So many firsts

Ok, brace yourself, because this is going to be a long one. Sorry about the delay, but hopefully i'll make it up to you with these two very eventful weekends.
Two weekends ago, Melanie and I ended our weekend of class, and decided to relax and have some fun at a rugby game. It was the last game of the season for the North Queensland Cowboys, and Dairy Farmer Stadium was packed with a sold-out crowd. On our way to the game, A man approached me on the bus, and asked me if I had tickets. I didn't since we were just planning on getting GA tickets when we got there, but he hooked us up with two Grandstand tickets, for ten bucks each. So, we got awesome seats, and even saved money! The game was great, and very close the entire time. With about a minute left, we were down by one try, and made a great run for the tie. The backs swung the ball out to the sideline and started charging for the endzone, they kicked it forward, and the outside man made a diving catch to try and score the try, but it went just of the end of his finger tips, with 1 second left on the clock. So, sadly, we lost, but you couldn't have asked for a more exciting finish. I'm glad we took advantage of going, but also sad that the season is over, and we can't enojoy any more games.
Saturday morning entailed a group of us loading up our packs and hopping on the ferry to Magnetic Island, to camp out overnight. Thank you Gatewoods, since much of information I got on the island was from the book you got me, and it made for an amazing camping trip! When we got off the ferry, we went to go rent a car (for really cheap), and then went to get groceries. Our meals were mainly alot of sausage cooked over the fire, so it was all delicious, and easy to shop for. After driving across the island a bit, we stopped and walked some gorgeous trails for a bit. The sun was just starting to get low, so the views were great, and whilst climbing on some boulders, I saw my first wild Koala! We took some pictures near him, and then left him to his sleeping. When we got back to the car, we had to hike a little ways to get to Florence Bay, but it was worth it, since the entire bay is just gorgeous, at night, and during the day. We set up camp on the far end of the beach, amongst the rocks, and got a small fire going. After enjoying our first pack of sausages, we all layed around on the beach, played games, and were just silly for a while. Jimmy and I decided that we wanted to run out into the water, and crash into the waves, so we took off running down the beach, but we didnt know the tide had gone out while we were eating. After a while, we wondered why we hadn't hit the water yet, and we realized what had happened. Since the bay is so shallow, the tide had receded about 110 meters! It was really impressive, and gave us some great oppurtunities to observe nature a bit. We grabbed some flashlights, and checked all the large rocks that had been half submerged earlier. We got to see all kinds of crabs, barnacles, limpets, and other stuff.
In the morning, we all relaxed out in the sun, and I took my time making a sweet sand castle. A couple walking by on the beach even told me I should be an architect! Make sure you check the picture site so you can see for yourself. After laying out for a while, we packed up our stuff and hiked back up to our car. After driving back across the island, we stopped and got some ver refreshing ice cream cones before getting back on the ferry and heading home.
This most recent weekend, involved some very different excursions. I spent my time up north of Paluma, on a conservation volunteer trip. Our goal for the week was to trap and tag Northern Bettongs. They are a critically endangered species of Marsupial, whose numbers have fallen below 1500. Our first day, we made bait, and went out to set 40 different traps throughout one region of the bush, where there had been some recent mosaic burns, hoping to catch something. The following morning, we didn't find any bettongs, but we did catch quite a few gliders, and brushtail possums, so it was cool to see some new wildlife. Saturday afternoon, we went to a homestead that supervises all the major burnings in the area, in order to coordinate with the national parks service. The people living there gave us afternoon tea, and taught us loads about the area, and the types of conservation efforts that they are involved in.
Sunday, we got out early to check the traps, but caught much of the same from the day before. On our way down the mountain though, some misfortune struck. They side of our troopy got hit by a motorcyclist on one of the curves, and he went into a slide a little ways up the road. After we stopped, i ran over with our first aid kit, and cared for Less (the rider) and his severly lacerated ankle for about 40 min. until the EMT's arrived. I've heard that he is fine though, and everyone in our vehicle was fine. It was an experience that I will never forget though.
After all that excitement, we made our way down to our next work site, where we were painting a cattle trap on a bridge. It's basically a series of stripes that confuses the cows, and keeps the from crossing the river into the national park.
When that was done, we got to do some sightseeing at Wallaman falls, Return Gorge, and many other beautiful areas of the region. After arriving back at uni, it was time for dinner, and one of the best nights of sleep that I have gotten since I've been here. It's amazing how much energy you spend after a weekend of romping through the bush.
For now though, I have a biodiverstiy paper to finish, and a test on diagnosing ECG's to study for, so I must bid you all farewell.
love from,
Matt