enjoying Easter Sunday (procrastinating) by baking Easter cookies and having a movie night. Monday I spent just about the entire day studying in the library, then joined friends again that evening for a movie night. Although this weekend was not all too eventful, it was an enjoyable weekend taking in the beach culture and relaxation of Gold Coast. With the next few weeks bringing finals exams and multiple groups projects and papers, it was a great weekend of preparation!

Sunday brunch at Lola’s

Homeade Easter cookies

Most undergraduate students at Bond do not have class on Fridays, and some are lucky enough to only have class three days a week. Of course I am here to learn, as well as stay on track with my GPA and degree requirements. However, I also want to travel and gain many amazing cultural and travel experiences! Today we were able to have our first real excursion in Gold Coast.

Morning

After a morning spent at the school club fair signing up for activities, we visited the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. This has been on my Australian bucket list since way before I arrived, mostly because we get to pet kangaroos and hold koalas! We spent a few hours working our way through the exhibits, petting kangaroos, watching a bird show, taking a safari train ride, and holding a koala. America is definitely different than Australia when it comes to places like this. There was very low-key security (basically friendly sanctuary employees/guides), and you could walk in and out of many different open exhibits. These included animals like kangaroos, emus, lots of birds, and wallabies. We also saw koalas, wombats, echidnas, crocodiles, Tasmanian devils, and dingoes. Here is a video of a turtle pool:

The kangaroos were definitely my favorite, mostly because you could see them up close. They were very mellow and soft to pet, and it was fantastic. Considering kangaroos can be very dangerous in the wild, it was truthfully a little disheartening to see them so mellow in the reserve, but also an incredible experience to be among them so personally. The emus were in the same area, yet not quite as friendly. They tended to stay more away from people, but were still very interesting creatures to see.

Kangaroo exhibit area

Kangaroo with a joey in its pouch

Petting a kangaroo!

At the end of the sanctuary a few of us took pictures with a koala! Of course we had to fall for the tourist trap of paying for a picture, but holding a koala has been on my bucket list since literally forever, and it was something that had to be done (zero regrets). Her name was Rochelle and she was very well behaved, soft, and very photogenic. Definitely an experience I will remember.

Holding a koala!

The process…

Koala feeding

Afternoon

On the way back we decided to take a shuttle since we had about 10 people, and the driver offered to make a stop at Elephant Rock. It also was a breathtaking and well-worthwhile excursion. Essentially there’s this big rock on the beach, you walk up a short, steep set of rock stairs, and come out on a platform on the top overlooking the entire Currumbin Beach coast. It was quite windy, but a fantastic find.

The short climb up to Elephant Rock outlook

A view off the lower-level rock formation, facing the South side

180 view off Elephant Rock

Evening

Later that evening, we all took a bus to the Burleigh Beach area, about a 30-minute bus ride from campus. We had a calm get-together with friends on the beach, ate sushi, and shared our different adventures of the day. It was an incredibly relaxing evening, and our walk along the water at night was so peaceful. It was gorgeous to see the mountains and coastal landscape lighted up in such a picturesque way. We made our way back home after a day of making lifelong memories.

Nighttime view on Burleigh Beach, facing the South side

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