LC Australia Program 2011: From the Green Mountains to the Glasshouse Mountains

By Delaney

Friday we spent our last full day in Lamington National Park. In the morning wewere able to aid Susan, our guest entomologist, in identifying the many types of insects we had trapped the previous day. Under the microscopes we saw a variety of organisms, including diptera (flies, mosquitoes, and gnats), dermaptera (earwigs), and siphonaptera (fleas). To identify the different types of insects under the microscopes we used a dichotomous key, which reminded me somewhat of the choose-your-own-adventure books I used to read as a kid. Although my group didn’t find much a few students actually identified more unusual types of coleoptera (beetles) that Susan said might be added to the “Hall of Science,” a collection of insects she manages at the Queensland Museum.

After spending the morning getting up close and personal with the insects through the microscopes we all returned to the camp ground for lunch and then went off on our own adventures for a free afternoon. Some students hiked along the Wishing Tree Track to Moran Falls, a beautiful waterfall only a short trek away in the lower elevated Eucalypt forest. Others stuck around the campsite to study for our last final and pack up for leaving the next day. I strolled over to the neighboring O’Reilly’s Resort with Melanie, Ryan, and Sara to enjoy yet another stunning sunset over the Green Mountains.

That evening we had a slightly more eventful dinner than usual. Not only were we treated to a special dessert that Lily, our caterer’s adorable seven year old daughter, coined “Methyl Pie,” but our presence was graced by a particularly mischievous possum that had been creeping around the campground for the past few days. Just as soon as we all settled down into our lawn chairs after devouring yet another delicious meal we were startled when we noticed the possum was not simply creeping around or near our dinner remnants but was actually inside the huge mash potato pot. Nat, our fearless leader, lifted up the pot, possum and all, and brought it over to the group, where we all used our newly gained skills to identify the creature as a black bush tailed possum.

The next morning we all raced against dark, threatening clouds to take down camp before it started raining. Luckily we packed up everything and loaded onto the bus just as soon as the rain began and were off to the Glasshouse Mountains before eleven o’clock. The drive out of Lamington was stunningly beautiful. The small, one lane road we drove on cut through the dense rainforest and provided us with a few glimpses of sheer cliff faces and mountain peaks through the trees. During one part of the drive we passed through an ecotone, a transition zone between two distinct landscapes. In our case, the dense, lush rainforest grew on the left side of the road and the sparser Eucalypt forest on the right. We spent most of the afternoon driving to the Glasshouse Mountains, watching the land change from rainforest, to Eucalypt forest, to pasture lands, and back to lush rainforest again as we approached our destination.

The Glasshouse Mountains consist of a series of oddly shaped mountains, which are actually the cores of ancient volcanoes. The mountains were named by Captain James Cook, whom we have learned quite a lot about in our studies, because he thought they resembled glass furnaces back in England. Upon arrival we also learned about the Aboriginal significance of the mountains as important ritual sites.

After a week of grunge and grime, military showers (or no showers at all, for some), and an unfortunate lack of hand soap or mirrors in the Lamington rainforest we were all shocked and ecstatic to see our new “Ecolodge” accommodations. Compared to camping in the woods, this place felt like the Hamptons. The accommodations consist of two old railway cars where we eat and cook our food, an old church converted into a little lodge, and the quaint “Bungalow” where Andy and Philip are lucky enough to stay. Most of us are sharing spacious and rustic rooms with lovely views of the surrounding forest. Some of us even get our own bathrooms, a luxury we have not enjoyed for quite some time. The property also consists of an orchard and herb garden as well as trails leading into the Glasshouse Mountains. Every new place we go I always think that nothing could possibly top where we have already been, yet this trip continues to get better and better; the Glasshouse Mountains Ecolodge is certainly no exception. Although our time here has mostly been spent studying for our final exam on terrestrial biology I cannot wait to explore the surrounding area and relax as we spend our final days in Oz.

Despite my reluctance to admit it, soon we will have to say goodbye to all the Eucalypts and kangaroos, the constant bug bites and minor sunburns, the laidback Aussie culture, the looming threat of all the lethal flora and fauna that surround us, and even the beautiful Southern Cross, which has become like the Big Dipper for me here in Australia. I know I will greatly miss this sunburnt country.