G’day from Australia!

Despite a never-ending adventure en route from Los Angeles to Australia, we arrived safely and in high spirits. We have spent the past three days at the beautiful Lake Tinaroo in Northern Queensland enjoying the tropical weather while getting to know each other.

After a brief orientation to our new surroundings, we canoed to the other side of the lake and camped by the side of a river under the Tableland’s pristine starry skies. We swam in the river and dined by the campfire. The next morning we set out early on a six hour hike through the famous Australian bush, guided by Putney’s long time friend and Outback extraordinaire, Lou Christl. With Lou's guidance we reached the summit of one of the Tableland’s most beautiful peaks, Black Mountain.

After the hike down we canoed back to our home, the Tinaroo Environmental Education Center, and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of swimming and games. That evening we combined our efforts and cooked a delicious meal of pasta, garlic bread, and salad. With our bellies content, we went to sleep early in anticipation of an early rise to go rappelling, or as the Aussies call it, abseiling.

After canoeing across the lake, a few brave souls ventured down the 45 foot daunting rock face forwards, and some even ran! We returned to the center by canoe for lunch and to rest up for an afternoon on the ropes course. The highlight of the ropes course was definitely the giant swing over the water! That evening, we enjoyed another group-prepared meal of make-your-own tacos. Dinner was delicious and was enhanced by the presence of Lou and his friend who brought a wonderful dessert for us.

We are now in Cairns and the next few days will bring an exciting line up of crocodile farms, white-water rafting, and a trip to the Great Barrier Reef! We’ll be in touch soon.

With love,
Merrill, Tom, and the whole gang