Australia Study Group Fall 2022

Colgate’s Australia Study to the University of Wollongong (UOW) resumed in fall 2022 after being rudely interrupted for two years by the pandemic. 

As written by Professor Adam Burnett:

The fall Australia group is shared between the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies Program, and it focuses on the geophysical, ecologic, and socioeconomic dimensions (among others) of the Australian environment. The group consisted of a director (me) and 15 curious and adventurous Colgate students. I’m sure the students would say that the class they took from me on Australian environmental issues was the highlight of the semester. Maybe not, but the class did include several daylong field trips and a longer five-day trip during the mid-semester break. These trips were connected with the themes of the course, with special attention on Aboriginal land care strategies. The students also took three other courses at large from UOW.

For those not familiar with the geography of Australia, Wollongong is located in coastal New South Wales approximately 52 miles south of Sydney. The setting is beautiful, with the ocean, beaches, and rocky outcrops to the east and a forested escarpment to the west. The university is not far from downtown Wollongong and is connected by a free bus service. A regional commuter train runs north and south along the coast and makes it easy to travel to Sydney.

One of the first trips for the students was a weekend surf camp. Colgate students are always excited about the beach, and surf camp not only teaches the students how to surf but also educates them about hazards they might encounter, such as rip currents. The director normally arranges a one-day camp for the group early in the semester. However, I was late getting to Australia because of a visa delay. COVID had created a large backlog for the type of visa I needed, so my arrival at UOW was a few weeks late. In fact, the students arrived before I did. Therefore, we sent the students to a UOW-sponsored camp, which they liked very much. It was also a nice opportunity to meet other students from UOW.

I finally arrived in Wollongong two weeks into the semester on Aug. 5. The next day, we took a day trip south to Bombo, NSW, to explore an old volcanic landscape that features columnar basalt (very exciting) and to discuss the geologic history of the region. The trip was led by Paul Carr, who is a retired geologist at UOW and a longtime friend of Colgate University. Paul was assisted by Sol Buckman, who is also a geologist at UOW. Bombo, which is on the coast, is also the site of an old quarry where the volcanic basalt was mined and used for road construction and railroad ballast from the late 1800s to the 1960s. The rock was called blue metal (presumably because of its color and durability) and played a key role in the economy of this time period. Some of the rock was transported by ship, resulting in a number of maritime disasters that color the history of the region. Kiama, NSW, is the next community south of Bombo and is famous for its blowhole. The blowhole is an opening in the volcanic rock that extends into the ocean. When the wind blows from the right direction, the surging surf pushes up into the hole and sprays out like a geyser to the enjoyment of the squealing crowds that gather around the site. The Bombo trip was also an opportunity to introduce the students to Australian meat pies, which are among the most delicious things on the planet (I recommend curry steak).

The group also participated in other day trips while in Wollongong, including an adventure with Michael Adams, who is a retired geographer from UOW. Michael is a specialist in Aboriginal culture and often takes the Colgate group on a bushwalk up the escarpment north of town. Known as the Wodi Wodi Bushwalk, it is a great opportunity to learn about Aboriginal land care, plant resources, and other important aspects of the culture. Unfortunately, the weather leading up to the day of the walk was extremely wet, and we found ourselves hiking up a stream of muddy water. Normally, this would not be a problem, but Australia has an interesting creature that I call the “land leech.” Yes, it is a small leech that lives in the soil and creeps out to find food when it is wet. Colgate students (and faculty) must be especially delicious because the leeches were trying to crawl up our boots all day. The good news is that I brought insect repellant and was told it worked somewhat well in holding off the little vampires. None of us suffered a leech attachment that day, but we were plucking them off our boots constantly. I think the repellant slowed them down enough for us to find them before real trouble occurred.

Other field excursions included a trip to Sydney to visit the Museum of Australia and the Royal Botanical Garden and a separate trip to Sydney for an Aboriginal cultural boat tour on the Sydney Harbour. We also took a trip to the Southern Highlands, up the escarpment west of Wollongong to visit Fitzroy Falls and the Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk through a subtropical rainforest. This was an opportunity to visit the famous Robertson Pie Shop, where we indulged ourselves in more meat pies (the chicken curry was very good).

These were small trips compared to our big spring break excursion, which began with van rides to the Sydney airport well before dawn and a plane ride to Ayers Rock airport. Ayers Rock is the colonial name for Uluru, which is the iconic and sacred red sandstone landform in Central Australia. We were met at the airport by our guides, Ben and Lauren, from Mulgas Adventure. They took us to a camping area near Uluru, where we dropped off our luggage and then drove to Uluru. We visited the cultural center first to learn the Aboriginal stories associated with the area. This area is the traditional home of the Arrente people, and we were eager to learn as much as we could about their culture and perspectives on the environment. We then spent time hiking around the base of famous rock. Uluru is sacred to the Arrente, and we did our best to show respect. Our guides were well-versed in the local culture and helped us understand the significance of the many caves and water holes around Uluru. No visit to Uluru would be complete without a sunset viewing. After dinner, we retired to our ‘swag’ for the night under the stars around a campfire. Swag is a sleeping bag enclosed in a larger canvas bag that has a built-in ground cushion. It is a very comfortable and warm way to sleep outdoors as long as it does not rain, which it didn't. 

Our cheerful guides woke us all at 4:15 a.m. the next day for a quick breakfast and a sunrise viewing of Uluru and nearby Kata Tjuta. Although there was some grumbling about the early morning alarm, all found the experience worthwhile. We then traveled to Kata Tjuta for a long hike and some amazing landscapes. Like Uluru, Kata Tjuta is also an important site in Aboriginal culture and a location of spiritual significance. It is also a great location to discuss the geologic origins of the region. We then returned to camp for lunch and packed our bags for a drive to our next camp site near Kings Canyon. This site was a bit more remote, and the sounds of howling dingoes could be heard throughout the night. I wondered how a zipped-up swag would hold up if the dingos visited camp. Turns out people are too large for dingos, but they would happily walk off with a hiking boot if they got the chance so we had to be careful. 

We were up again before sunrise on day three for a drive to Kings Canyon, where we hiked an incredibly beautiful — and sometimes terrifying — trail for approximately four hours. The bottom of the canyon houses a stream that supports a rich array of plant and animal life, including large and very old cycad plants (sometimes called living dinosaurs) and tall ghost gum trees. After the hike, we began our drive to Alice Springs. The highlight of this four-hour drive was a fuel stop where the owners had several emus. This was the moment everyone learned that emus are not the most polite birds. 

When we arrived in Alice Springs, we checked into a very interesting hostel called Alice’s Secret. It was a very playful place with multiple rooms, bright colors, rainforest music, and twinkle lights. Although we all liked swag, being in real beds was also nice. Day four of the trip was spent in the West Macdonnell Ranges, where we hiked the dry Finke River bed in Simpsons Gap and looked for rock wallabies. Unfortunately, none were seen. The Finke River is often referred to as one of the oldest river beds in the world and only flows a few days each year. We then visited two other locations that had pools of water in which swimming was allowed. While beautiful, the water was very cold. 

We wrapped up our day with a sunset viewing from the Alice Springs telegraph station, which is the site of the first European settlement in Alice Springs. After another wonderful dinner and night at Alice’s Secret, most of us walked into town in the next morning to visit the various shops. Many of us purchased Aboriginal art and other gifts for family and friends. Our friends from Mulgas then took us to the Alice Springs airport, where we caught a flight back to Sydney.

Although I can’t speak for all of my students, I think the overall Australia study group experience was both enjoyable and educational. This was the third time I led an Australia study group — the others occurred in 1996 and 2010. Sometimes, I’m asked which group I liked best. The truth is that they are all different. The one commonality was that I had great students all three times and hope they remember the experience as fondly as I do.