Sad Face :(

So they were supposed to email people by midnight Queensland time (9AM here in NYC) everyone who was being considered for the top 50 shortlisting. No email.

Boo. Can't even say I'll try next time...unless someone else wants to offer something like this up again :D

Oh So Shiny...

Surfing.  It's really all I think about.  I was looking for some of the best places to surf in Queensland and came across the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast is the 2nd most populous city in Queensland and the 6th most populous city in Australia.  This city is HUGE and built on tourism.  I will make sure to get there someday...

Wow...How Did I Not Think of This Sooner!

Duh, the Australia Zoo-Home of the Crocodile Hunter is in Queensland! I would have to go visit (maybe even more than once!) while I'm there.

November 15th is Steve Irwin Day! I will promise right now, that if I am in Australia I will have to celebrate. It looks AMAZING and so much fun. Also the main focus is becoming eco-friendly and continuing the preservation of our environment! Go Steve Irwin!

So Huggable.

I haven't posted a dugong photo in awhile...Enjoy!

Happy Fat Tuesday!

So in honor of Fat Tuesday here is my post about food in Australia. Now I mentioned this post to a few people and the first things out of peoples' mouths were the same. Meat Pies and Vegemite.

Australian Meat Pies look yummy and seem to be, yes, pretty popular. Four'N Twenty is the most famous fast food carrier. I would say meat pies in Australia are the equivalent of hamburgers or hot dogs in the states.


Vegemite. What is it? Well according to Wikipedia, it is a "dark brown food paste made from yeast extract". Yum... It is actually made from left over beer brewer yeast. It has the consistency of peanut butter and the taste of beef bullion. Everyone I've talked to swears by it. I guess we'll see... Here are some Vegemite recipes.



Hopefully I will get to try these soon!

Oh What a Night...

It's currently about 1:30AM in Brisbane right now and about 77 F (or 25 C) and according to weather.com, it feels even warmer than that! Now currently in NYC it's about 26 F (or -3 C). ugh. Sun...I need sun.

I want to make a commitment right now that if I get the Best Job in the World, the first thing I'm getting is a surf board! I'm going to commit to surf every morning that I can.

How great would it be to just wake up and jump into the ocean?? But alas, here are some more pictures to make the wait a little more bearable.






***Oh by the way...pick me please!

Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying...

Ok, I am having the hardest time EVER waiting for March 2nd. It really doesn't help that I sit in foront of a computer ALL day and am just sitting waiting for an email to come from Tourism Queensland.

Ugh.

I need this. I need change, I need sun, I need to learn to surf, I need to learn to scuba dive...this would be so perfect.

But alas we wait, and I provide you with more pretty picture of where I want to be.







Ok, I think my heart is going to burst...

Floating Hotel?

So I was reading and article on the top 10 floating hotels and I came across one that they are planning for the GBR.

Apparently the hotel is set to open in 2010 and is supposed to be eco-friendly and backed 100% by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Now is just me or does this seem a little off, since we are trying to preserve the reef for as long as possible. I'm sure some locals are having the same thoughts I am...

A Floating Hotel in Townsville

Don't We Want to Save This?

I Heart Penguins...

Now I know this really doesn't have anything to do with the GBR or Queensland, but it made me think of it. Now I love the movie "Surf's Up" about surfing penguins, and I happen to be watching it a couple of days ago.

Pen Gu Island, where the majority of the movie takes place, looks like it could be in the GBR! And I guess all the surfing makes it kind of applicable...

I Love Them :D

ugh.

This waiting is crazy... I'm really glad I didn't make my video sooner. I want to swim, dive, lay in the sun, hold a koala. It will be glorious.

I think I have pretty much decided even if I don't get this I still want to look at possible job prospects in Australia. After learning so much about it, it really has me wanting to go.

So alas in the time waiting I shall post some more pretty pictures (my God soooo beautiful!):






P.S. I have been researching food in Australia and will posting on it soon!

I'm up!!!

My video application has been accepted and now you can watch it here on the official website!!!

Please watch and rate! The submissions close on Sunday and then they will post the top 50 on March 2nd. Eeeeekkkk!!! So close, I can't wait!!! :D

Go Green! (two ways)

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is actually seeking out Australian governments to put more funding into GBR conservation. They hope that increased funding can help some of the areas that are most detrimental to the reef. Good Luck!

No not Crush! (and Squirt!)

More bad news for animals living in the GBR. Green Turtle hatchlings seem to be in decline as is the GBR as a whole. It is still under investigation and would take a lot of time. But still....global warming effects everyone.

Little Baby Squirt

Under the Sea...more!

Something else that's looks so interesting and a lot of fun in Glass Bottom Boat Tours. So for the people who don't want to get as up close and personal as diving does, here is an option for you.

Check out a bunch of places along the reef that offer tours!



*Personally I would still much rather get up close and personal...and wet :D

Video Application!!!

I finished my application video today!!! Check it out:

Music, Makes the People, Come Together...

So while exploring the music, I found the official Australian Music Charts. Here's a highlight of some hot Aussie Artists:

Jessica Mauboy

Natalie Bassingthwaighte

Empire of the Sun

Cassie Davis

Wes Carr (The Australian Idol Winner!)

Vote or Die....not really

The GBR is up for becoming one of the New7Wonders of the World (and it is currently ranked #1), so vote now! (Come on, you know you want to :D)

Eeeeek....

Only 8 days left and I must make a confession...I haven't made my video yet. Why have I waited this long? Well, I wanted to make sure this blog was up and running before making it (#1) and I'm nervous as hell about applying (#2)

I wish I could accurately describe in this video how much I really want this. I'm perfect for this job!

Ugh, so for now more pretty pictures and soon (oh so soon) my video submission!

Music, Music Everywhere

I have also found a website that represents the Queensland Music Network called Q Music. This looks like a resource for local artists to find out more about the music scene and further their careers. Again I'll check this out and post more later...

Please Don't Stop the Music...

In the U.S. I work in the music industry and it happens to be a big part of my life. So, I was interested to find out what kind of music scene the area of the GBR and Queensland has.

The first thing I found was that Queensland has a Music Festival coming up in 2009. This is something I definitely want to follow and check out the artists. I also found that they had a website for the 2007 Queensland Music Festival. I'll check out the artists and get back to you.

Love Them Koalas...

Little Sam the Koala has gotten a lot of attention lately. Although this isn't in Queensland, the Victorian bushfires that have taken place have devastated the south of Australia. This is little survive is a sign of hope and has quickly gotten attention all over the world. Sooo cute :D

Sam working on recovery

Under the Seas 3D

I had completely forgotten this movie was coming out! (I had seen the preview when I saw Madagascar 2 in the IMAX) Documentary film maker Howard Hall made a 3D film documenting sea life in the GBR and the Coral Triangle.

With Jim Carey narrating, the movie has gotten rave reviews. But as shown by this site pictures of the GBR speak for themselves...

Lack of Postage...

I know, I know...it's been a little bit of a busy week, but soon I will post some more great stuff about the GBR, but for now a great travel article about the GBR from Singapore and a pretty picture to keep you going :D

Surf's Up!-Part II

I found another surf school in the southeastern section of Queensland, aptly called Surfers Paradise. The school is called Australian Surfer International. They boast a program they called the 2 Hour Learn to Surf. (Sounds perfect)

This program is meant for all ages and skill levels. It is conducted close to shore and all equipment is provided. They claim that most students stand up in lesson #1! The program runs $55 AU for adults.

Soon, so soon I will learn how to surf. I'm telling you I cannot wait to get there!

The Beautiful Surfers Paradise

Stuck in the GBR

Yesterday/Today (depending on where you are) a woman from the U.S. got stuck in the GBR when she and her diving partner were carried away from their diving boat from the current.

After treading water for 7 hours, they were found about 8 nautical miles from where their boat had originally been.  The pair were both in good spirits and said that they planned on going out again the n

ext day.

Amazing...and scary...but still I really want to go diving :D

More Surfing...

So like I've said before I really, really want to learn how to surf.  I've begun my research on where to learn in Queensland and one of the first places I came across was a school called Merrick's Noosa Learn to Surf.

On their website you can sign up for lessons, but lessons for others or even buy equipment, but the coolest thing is that they give tips and little lessons right online.  You can read up and find out some surfing basics before you even get to Queensland!

Global Warming vs. Koala Bears

Like I said before I had heard something about koalas and wanted to look into it further.  A friend had told me that due to global warming eucalyptus leaves (the base of a koala bears diet) are becoming less nutritional and are also causing trees to absorb more toxins from the ground.

Koalas are being poisoned by the staple of their diet.  Hopefully the rate at which this happening cam slow and we can stop the koala bear from becoming the next endangered species...

Well Wishes To Everyone in Queensland

Queensland has been officially declared a disaster zone after flood waters have consumed about 2/3 of the state.

Here's to hoping for a speedy clean-up. Also please watch out for the crocs and snakes!

Too Cute Not to Share...

Adorable! This is too cute not to share. I've also recently heard a rumor about the future of koalas. I'm going to look into it when I get a chance and then post more, but for now...cute koala pictures :D

The GBR From Home

Google Earth has just added a new feature to their free beta version (5.0) that will allow you to explore ocean floors and surface areas based on information from marine experts.

Now anyone can explore the GBR from t

he comfort of your own home...in preparation for a trip to see it live :D

And I'm Back...

Oh the sunshine!  I miss it already :(  It was a-mazing to be somewhere warm and be wearing shorts and t-shirt outside in January!  I don't know if I have ever done that before...

I was thinking about Australia while I was there, though, on America's finest holiday...the Super Bowl!  

Ben Graham is the first Australian to ever play in the Super Bowl with his appearance this last Sunday. He is also the first player to be a captain in both the American and National Football Leagues.

Now although the Cardinals didn't win, congrats to them for making it there!

Vay-cay!

So I haven't been posting regularly and probably won't be for the next couple of days. I am off to San Diego, CA today to go play in the sunshine :D

I am leaving the cold 30 F (-1 C) to the sunny, warm 75 F (25 C) Hello beach! So in the meantime here are some pretty beach pictures from the GBR to keep everyone going.

Surf's Up!

Now I have been waiting to do this post, because it is something I have wanted my entire life. I have ALWAYS wanted to learn how to surf. Now growing up I lived nowhere near an ocean and was crushed when I figured out you cannot surf on a lake.

I have tried once since living near the Atlantic Ocean and it wasn't the best experience. I went with 8 other people. The weather was still pretty cool so we had 2 surf boards and 2 full body wet suits. This was the first time I had had any interaction with surfing, so of course the experienced surfers sent out the 2 newbies out on their own after everyone else. First I had to but on a wet, wet suit. (This is one of the worst experiences I have EVER had) Then once we got out in the water it was going ok until the sky opened up. A thunder and lightening storm hit and we were stuck in the water with HUGE waves.

Needless to say it wasn't the best first experience, but I was so excited to come back and tell my roommates I had gone surfing :D I've always vowed that I will learn and it will become one of my greatest pass times.



Now back to work, but I will post more later about surfing around the GBR!

Hamilton Island-Part II

Something else I learned about in the article was Heart Reef. The best way to see it is by seaplane or helicopter ride. These rides average about 30 minutes and are the best way to see the Heart Reef.

Heart Reef as seen from a seaplane

One more thing I found really cool in the article the mention of a Koala Gallery. You can eat breakfast outside, while looking at the animals. I want to see koala bears, kangaroos, and Tasmanian devils! Sooo cool!

A Hamilton Island Resort Website gives a description:

The Koala Gallery Wildlife Experience features a large collection of Australian native animals including koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, crocodiles, wombats, Tasmanian devils, frilled necked lizards and various reptiles. The sanctuary also houses the Koala Gallery Gift Shop and licenced coffee shop. The perimeter of the coffee shop dining area is a koala exhibit and 'Breakfast with the Koalas' is held daily from 7:30am to 9:30am. An Aussie buffet breakfast is served at this time and coffee, cakes and light snacks are available all day. Lunch is available from 12:00pm to 2:30pm. Educational tours, cockatoo presentations, crocodile shows and souvenir photos with the koalas are available at set times each day. Great for all ages. Breakfast packages are available.

Adorable.

Hamilton Island

I found an article today written in a Japanese newspaper about getaways to Hamilton Island. Since the Best Job in the World house is located on Hamilton Island I figured I should learn more about the island itself.

The first thing I found out about Hamilton Island is that everyone gets around on golf buggies. Private vehicles are prohibited on the island in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. According to the article by June 2011 all of the buggies will be electric powered.

Golf Buggies on Main St. on Hamilton Island

Swimming, Swimming, Swimming, Swimming...

So I had a dream about swimming last night...and now all I want to do is go swimming. Seeing as it is the middle of January in NYC it doesn't look like I will get to swim soon, but I can still think about it...

But I Still Want To See It...

Ok, but what if you don't want to spend as much time and money on scuba diving, but you still want to experience the GBR up close and personal? Well the answer for you may be snorkeling.

Snorkeling is a great alternative to scuba diving and the only prerequisite is knowing how to swim! What's great about snorkeling is you can take some of the same boat day trips that the scuba divers do and it costs less.