Arcadia Australia

Our 6 week research students for STEM abroad program beat the jetlag by hitting the pavement and discovering the wonders of Southbank in Brisbane.  They were wowed by the cityscape, the bougainvillea flowers, the white sandy beach by the river and the "healthy burgers", thanks Grilled. We also hiked up Mount Cootha to see the lie of the land and get an aerial view of the students new home.

We woke early on the second morning to orientate by the water on kayaks and one student even tested the waters in a full body experience ;) - apparently winter water temperatures are quite lovely, but then the views were so delightful that no one minded getting a bit wet.

The afternoon stayed rain free so we grabbed the city bikes and used pedal power to explore the botanic gardens and then headed to the city to check out the tropical fruit, gluten free donuts and live music at the markets after a wild bike ride through the city.  Wild in Brisbane means a goose chase to find a place to click our Brisbane bikes back in, the best way to learn is from experience and we had this aplenty. 

Our day trip to Tambourine looked to be rainy but the Gold Coast weather heard it was our only day out and luckily the huge downpour in Brisbane cleared by mid-morning.  We were able to swim, enjoy the rainforest and waterfalls and enjoy the beer and cheese tasting and the delights of Tambourine tourist shops.

Can't wait to see the research projects of these talented young people in the coming weeks - there's big projects in the works!