Exploring Sydney, Australia this first week has opened my eyes to new cultures, experiences, and ways of thinking about the world. Prior to this trip, I had never been to Australia, so I had no idea what to expect. But after walking around and getting to see different parts of the city, I was speechless from all the amazing sights! Sydney is so different from any part of the world I’ve seen or been to because of its dynamic atmosphere of the city, while also having beaches and lots of natural beauty that give Sydney the best of both worlds. The experiences that were most memorable this week were visiting the Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary, the morning runs, and watching the sunset.
One of my favorite parts of this week was when we toured the Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary. Aside from walking around and getting to see the animals, we also learned about animal cruelty and exploitation. Our tour guide informed us that it is illegal to touch koalas everywhere except for Queensland, Australia because koalas’ primary food source is eucalyptus leaves, which have low nutritional value. Koala’s digestive system has to work very hard to extract those limited nutrients from the eucalyptus leaves, which results in very little energy for the animals. Therefore, koalas need to sleep for extended periods of time in order to digest their food and maintain their energy levels. So, touching and waking up koalas can cause harm to them. However, Queensland allows tourists to touch them because it provides the area with an advantage that attracts tourists and generates revenue, which we learned is animal cruelty. This experience and new information helped me understand how humans can take advantage of animals for their own benefit, which contributes to the harming of wildlife. This is a lesson we can all take away because the longer we continue taking advantage of these animals, the less time we will have with them on this Earth. This lesson teaches us to be careful of our actions in nature because we may not realize that we are harming animals in the process of our enjoyment. Along with the koalas, we were also able to see kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, dingoes, emus, among many others.
Another part of the first week that I really enjoyed was being able to watch the sunsets and going on morning runs to different beaches. These activities in Sydney were far better than back home in New Jersey because of Australia’s beautiful scenery. The sunset was from a secluded beach in Vaucluse, which is a little north of Bondi Junction.
This beach gives an amazing view of the harbor and the city, with the stunning view of the sunset in the background. I was amazed by the views that I was able to get and something that I will never forget.
Lastly, I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a couple morning runs to Bondi Beach, Tamarama Beach, and Bronte Beach. Being in this environment has motivated me to run around the city and explore different areas to take in the natural environment. I’ve also noticed that there are a lot of people walking or running around the beaches during the early mornings. The culture in Australia is very focused on physical wellness, where almost everyone is being active during some point of the day.
Overall, this week has been a great introduction to Sydney, Australia and I hope to explore and learn more about this country and the surrounding countries!