Friday, May 25, 2018

Day 13

Students listening to tour guide (James) talk about bananas at the Sydney Market
Main alley in the wholesale market (within the Sydney Market)
Today is our final day in Australia, so we had to make the most of it with some tourist stops as well as some educational ones. We started the day bright and early and made our way to the Sydney Flower and Fruit market. This market is open from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. but business owners can come in as early as 3 a.m. to purchase products for their shops. The market itself has around 500 employees, with around 1,000 retailers between the flower, fruit, wholesale, and other retail markets. There are a few separate buildings that separate the market, such as the flower market, the fruit market, wholesale, and a separate area just for the bananas. We got to try some of the tasty bananas and cantaloupe, and enjoyed talking with the different vendors about their businesses. The market is very environmentally friendly, recycling over 70% of their waste. They also are the leading business in Australia for the most solar panels used. It was a very interesting tour and we wrapped it up by enjoying breakfast at one of the cafes in the market.

Picture of the Scenic Cableway
Scenic Skyway in transit
View of the Jamison Valley with the Three Sisters
The group then travelled to Scenic World in the Blue Mountains. Students had the option of enjoying four different options provided by Scenic World. The first option was the Scenic Railway, which is a passenger train that goes down the side of the mountain at a 52°angle to the valley below. A major point of laughter for the group came from the ride playing the Indiana Jones theme song all the way down the hill. From there, the group got to walk around on the Scenic Walkway, where the group got to see temperate rainforest, and an example of early Australian mining. The group also had the opportunity to ride on the Scenic Cableway, which was a giant gondola that could carry up to 84 people from either the Scenic Walkway or from the Scenic World visitor center. The last option everyone got to experience was the Scenic Skyway, which spans 270 meters spanning two different cliffs that rise out of the Jamison Valley. From there, students could get to hike on different paths to see different sights of the valley and waterfalls.
 

Our final stop of the day was at the Featherdale Wildlife Park. This place had tons of different types of animals, like golden pheasants, bats, koalas, kangaroos, and even penguins! Some of us got some photos with the koalas that we have been looking forward to for the entire trip. A lot of the animals they allowed us to pet and feed treats to included some farm animals that made us feel back at home again! Having a small kangaroo next to you eating out of your hand was lots of fun! They also had a variety of birds- both exotic and common. The Australian pelican looks very similar to the crane in America. Finally, we got to see some more crocodiles, since we saw some at the crocodile farm towards the middle of our trip. It was interesting seeing all the different types of animals they have at the park and seeing and holding them up close.


Wallaby at the Featherdale Wildlife Park
We then made our way back to the hotel to clean up for our farewell dinner at Nick’s Seafood. It was nice to sit down with our classmates and reminisce on the trip for our final night. After supper, some of us went into the Sydney Harbor to see the first night of the Vivid Light Festival in Sydney! Our group flies back to South Dakota tomorrow afternoon!

Sarah Eggert and Kathryn Haeska

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