Brisbane and the Gold Coast

Its amazing how fast time can pass by without us even knowing until after the fact.  Four weeks of my study abroad trip has already come to an end and here I am starting week five.  Anyway here is what has been happening.

I now call a lovely townhouse in a suburb of Brisbane home and I have two amazing host parents who have kindly shown me around the city.  Oh and I must mention my furry host cat Mac who is currently sitting on my lap as I write this post.

My second weekend here I took the train down to the Gold Coast, which is exactly how it sounds, miles of beaches with silky sand and many skyscrapers.  If you are picturing Miami, Florida you have the right idea but I was in luck because it was less crowded.  It turns out people don't frequent the beaches at the end of winter despite the eighty degree weather.  Why? I have no idea. It was beautiful.

During my third week living in Brisbane my classes were in full swing and the homework was piling on but I still found time to enjoy myself.  I visited Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which is a must see if you happen to be anywhere near Brisbane.  The koalas were all over the place just chilling there like koalas do and I got to hang out with some pretty awesome kangaroos.  You should never try to approach a kangaroos in the wild but the guys at the sanctuary were perfectly happy to have a little pat from the tourists (and I'm sure they didn't mind the kangaroo food given out by the visitors).  It was definitely worth the money to see this little guy up close...

...and this guy

 ...and this one too.

Finally, this past week I was living without the comforts of home and the addicting drag of the internet while staying at Lamington National Park.  Let's just say that it was an amazing experience that deserves its own post...