Echidnas, Woollys, Joeys, Jarrahs, Acacias....Dad's paradise!

We were told we were going to a barbeque today and leaving at 10am. We left half an hour late as usual and drove for about an hour...no one knew where we were going. We ended up at The Perth Hills National Parks Centre and a beautifully sunny day, not too hot, not too cold, and the bluest blue sky with not a single cloud. Surrounding us was kilometers of bush and the weir a reservoir of water that some famous guy built with 600 kilometers of piping to bring water to Kalgoorlie (a gold mining town). At this point we still thought we were jus tin for a barbie, but we found out that we had many sessions to go to.
My day started out at indigenous culture. An aboriginal man spoke with us about his culture and how his people started in dream time as plants and animals. He threw his spear and boomerang and wore his kangaroo pelts for us. I was informed that their culture runs on an eye-for-an-eye principle so if a man steals from you you can go try to find him to kill him...BUT...if you can't find him just kill any guy you can find and justice is served. It was very interesting to hear him speak and learn that he came from a frog and it sits behind his eyes. It was just so totally different from any culture I have ever really heard about.
Next station: Tea time...all the time...got it from the British colonizers.
Next station: MARSUPIALLLSSSSS!!!! My favorite favorite part of the day!!! We got to see two joeys (baby kangaroos) one that was the equivalent of a 4 month old baby and should still be in the pouch but it's mother was killed (precious animal), the second was a bit older, almost a year and would almost be out of the pouch. Its mother also died in a car accident. I want one as a pet they are sooo cute! Next was the woolly so endangered that it may be the only time I could ever get to see one for they may be gone soon. They are the smallest marsupial in australia with big feet and long tails about the size of a rat, but much cuter. Next was a baby python that I got to hold...way cool! And next...snorkles the echidna (hedgehog looking creature with way cool spines and the cutest long snout and 8 inch tongue!!) The first monotreme (mammal who lays eggs, the only other is a platypus) that I have ever seen! Also their species is dated to about 120,000 years ago to be roaming around with the dinosaurs. The sort of lumber around in the funniest way and this one has been rehabilitated since he was very small due to his family being destroyed by fire so he is very friendly and will come right up and sniff you. All of you who know how much I love animals can imagine how awesome this was for me :)
Next station: Raptors! Two hawks, a peregrin falcon, and a barn owl. The rehabilitator told us all about these birds and how they prey and live in Australia. They were all very beautiful...but you wouldn't want to mess with them, especially the females, they are most vicious and the killers!
Next station: Bushwalk...woulda been dad's favorite! We went on a short hike (they have tons of trails and one that runs for 1,000 of kilometers along the southwest coast). The woman told us about all kinds of trees and plants that are native to western australia including the Jarrah and the acacias, as well as the grass trees, gum trees (yes they bleed a sort of sap that is even stickier than ours), and fungi (fun-gee:) ). Dad you would be so proud at the end of our walk she pointed out a tree and asked if anyone could remember wha tit was and guess who got it right ?? This girl did! I did ya proud! It was just the most beautiful walk and just a gorgeous day!



Last night we went to Fremantle prison and as you can guess I was quite freaked out....it doesn't take much. This gives you a little look at how easily scared I am....I went to the toilet before we left and walked in and the light was on. As I was going pee the left turned off on me and I was so freaked out; I practically ran out of there barely taking the time to wash my hands and feeling so silly for being so scared. I still have no idea if the lights go out on purpose to scare people or if it was motion sensored...or what?? Maybe ghosts are real..... We went on a torchlight tour at 7:15pm and each had our own mini flashlight. The prison was opened in 1855 and decommisioned in 1991 (not that long ago), but it still looks almost the same as when it first opened. It is four stories and extremely long and was used as a maximum security prison for convicts sent over from the U.K. and eventually from Australia. The grounds are huge and we went inside and it was very dark. Our tour guide was a great storyteller and told us a bit of history and stories of some inmates. Their first scare tactic came when we were on the first floor in the dark and our guide was explaining the "suicide netting" wire nets set up to catch suicide victims, not to save their lives, but too save the lives of the people walking below. As he was telling us about the crap buckets (they never got plumbing) that would come crashing down upon the guards through the netting a dummy fell from the top floor and a bucket crashed from his hands.....so lame looking back on it, but everyone screamed and jumped (dad you might have jumped right outta your skin). After that I was ready for the people that jumped out at us, but it was still very creepy and made my skin crawl, especially when we went into the gallows and saw where 44 people were hung from the same beam that is there today, fitted with a trapdoor beneath that they would pull open at 8 am on Monday morning. The last person was hung there in 1964...that seemed so recent to me to have someone hung...I thought that they would have utilized (yes Megan UTILIZED) a more modern way of capital punishment by then. There was one woman hung there (said to have killed her sick stepchildren with hydrochloric acid). We saw solitary confinement and the cells over the decades, as well as a special cell where a prisoner was given permission to paint murals all over his wall, we saw the chapel (where the ten commandments were posted and instead of you shall not kill it was you shall not murder because of the capital punishment that was seen as a justified killing). We also heard of all the ghost sightings that have been claimed over the years......all I know is I could never work there. It was a very cool tour in every dark, creepy sense of the world "cool."

After we got back on campus we went to our neighbors house and drank some wine with them; they are guys from South Africa, Austraia, and Georgia. It was really neat we just sat and talked about differences between our cultures and things we find funny here. Then we played a hardcore game of pictionary. Kelsey and I were the girls team against the guys. It was great fun and very close, until the end when we pulled ahead. Sweet victory! We rocked even though we got words like descendent. It was funny to see the culture barriers as well. The guy from Georgia drew a chocolate chip cookie (round with dots) any American would have gotten it straight away but the other two guys eat different kinds of cookies ( for the australian-bickies (biscuits..very yummy but different from our cookies). It was great fun :)

Two days ago we also went into a digeridoo shop and the owner played for us and let us play as well!!! He was soo good! I wish I could bring one home (Ryan you would LOVE it!) I got it pretty quick because of the PVC pipe ones I made for my physics project, they are hard to get used to and make your lips feel very fuzzy after! :)




These are where my pictures will be up, as well as facebook. Spread the word! Let me know if you can't see them for any reason!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.fish12/20090728?authkey=Gv1sRgCMmZto_whay0Pg&feat=directlink (Pictures from L.A. and Australia!!)

http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.fish12/20090729?authkey=Gv1sRgCLzE45Pj25Hy8QE&feat=directlink (my room and a beautiful sunset)

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/lauren.fish12/20090801?feat=directlink (digeridoo and national park)

If you have made it down to here you are very dedicated!!! I love you all!! Miss you! <3