Arriving at Stradebroke Island

May 29, 2010

Location: North Stradebroke Island (Dunwich)

Today we woke early to catch a ferry to our next destination: Stradebroke Island. We woke up to rain but trying to be optimistic we convinced ourselves it was going to pass. We rode in a charter bus to catch the ferry (about a half hour outside the city). The ferry was a large barge that the cars drove onto to be transported to the island. Once on the barge (on are giant bus) we were able to walk around… it was way too weird to be on a bus that was on a boat. It was freezing, windy and sprinkling but I stood on a platform the whole ride in hopes of spot some sort of wildlife. Glen (one of our professors) said that sometimes you could spot dugongs in the distance. Sadly I didn't see anything. I was excited to finally see water even though it was only a bay. Even though it was raining and otherwise miserable the view of the sand islands was way too cool to pass up. As we got closer to the island the skies cleared a little and the scenery was beautiful. When we got to the research station we had a little orientation meeting (the dos and don’ts). Then we settled in to our rooms (we got to pick our roommates this time). After lunch we got to do the fun stuff. We went out to the beach right as the tide was turning, and collected organisms that we found in the different areas. Since the tide was moving out the whole time we followed the shore line. We explored the sand flats, mud flats, and the rocky headlands. It was raining and cold the entire time we were out in the water (the water was less then ankle deep most of the time but got to knee length at one point because the wind was restricting it from falling as fast as it would normally). The mud flats were extremely hard to walk through, almost like quick sand. And the rocky ridges had me watching every step to make sure I didn’t fall on the razor sharp oyster beds. We found tons of organisms including three species of crabs, four species of snail, large and small sea cucumbers, star fish, puffer fish. I believe we collected 29 in all. After collecting we went back to the wet lab and set them up in aquariums. We later studied them and talked about anatomical features of each one. Then I enjoyed watching the sunset on the water’s edge. I had a super long day but it was also super fun searching through rocks and oyster beds for special little creatures. Hopefully tomorrow the clouds will give way and we will have wonderful day for splashing around in the water learning about all of the ocean’s wonders.

Notables:
We have “tea time” twice a day every day…tea time actually means snack time
Biscuits= cookies
Torch= flash light
Stradebroke Island is the second largest sand island in the world
Sun rises at 6 am and sets at 5 pm
Ticks= minutes ex. They will be ready in a few ticks