WOW I am glad we are not in the water today! Though it was amazing to explore the Great Barrier Reef yesterday morning! Don't you agree?! I mean we saw a stingray and clown fish! But today we are in the land of the crocodiles here at Hartley's Crocodile Farm. Have you ever seen a crocodile before? I'm guessing some of you may have seen one at a zoo, but never in its natural habitat because they are extremely dangerous! Australia is home to the largest reptile in the world, the Saltwater Crocodile. The males can grow up to 7 meters in length and weigh up to 1,000 kg. Explorers its time for a conversion....
How many feet long is the Saltwater Crocodile if it is 7 meters long?
How many pounds does a Saltwater Crocodile weigh if it is 1,000 kg?
That is one large croc! I don't want to be near that one! Unfortunately, in Cairns, Australia crocodiles can be found in freshwater and saltwater. Many of the crocodiles found at Hartley's were rescued from their habitats, mainly because they became a little too curious with humans. Hartley's is a sanctuary for crocodiles and provides an excellent, safe spotting place for us. For the most part the crocodiles are given their own lagoon because they are extremely territorial. The crocodiles that share an ecosystem claim their territory and if another crocodile enters... there is trouble. Just click the link to see!
I am SO SO excited that we are finally visiting Cairns, Australia today! I was tired of that 100 degree heat and I'm about ready to take us on a journey to the Great Barrier Reef! I'm sure many of you know that the Great Barrier Reef is the home to some of our favorite Disney characters like Nemo, Dory and even Squirt! Maybe if we are lucky we will see them today!!
The Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast northeastern Australia. The reefs are so massive that it can be seen from SPACE!! The Great Barrier Reef is made up of over a thousands reefs and is considered the largest living reef on Earth. Today from Cairns we are going to take a 45 minute ferry out to the Outer Reef because it is supposed to have some of the most spectacular views. Since we are visiting the Great Barrier Reef during Cairns "Green Season" it is vital that we wear a stinger suit in the water at all times. During Cairns "Green Season" they experience cyclones, which are just smaller versions of hurricanes. Just lots of rain, high winds and even thunderstorms! This is also breeding season for many animals cute and deadly. The Box Jellyfish is one of Australia's most deadly animals, in just one sting to the skin can be fatal. That's why today we are going to be wearing one of these funny blue suits. These blue suits protect your skin from coming in contact with a jelly fish.
Just think... WE are about to see one of the LARGEST structures in the WORLD... let that just sink in for a moment. So what is a coral reef? Coral reefs are found in tropical locations around the world, we even have a coral reef off the coast of Key West, Florida. Reefs are an example of an ecosystem. An ecosystem is a community of living and non living creatures. Question time..
After you have watched the video above I want you to make a list of two living and two non living things that can be found in the Great Barrier Reef. Post yours in the comments!
Okay have that done?!? Awesome! So these living and nonliving things rely on each other in order for survival. For example, the Sun provides a source of food for the plants, the Sea Turtle relies on the plants for food. Here we have an example of one of the many food chains in the Great Barrier Reef. Each animal, plant and non living thing depends on each other and without one the other may be threatened.
Can you list the correct order of the coral reef food chain?
Here are your creatures:
Eel, angel fish, Sun and sea grass
List those in correct order from lowest to highest in the food chain.
Well explorers I think its about time we start exploring the Great Barrier Reef UNDERWATER! I'm about to scuba dive and while I do I want you to scuba dive with me!! Create your coral reef below to show what you will see below the surface.
How to make a paper tissue Coral Reef!
Materials:
3 different colors of tissue paper (I used red, yellow and purple because those are the three most prominent colors found in the Outer Reef)
1 blue piece of construction paper
glue
print out the image below
Our goals is to recreate a coral reef to show how living and non living things depend on each other in an ecosystem. Be creative and accurate! Once you have completed your coral reef take a picture and upload it in the comments section.
G' Day Mates! I'm glad to see that you all landed safely in Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia.
I hope you enjoyed your time in Sydney, Australia! For the next few days we are going to be exploring one the the most iconic sites in Australia, which is Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park! Anyone want to try to pronounce that name? Here follow these steps.. (oo-la- rue) Uluru, (Kah- tah) Kata, (jew-tah) Tjuta National Park. Now say that ten times fast!
This rock is known by the locals as Uluru, but the early Europeans called it Ayers Rock. This site is a scared site to the aboriginal people because it is used to preform rituals and hold family gatherings to this day. The aboriginals were drawn to this giant rock because it appears to change colors through out the day. I want my explorers to think for a minute.... Is this rock changing colors itself?
hmmmm...? Take a look at the video and predict!
Well, if you said yes, I'm sorry but there is not a magical rock in this desert. This changing of color has to with the earth's atmosphere and the Sun's rays! So, when the Sun is low in the sky the atmosphere acts like a giant prism, splitting the Sun's rays into a color spectrum. The light reaching Uluru during sunrise and sunset is mainly from the red end of the spectrum and the reflection from the rock and clouds. The reddish brown color of the rocks and surrounding sand enhance these effects. Watch the video again to see it happen right before you eyes!
Phew! This heat is really getting to me. Let me check the temperature. Oh WOW its 38 degrees Celsius! hmmm I feel another question explorers... answer in the comments!
What is 38 degrees Celsius in Fahrenheit?
We can't forget about the other sacred site called Kata Tjuta!
About 80% of people that visit Uluru never see Kata Tjuta and honestly I am loving it even more than Uluru! The aboriginal people use Kata Tjuta as a religious site, but is exclusively only for men. Kata Tjuta is a large group of dome formations that are left over from a mountain range millions of years ago. Look at the Sun rays reflecting off Kata Tjuta!
Well mates it's time for us to explore some more on our own!
I'll catch you at the next destination,
Ms. Crummet
PS: Don't forget to bring your snorkel mask! You will be needing it very soon.
Phew! I'm so glad to be back on land again. After that layover in LAX and a 22 hour flight I am about ready for a nap, but wait?! It's 8:00am here? Why do I feel so tired? hmm I wonder what time it is back home? In the comments I need my explorers to answer this question:
What time is it in Boston, MA, USA if it is 8:00am on January 31st, 2019 in Sydney, Australia?
Well
I don't have time to be tired, so lets start exploring 'Straya! Here in the
land of Aussies they love to shorten what they say even the name of their
country. So, anyone that is confused 'Straya is Australia for short. Did you
know the Sydney is not the capital of 'Straya? It's actually Canberra!!
It is a small city and only has around 400,000 inhabitants. Canberra is located
286 km south west of Sydney. Wait kilometers?! What is that? So, Australia uses
the metric system while we use the imperial system to measure things like
distance, temperature and weight. Kilometers is similar to our measurement for
miles, but isn't an exact conversion. There is approximately 1.6 km to every
one mile! So explorers... How
many miles is it from Sydney to Canberra? Since
we have a few more days in Sydney before we jet off to our next location
be sure to check out the famous Harbor Bridge, Sydney Opera House and don't
forget to take your picture with the famous Bondi Beach Patrol! We have a total
of 5 days in this beautiful city, so follow this link to decide what your top 5
bucket list items are! I know I will be heading out to check out the Opera
House first by boat!
What are you going to see and do for the next 5 days?
Follow the link to make an itinerary for your next 5 days in Sydney. Then post the itinerary in the comments and see who else wants to do the same activities.
