Roo-babs

The roos bidding us farewell on our way to Boolimba

Promptly at 3:33am the dingoes did their very best to instill fear in the camp. Knowing that a tiny, flimsy screen door separated me and several ferocious, hungry carnivores really didn’t help matters. Despite the imminent howling, I quickly fell back asleep underneath my massive comforter and sleeping bag and other comforter and jacket... Morning came, cold as per usual, so I dismissed the idea of seeing another sunrise. Luckily today the hiking was far shorter, though much more intense. We hiked (ran) to the peak of Boolimba Bluff which provided a spectacular view of the canyon. The hike itself was also breathtaking.

Stephanie and I after the hike

Hopped the fence for this photo. Hush hush.

Oh hai!

After our hasty descent, Bob awaited us with all of our backpacks in a field of roos. We had a little snack and then headed up behind the visitor center to do an ant foraging exercise.  More inputting data; it’s my life’s dream! Let me hold back the tears of joy. I have to say it was pretty funny watching everyone walk around and stare at ants for over an hour. Akshat and Satyam made it even more “exciting”, if I can venture to use that term, by naming each food station after an ice cream shop. We had a Yoforia (equipped with a tree branch drive-thru), Yoguri, Brewster’s, and a Marble Slab. Of course, the Yoforia was hopping! At the conclusion of our vastly interesting ant exercise, we headed back to the bus for a free afternoon.

Greeting me as I walked up, a trio of pretty-faced wallabies were grazing. There was a teeny little joey in mum’s pouch eating as well. I fought the currawong tooth and nail as I attempted to eat my lunch in peace before procrastinating on taking a shower. One of the little beasties had his head wedged between the tent “ceiling” and the support pole... glaring at me with envious bright yellow eyes. Ever get the feeling you’re being watched?

The pretty-faced wallaby- right outside my room!

Home sweet home

Eventually I meandered back down to the dinner area where we rounded up another group for the spotlighting. During the trip we were able to stop a few greater gliders and one yellow-bellied glider who was apparently the big daddy of the pack. We didn’t see any echidnas but we heard some dingoes going bonkers in the background… like I hear now. Spooky.

For dinner Steve had prepared some great roo kebabs, affectionately called “roo-bobs” in my dictionary. The meat was definitely gamey but with a bit of barbeque sauce it was actually very good! For dessert we were very lucky to partake in tasting Steve’s famous chocolate cake, no doubt with ice cream and milo on top. It was absolutely fantastic.

After a quick Simon-drilling for quiz questions, we all trudged back to the tents for some module work and quiz-making for me. It’s going to be a long night… and breakfast is at 6:30am. Oh, goody.