Sydney

Our last stop before returning to Iowa for the spring semester was Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately, due to some scheduling problems with museum staff, I wasn’t able to conduct my research as planned. However, we did still get to see some of Sydney's impressive sights. We visited the world renowned Sydney Aquarium and ate a terrific seafood dinner on the Wharf. We relaxed on Shelly Beach and enjoyed a seafood/kangaroo pizza on the Manly promenade, and we took the ferry from the quay, past the Opera House, to Taronga Zoo. At Taronga, we just happened to be walking by the monotreme enclosure during feeding time and the zoo keeper actually let me pet an echidna, one of the world's two egg laying mammals (the other being the platypus). After picking up some obligatory last minute souvenirs (a boomerang for me and a didgeridoo for Tressa), we headed to the airport, saying goodbye to the sun, while thinking about the snow and ice waiting for us back in Iowa (along with all those pesky students!).

Adelaide, Australia

After a few days of being trapped in Beijing due to the worst blizzard to hit China in 60 years (costing us a trip to Vietnam), we finally arrived in Adelaide on January 6th. Now, unlike China, which was in the midst of an incredibly harsh and cold winter, Australia, being in the southern hemisphere, was in the middle of their summer. Stepping off the plane was like stepping out of a freezer into an oven. The very next day it hit a mind melting 115 degrees. While in Adelaide I had the opportunity to work with the Roonka collection at the South Australian Museum. The Roonka collection contains some of the few Australian specimens dating to the Pleistocene still available for study, with the Roonka East Bank 2 skull dating to as early as 20,000 years ago. In addition to the Roonka collection, the South Australian Museum also curates some of Australia's most prized archaeological discoveries, including the oldest known boomerang.

Adelaide is located in the Australian state of South Australia, which is a famous wine producing region. Tressa and I took advantage of the opportunity to visit the University of Adelaide's Wine Center, which explains the complexities of wine-making and provides the opportunity to taste some of the world's best wines. Tressa and I each leaped at the chance to enjoy 6 of the best wines we've ever put to our lips.

Adelaide is also located on the southern coast of Australia, which means it has some phenomenal beaches. Tressa and I made it a point to visit Glenelg beach one afternoon after work, making it just in time to enjoy one of the most incredible sunsets either of us had ever experienced.