Australia

I had the opportunity to live in a suburb of Sydney, Australia for ten months during 2007. My main purpose for being there was to attend college at Hillsong International Leadership College. Even though I was hard at work with my studies, (having to make sure that I passed all my courses, or my student visa would be dishonoured), I found the time and resources to experience the unique Australian culture and visit several different places including:

Sydney: While it's the home of the Opera House, it's surprisingly not the capital! That title of honour belongs to Canberra, which is several hours south of Sydney.
Beaches including:
- Manly Beach
- Bondi Beach: A very popular beach. When I went there, I couldn't find a spot that was anywhere near the water!
Ayers Rock
Terrigal - not the outback by any means, but a wonderful taste of small-town Australia!
Fiji - This one is definitely not part of Australia (just testing you!), so please go to the Fiji page for more details!


The Harbour Bridge. I was able to complete the BridgeClimb, and ascend all 200 steps to the top. Lots of work, but I must admit that the view was definitely worth it! It also served as a great tool for my friend to get over her fear of heights! To discover how you can make a trip to the top, click on the picture above.	Ayers Rock, also known as Uluru, is a geographical phenomenon of Australia and one of the best photo opportunities there is! It is very sacred to the Aborginal people of the area. In fact certain parts of the rock are deemed 'off-limits' out of respect for their beliefs.	Unfortuantely, I could not complete the climb to the top of Ayers Rock because of the extreme heat (it was hitting 40 degrees plus during my visit!) but would have enjoyed doing so.

A beautifully interactive wildlife park, where I had the privilege of feeding a little kangaroo. It was the beginning of summer, so the kangaroos were still small, only having been born in the spring.	I also had the chance to to pet a sleepy koala bear! Fun Facts: Koala bears sleep 23 hours a day; the rest of the time, they eat! Also, koala bears claws are the only substance tough enough to scratch diamonds.	A beauiful Australian sunrise, over a small-town beach in Terrigal.

I never expected to see ice in Sydney! But here it is, the biggest hail I have ever seen, which came upon us very suddenly one hot, hot day.	Hungry Jack's, a fast-food joint. Look strangely familiar? It should. In North America, we know Hungry Jack's as Burger King.	A humourous Australian road sign; a crosswalk!