Day 9: The Great Barrier Reef

We are off to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) today! Even though it was a cool and rainy morning we hopped on a boat headed for Green Island. The boat rides were honestly a horrible experience. Granted it was a rough day at sea which did not bother me, it was the vocals of the other passengers that were sea sick. It was awful!

Things started to look up once we dock in the island because we were off to complete our scuba diving education course so after the next boat ride we would be able to dive at the GBR. After we were done we wondered around the island before our boat left. When lunch time arrived we were boarding the boat again. From Green Island we rode the boat for an hour before we arrived at a pontoon where we would spend the afternoon.

As soon as our feet stepped off the boat we were preparing for our scuba diving adventure! First we had to put a suit to protect us from the coral and other creatures. On top of that we added a wet suit to help keep us warm. Followed that with a weight belt that our instructor put on us. After this we entered the area where we would be strapped into our vest and tanks and add our masks and flippers. Once we were outfitted with our equipment it was down to the platform to pass our skills test.

The skills test was easily the hardest part of the whole experience. We held on to a rail with three other members of our group.our first skill after we started to breathe with the regulator was how to empty our mask if it filled up with water. Next we learned two different ways to empty our mouths if we got water in them. Once we completed this we were ready to start our decent.

We then moved on to our ropes where we would slowly lower ourselves to the bottom. Every few hand lengths we would hold our nose and blow our so we would help our ears adjust. When we reached the bottom of the rope is when I finally felt relaxed and things started to get easier. We then linked arms to start exploring. Once we got closer to the reef we were able to free ourselves from each other to swim. While we were under got to see and touch many types of fish and we also got to see and feel a huge clam.

We were under for 30 minutes and traveled to a depth of 7.8 meters.

Day 8: Cairns

Today was an early morning as we boarded a flight to Cains, a tropical area where we would spend the rest of our trip. Once we landed we were off to Tjapukui to learn about the aboriginal culture. During this we learned about their weaponry, medicines, and their lifestyle in general. However, by far the best part was being taught how to throw the boomerang and a Spear. During these demonstrations we got to participate in each event. Once our tour concluded it was off dinner at Tha Fish and shopping around town.

Day 7: Sydney

Today we toured the local university at Wagga Wagga. Here we got to see their beef unit where the vet students were monitoring a group of cows they had done c sections on. Next we got to see their vet building and how it functions. Finally we stopped at their sheep unit and seen how their sheep dogs work.

Once this was completed it was on the bus for the ride to Sydney. Once we were checked in we were off to shop for an hour before we boarded the boat for a dinner cruise. One the cruise we got to see the opera house lit up and also the harbor bridge.

Day 6: Wagga Wagga

After breakfast at the motel we were off to the Wagga Wagga Sale Yards. Which is the equivalent to the local sale barns in America. However, sales in Australia work completely different. To sale at the auction you have to sell through a agent who will receive commission. These sale yards sell cattle every Monday and average about 2800 head, and sheep every Thursday selling over 10000.

Once this tour concluded we went across the road to the Cargill - Teys abattoir. This was an interesting tour because we were able to compare it to the JBS tour we received earlier in the week. In this plant we had to put on more protection gear. It included rubber boots, white pants with a long sleeve white shirt, a hair net, safety glasses, ear plugs, a face mask, and a hard hat. This company really takes their safety seriously. Once in we split into two groups. The first group got to tour the plant first and the second got a background on their feedlot. In the plant we got the see the boning room which was a lot more Americanized compared to JBS. In addition to this, we got to see their value added room and their what they to with their variety meats. However, we did not get to see the killing floor or go anywhere near it like we did at JBS. And another difference was the the tour lasted only 20 minutes when the JBS tour lasted a couple hours.

When then moved on to the town of Temora where we ate lunch and shopped before moving on to the Teys feedlot.

Day 5: Australian sheep, emu's, and cattle

We woke up this morning to an extremely foggy Albury, New South Wales. After breakfast we loaded up and headed to a merino and white Suffolk farm called Trigger Vale. Where they run over 2400 head of sheep. This is a very educated operation who is dedicated in producing the right kind of sheep for their environment and operation. Andrew who is in a partnership with his wife Mandi had unique experience where he got to spend six months traveling the world to learn different things that he is passionate about in the agriculture industry and share what he learned with fellow Australian farmers.

One of the exciting points of our trip is getting to visit with an emu farmer, which is what we were able to do over lunch. This afternoon we met with the owners of Marrocka, Ian and Marilyn Marston. There farm was beautifully located in the hills, where they raised approximately 200 emus. These emu are marketed for their leather, feathers, meat, and most importantly their oil. The emu oil is store as fat on the emus back so when the emus are processed they take out that section and any other fat.

After learning about the Australian flightless bird, we enjoyed lunch on their patio with the family. We got to enjoy a traditional Australian barbie of steak, sausages, salad, and potatoes.

After enjoying their view from their patio it was on to the Spry family's shorthorn stud. This Shorthorn Stud produces some of the best shorthorn cattle I have personally seen. Their cattle are a stouter made, easier doing, more structurally correct kind that would greatly benefit American producers. All their cattle are grass fed which is certainly impressive with the amount of condition they carry. When compared to American cattle specifically the shorthorn breed its amazing how different breeds in other countries can do with different farming practices.

When the tour was over we had a "barn party" with the spry family, for the second time today we had steak. We concluded the evening visiting with the family and conversing in the barn.

Day 4: Lawson Angus & Lima Park

We started this morning of with breakfast at McDonalds so we were able to use there wifi. Since wifi in Australia is very limited and hotels charge a fortune for it. After breakfast it was on to Lawson Angus to learn more about cattle in Australia. We spent a lot of time looking at a mob of bulls in the rain learning the history of their operation. Lawson Angus is the largest seedstock operation in Australia selling over 800 bulls annually. They have farms in Victoria but also run many head in western Australia. We were also informed that they were effected by the same fire that hit the Webb black Simmental farm from yesterday's tour.Once the tour concluded the took us down to a place called Mandala where they served us biscuits and hot chocolate. Mandala was also a winery that offered wine tastings. The unique thing about their products was that each box was differentiated by an ear tag.Our last stop was to Lima Park which is a 300 head hereford commercial cow operation. This operation is accredited by the European union which is where they export the majority of there cattle. They also raise a lot sheep which right now is by far there most profitable operation.We drove to Albury where we would stop for the night. Here we ate at Sodens which is where we had the best food by far. We had a porterhouse with chips and salad. Australians prefer grass fed beef, which is not as good as what were produce in America.

Day 3: JBS Australia & Webb Black Simmental

We woke up to a cold and rainy day in Melbourne. While watching the news today we learned that in the area we are traveling in, is preparing for floods. In the next two days they are expecting as much rain as they usually get in a month.

The first thing on our list today is to visit the Brooklyn Abattior owned by JBS. We were very lucky to be able to receive this tour, however, we were not allowed to take pictures. This abattoir (slaughter plant) kills 5000 sheep and 1200 cattle daily. In Australia they own 11 meat processing plants and 5 feedlots.This particular operation employees 1100 people.

We started this tour by changing into mud boots, a smock, with a hair net, and ear plugs. Once equipped with these essentials we headed into the beef kill floor where we were allowed to see everything from the cattle being killed to the packaging of the meat. In the boning room it was amazing to watch all how fast and efficient the employees can work. In addition to this they have an automatic machine that takes the boxes of meat and automatically puts the lid on.

Also on their tour we got to see their sheep kill floor, which look like a miniature version of their beef like floor. However, this particular plant is in their second day of operation in a product that is sold in their local Coles supermarket and they hope to grow enough to be able to export it. This product is different cuts of lamb packaged with seasoning/marinade.

We were on to lunch for our next stop. This is some of the best food so far, besides our hotel breakfast. We had fish and chips and apple crumble with ice cream for dessert. Now this was not exactly like what you would get in the states, but compared to some of the food we have been eating it was Amazing.

This afternoon we visited with the owners and manager of Webb Black Simmental, which was a very enjoyable stop. This operation was bought 6 years ago and was started, and the Webb family is partly responsible for promoting and building the Simmental breed in Australia. They were able to do this by buying semen and embryos from the states. However, three years ago a fire went through and burnt down everything but one building, but they did not lose any animals. They were able to save them all because of they had a patch of ground that was all dirt where they put all the animals so the fire could not get to them.

Now their operations has been built back, and they now have a herd with approximately 150 head of cows. And their main focus is producing bulls, because they keep all their females for replacements. They soon hope to be able to sell Simmental or SimAngus females due to the market for them.

The time we spent at their operation was COLD and rainy. We did thought get to see some of their bulls, females, and sale facilities before we went into their office to have a drink and learn more about their operation.

Day 2: Melbourne, Australia May 24

We started this morning off with breakfast at the hotel after an amazing night of actually getting to sleep in a bed.

To get to our first visit this morning we had to walk across the river and through downtown Melbourne where we reached a government building where we would learn about Australia's National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). This system tracks cattle from the place where they were born and to every different owner they have until they are slaughtered. They also are attempting to implement the same system with the sheep industry.

Next, we toured the city of Melbourne before our trip to the brewery. We drove down the main streets of downtown before we stopped to explored the Shrine of Remembrance. Here we got to climb to the top of the shrine where it overlooked the city and the surrounding area.

The next stop we made was to St. Patricks Cathedral where we got to spend twenty minutes looking around the beautiful cathedral.

Our last stop before the brewery was a park that held Captain Cook's cottage. This was also home to a conservatory building that was filled with beautiful flowers and a small water fall. This was our last short twenty minute stop before we continued on our journey.

Finally, we were at our last stop for the day, the Carlton Brew House. This is the largest brewery in Australia that sits on twenty acres. We got to see where the beer was made and how they bottled the beer. Our tour guide Melissa also informed us that each employee gets a case of beer a week as part of their benefits. Once our tour was over we got to spend time in their tasting room to try there different beers and find the ones we liked.

Before heading to bed we were on a quest for dinner. We stopped at two different places before we found one that would serve our group of twenty five people. We ended up eating at a casino buffet which provided us with some food we actually enjoyed.

On our journey today we got to see many different places, and interesting people. Some of the best parts of the day was seeing how beautifully put together the city is.

Day 1: Melbourne, Australia May 23

About 30 hours after starting our trip to Australia, we have finally arrived. We have been on three different flights, spent hours waiting in airports, watched countless movies and multiple hours flying over the ocean but we made it! After landing is when the fun began. Not only have many of us been up since the early hours of Monday morning but we have yet to go to bed besides the short naps we have encountered over our fifteen hour flight, so we were ready to start our day.Once we landed and made it through customs and immigration it was off to the Healesville sanctuary where we were able to spend some quality animals native to Australia. During this tour we got the chance to interact with koalas, kangaroos, dingos, and many more animals. One of the most interesting and fun activities the sanctuary offers was the ability to go into a cage of birds, where you could feed and hold them whenever you wanted. Once we concluded at the sanctuary we had a two hour drive back to Melbourne before we would finally be able to shower and relax before we head out to dinner. There have been many problems trying to get Internet access so hopefully soon the blogs will more frequent and more detailed.

Class Summary on Australia

Its official only 21 DAYS until we leave for our exciting adventure to Australia! We have worked all semester learning different pieces about Australia so we will be informed travelers when we arrive.

We started out the semester by learning about the geography of Australia, with emphasis on the areas that we will be traveling in. First of all the capital of Australia is Canberra. We also learned that there are 6 different states and 2 territories that form Australia.

After we were familiar with the area we would be traveling in, we were introduced to the history of Australia. Leaning that convicts founded Australia, was relatively interesting. This was because King George IV sent them there after they were convicted. This fell under is Transportation act, and the first fleet arrived in Australia in 1788. Once they arrived it was up to everyone on the fleet to make a livable area, which is out the convict colonies were established.

Next we moved on the government and economy of Australia were we learned that the current prime minister is Julia Gillard, and the Current minister of Agriculture is Joe Ludwig. When studying the economy of Australia we observed that they have a relatively stable economy when compared to the United States. In addition to this when we hit the recent recession so did they, however, it was not a drastic and they bounced back faster than we did.  

From there we started to focus on the agriculture industry in Australia. Wheat is Australia's most important grain crop, because it is the largest grown crop. In addition to this we have learned about Angus, Shorthorn, Simmental, and Hereford cattle in Australia. After we learned about cattle in Australia which they are very similar to American cattle we moved on to sheep.
Finally, we learned about how JBS and Cargill of Australia function. They operate differently than they do in the United States, for instance, when cattle are brought to the slaughter facility they have to be free of mud and need to be clean or they are turned away. This is a major difference from the united states. In addition to this, we learned about the Sale Yards in Australia. They are also different than what we are use to because they sell are pen of cattle out in the yards, where in America we usually sell cattle in a Sale Barn where the animals are ran into a pen individually or in a small group. Along with this in Australia they Auctioneer walks down a cat walk located above the pens and auctions the pens off. While in America the Auctioneer stays in their stand and the animals are brought to them.
There are many things to look forward on this trip besides experiencing the country in general. I am looking forward to being able to see how other cattle operations functions and what they focus on. Also I am looking forward to being able to see the Great Barrier Reef, the city of Sydney, and also the unique animals that inhabit Australia. Now that the countdown has began there are many things to do before we leave!