The Beginning

I was bursting with tears as I left my fabulous friends in Auckland. It was so heartbreaking. But my adventures had just begun.

I got into the plane to Cairns and took off with my bear that my teacher gave me, which I named Hugh. The plane journey took four hours and fifteen minutes. When I got out of the plane I thought it was a dream but it was real life. I couldn’t believe I was in Australia.

When we got out of the airport my family and I went somewhere that had wifi and someone that worked there told us about a market that happened every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So we went to the colourful fruit market to get something for lunch. I had a crepe then for the first time. We met a nice man called Tony who was originally a kiwi.

After that we went to our hotel and went for a swim in the swimming pool (without crocodiles) and I went back to the room we soon went to the Cairns Night Market, and met Tony again! He sat down beside us again. Then we went into the night market to buy something. I bought a boomerang from an aboriginal craftsman who makes lots of cool stuff. It was Ilona’s 10th birthday and we were very tired as we were up since 4am and Cairns is two hours behind in New Zealand. Ilona had a looooong birthday.

We were lucky to be in Cairns at this time because there was an Aboriginal Arts Festival that happens only once a year. There were two big sheds full of amazing artwork. Some of the art is based on their dreamtime, which is where all their culture and stories are from. They often use animals and plants in their art.

There was a kid’s activity table and we could make aboriginal based art things. I made a mask and two bandanas.

I will give you instructions how to make a bandana:
First get the bandanna (a triangular piece of fabric) and put it out flat on a flat surface. Second, with your roller or paintbrush, roll fabric on the stamp. The stamps we used had aboriginal designs. Third, put the stamp on the fabric and press firmly. You can use as many stamps as you want to design the bandanna. Fourth leave to dry in the sun. Fifth, enjoy wearing your bandanna, you can roll it up and put it around your head and look like a bandit!

  A Croc!A python!

We went to “Hartley’s Crocodile Wildlife Adventure Park”. It was wild, and I was a bit scared. I thought we would pat a big 5.6m crocodile, but we didn’t! Lucky! I touched a smaller one on the crocodile farm! Yes they farm crocodiles for the meant and skin. The big crocs were humongous and really, really dangerous. They could kill you and would drag you under the water. They are an animal that you have to respect and not take for granted.

we also saw and patted koalas and kangaroos.

I’m wearing my bandana in the koala picture.