G’Day Mates from Cairns, Australia 

Today was bitter sweet as we said good-bye to New Zealand and hello to Australia. Although it was sad to leave the Land of the Long White Cloud, we are excited to spend our last few days in the Land Down Under. After a 5.5 hour flight we touched down in Cairns, Australia. We are becoming quite the efficient travel group, moving on/off the airplane, thru airport baggage and customs with ease. After we checked in at our hotel, we walked along the beach and grabbed lunch. Then we visited a beautiful family-owned opal store and learned about these specific gemstones. Pretty amazing that the jewelry students purchased as souvineers have stones that are millions and millions of years old. We then had a yummy dinner and visited the vibrant night markets to shop for authentic Australian treasures. The students closed the night with some time in the hotel pool, playing cards and getting ready for the upcoming talent show! Tomorrow we spend the day at the Great Barrier Reef and we couldn’t be more excited!

Goodnight ~ The MD Koalas