I can’t believe that it’s already my fourth week in Australia. This has been an amazing journey that I will never forget. I have already been to many different places along the coast of Victoria and it has been quite eventful. Last weekend, Tom’s family and I went to Inverloch, a small town on the beach. Since they have a beach house there, we stayed for one night and we spent a lot of time relaxing. The Australian coast is very different from North America. It seems to be a lot more natural with fewer people and more wildlife such as sea grass and marine organisms. Also, there aren’t many buildings on the shore, which is great.

Tom and I spent a lot of time together on the beach and it turns out that he is huge NFL fan just like me, so we threw a football around on the sand. In addition, we visited an area called “Eagles Nest,” which is a very rocky area on the shore. I enjoyed going there and we were able to see some crabs and even a scorpion!

This week, Tomas and I went to The Great Ocean Road, one of the most scenic and historical areas on earth. In fact, it was the Australian WWI veterans who built this highway after they returned home. The drive was just amazing and we saw many beaches, the ocean, and some hills. The water seamed clear and turquoise and I really wanted to stop and jump in. However we weren’t able to because we wanted to leave enough time to see the Twelve Apostles. The Twelve Apostles were beautiful even if there are only eight left. The reason why four are missing is because the apostles are actually limestone stacks in the ocean so they are eroding quickly due to the waves. In fact, if I come back in a few years, some of them might be completely gone.

This trip is going by very quickly and I’m enjoying all of the experiences and adventures so far. We are going to Sydney and the Eureka Tower next! –Terry Xiao ’18