Hello, my name is Paul Shanks and I just returned from the trip of a lifetime in Australia. I would be understating it if I said “the trip was phenomenal.” I’m an Animal Science major at the University of Arkansas, and this may be the very reason why I enjoyed the trip so much because we experienced lots of animals. Starting day one we were bussed to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and instantly indulged our self with the Australian experience by holding a Koala. Not only did we see many more species of wildlife there, but we also got many other chances to see all the unique critters Australia has to offer. We got a presentation from Geckos wildlife, learned about dingo’s at Billabong Sanctuary, studying koalas at Bungalow Bay, and my favorite a night walk and platypus spotting at Hidden Valley. What’s crazy is this won’t even describe half the story. While in country we visited Brisbane and then went north to Townsville to experience a little different life. The more north we went the more production agriculture we saw especially when we went to my favorite place the Texas Longhorn Farm. Wildlife and farm animals are not all Australia has to offer however; if you were to snorkel the great barrier reef like we did you wouldn’t only see fish, but thousands or corals. Yes, believe it or not, corals are animals. The knowledge and animals, culture, and just traveling in general that this trip provides you is simply priceless. I 100% recommend traveling during anyone’s time at college because how else would you speak to an Aboriginal native, play a game of trivia at your hotel with a local, or even navigate your way through the LAX airport while running just so you don’t miss your plane. I promise every second of the trip was one of a kind and a tremendous influence on my educational path.
