Hello avid readers,
I am writing to you bundled in a blanket with a steaming cup of green tea to my right and a box of tissues not to far on my left. Although my immune system triumphed during the early weeks of study abroad when many people seemed to fall a little ill – alas, my time has come. However, it’s not entirely unexpected; the weather is getting chillier here and the days are getting shorter. Winter is coming.
The past week for the most part has been windy and wet. Which is probably for the best as it kept me indoors to finish my last two midterm papers and study for my Wildlife Ecology midterm. BUT, time was still made for fun and exploration because who needs high distinction grades anyways?
Last Tuesday we set out to the city to celebrate Detsou’s birthday, even though he kept on insisting that it wasn’t for his birthday in an attempt to keep us from singing Happy Birthday to him. It didn’t work. That night we stopped by Cookie – a rooftop bar, and later an arcade-bar with N64’s and classic pinball machines. I am slowly working my way through cool places to visit in Melbourne. Continuing this trend I visited Naked for Satan on Friday, a very hip bar in the epicentre of Fitzroy, a very hip (albeit increasingly gentrified) neighborhood. Wanting to take advantage of the open rooftop before it gets too chilly, I was greeted by a view of the city at night.
Saturday brought with it a reprieve from the rain and the sun shone bright in the sky. It was the perfect day for a hike and I was able to convince a few others to join me. Burwood is about an hour away from the Dandenong Ranges National Park and if you remember from a past blog post I had gone there during a class field trip. I had been wanting to go again and Saturday was the perfect day for it. We were headed to the Kokoda Memorial Trail and the popular 1,000 Steps. Now, I don’t know if there were actually 1,000 steps on the way up, but it felt like it could’ve been 10,000. Our calves quickly began to burn and the humid air didn’t help evaporate the sweat now clinging to our skin. But boy was it a beautiful climb. Since it had just rained the day before there were small streams trickling down the incline. The undergrowth was a deep green and spongy-looking mushrooms fruited off of damp wood. Above us, the tall Eucalypts reached for the sky. All of this meant I could stop for a photo-op whenever I needed to catch my breath and give the illusion that I was just an avid naturalist. There wasn’t really an overlook at the top, but occasionally there would be a break in the trees and you could see the distant landscape running into the horizon. We made it to the top and discovered that people live up here in beautifully bucolic lots surrounded by lush gardens. It seriously could’ve been the cover for Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
The hike was a great reminder to get out and get some fresh air, even if you have a paper and test due Monday. But woooboy, I felt those 1,000 steps in my thighs for the next few days.
Monday came with due dates and cramming at 9:00 for a test at 10:00. But then – freedom! To celebrate, myself and few friends went for cheap and delicious dumplings. Tuesday was another rainy day, but I agreed to be dragged along to the movies. The new Captain America had just came out and the movie-buffs of our friends were itching to see it. I don’t know if this is ubiquitous to all of Australia, but the movie theater we went to was nice, even though it was a chain. Also movie tickets in Australia are expensive – so thank goodness for student discounts!
Well this about brings me to the here and now. I’ve spent practically this whole Wednesday sleeping, so here’s hoping I’ll be better by tomorrow. I hope all of your finals are going well and may the 4th be with you!
-Ian
This week on What Could Kill Me In Australia we’re diving back underwater. Meet the Reef Stonefish (Synanceia cerrucosa), the most venomous fish in the world.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8207/8216743383_8435e35448_z.jpg)
The Reef Stonefish is widely distributed throughout tropical waters in the Indo-Pacific. Reef Stonefish have a large mouth and head and are camouflaged all over their body to look like crusty rock or coral. Look up photos of them, it can be a real challenge to identify where the fish is in the picture. The body color is typically brown or grey with patches of yellow, orange, or red. Reef Stonefish average about 35cm in length, or just over a foot long. Reef Stonefish live along coral bottoms or under rocks or ledges. They also bury themselves in the sand using their pectoral fins. Reef Stonefish feed on other fishes and small crustaceans – waiting for the prey to come near and then striking at incredibly fast speeds. As this species relies on its camouflage, it will not swim away when threatened, but will instead erect its dorsal fin spines. This proves problematic especially for humans as the Reef Stonefish injects potent venom through the spines in its dorsal fin. While no recorded person has died of a sting since European arrival, the venom causes an extremely painful burning sensation. Hot water baths can relieve the pain, but medical treatment should also been sought. The venom is a mixture of enzymes and non-enzymatic proteins that have cardiovascular and neurologic toxicity, however the mechanism of the toxicity isn’t well understood. So, while swimming in and around the coasts of Australia be, uh, careful of where you step.
http://australianmuseum.net.au/reef-stonefish-synanceia-verrucosa-bloch-schneider-1801
Ian Out Back 
