Women's Basketball Australia Trip Journal

Australia Photos

May 26 -- Noel Beagle

G’Day Mates!

Down under and what an amazing seven days it’s been! By now we’ve all been here long enough to absorb different bits of Australian culture we’ve been immersed in. Whether we’ve finally learned to look right before crossing the street, realized that our pocket full of coins is worth $15, finally adjusted to the flipped time schedule or clockwise flushing toilets (yup, that’s right, check it, it’s something), we’ve all picked up something Australian. And while I’ve yet to master the Australian lingo, I’m going to use my outback Aussie guide to give it a hurl (try) to give you a flavor of what we’ve been hearing.

Day #7 was spent just like all the other days “flat out like a lizard drinking” (very busy) and action packed. It was a “stinker of a day” in Cairns (beautiful, great weather) perfect with bright blue skies and the sunny sunshine for our “skyrail experience,” a gondola ride 130 feet above the canopy of the Barron Gorge National Park Rain Forest. While our ride was slightly lacking in wildlife spottings (a lone duck was the extent of it for my gondola) the views were spectacular. We descended at the Red Peak and Barron Falls stations to “take a squizz” (look) at the forest floor and the heart of the rainforest, and of course take more pictures.

“A wayout to billy-o” (a long way up) at the top of the cable way was the village of Kuranda where the shops, markets, cafes and restaurants offered a multitude of ways to spend our pretty Australian money. After lunch atop the mountain, it was off to Rainforest station to take an Army Duck tour of the Australian Rainforest. Army Ducks are six wheeled off-road amphibious vehicles so our tour was on land and in the water. We saw tassell Farms, strangler figs and Black Wattle trees, huge termites nests, a snappy turtle and two eastern water dragons!

By the end of our duck boat rides, we were all “carked out” (tired) and most of us slept during the bus ride back to our hotel. The team continued its lounging beachside at the Cairn’s lagoon, reading, relaxing, soaking in the sun! But “I reckon” (I’m sure) it’s true, we are not going to leave Australia without every last Australian spent. So we revived to do a little more shopping before it was time to “long in and have some tucker” (eat).

We had a fun farewell dinner at the Oasis Restaurant, with great laughs, cheers, and thanks all around to everyone for making this such a “rip-snorter” (fantastic) trip. “It’s ridgi-didge!” (so true). We’ve all had such a wonderful time.

May 25 -- Christina Phillips
After an early wakeup, we boarded a boat that would take us to the Great Barrier Reef. It took about two hours to reach the reef from the shore but it was well worth the trip. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest living thing, spanning 1,240 miles along the eastern shore of Australia. Along with the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef is the only structure on earth that can be seen from the moon. I thought these were pretty cool facts :}

After anchoring at our first site, we were able to jump in and snorkel in the reefs surrounding the boat. In addition to snorkeling, scuba diving was offered, and many of us took advantage of this. After a 5-10 minute lesson, those who wanted to (and those who wanted to pay), could go on a 30-minute dive. At first the whole idea of breathing while 10 feet under water took a while to get used to, but soon we were able to enjoy the colorful fish, sea cucumbers, and giant clams that awaited us under the surface. For me, the hardest thing was dealing with the pressure in my ears as we went deeper, but it improved over the course of the dive. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the dive for both scuba divers and snorkelers was Wally. Wally is a 3-foot long fish and probably the friendliest fish you’ll ever meet. As soon as we entered the water, he was there to greet us. We were able to pet him and swing him around, and he kept coming back for more. Luckily, there are no shark attacks to report. Erwin did spot a white-tip reef shark under the boat, but it stayed pretty much to itself.

On the way to the second dive site, a rope net (not really sure what to call it) was dragged on the back of the boat. We were able to hop on and get pulled along with it. It was an enjoyable ride until the crew decided to see how fast they could go without anyone falling off. It was a wild ride as we gulped salt water and tried our best to hang onto our bathing suit bottoms. The “game” finally ended when Case let go to retrieve her bottoms, which fortunately she found.

Our time at the second dive was spent exploring the surrounding reefs. Giant sea turtles, an octopus (spotted by Bonnie) and a large angelfish were some of the amazing sealife seen on the reef. After a long but exciting day spent exploring the world’s largest reef, we headed back to the mainland, a bit tired and sunburned but fully appreciative of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The evening was spent hanging around the town of Cairns.

May 24 -- Bonnie Smith

We left for Cairns expecting turquoise waters, koalas and boxing kangaroos and a win. We weren't disappointed with any of these. After team good-byes with Ed, our tour guide, and a wake-up at the crack of dawn, we piled into the bus for a short trip to the airport. A surprisingly empty group check-in was waiting for us, but after unloading we discovered it was too good to be true. We were at the wrong airport. A flustered reloading and trip to the international port ensued. It all worked out in the end and four hours later we touched down in a tropical paradise.

Cairns is a beautiful small city on the northern coast of Australia characterized by clear Pacific waters and coastal rainforests. After a short bus tour around the area, we went to the Wild World, a zoo-like place on the outskirts of the city. There were many highlights at Wild World. Brynn finally cuddled her koala, a cockatoo ran into Joanna's head, and the reptile expert almost got eaten by a crocodile! I think after seeing the six-meter long crocodile, most of us gave up our dreams of becoming croc hunters.

After walking around the cute beach strip and grabbing some dinner, we went to the "FishTank" for our last game. We won! It was a great performance all around against the Cairns Dolphins, and we hope it sets the stage for a winning a season to come. Looking forward to two more days in beautiful Cairns!

Stats from the game
Yale 76
Cairns 57

There were five Yale players in double figures -- Brynn Gingras 13, Lindsay Page 10, Bonnie Smith 19, Julie Cohen 10 and Morgan Richards 11. Yale was 9 of 17 from the 3-point line ,with Bonnie Smith going 5 for 9. Morgan Richards also had 11 rebounds to go with her 11 points.

May 23 -- Aubrey Smith

Today was one of the most relaxed days in Sydney. We met for breakfast at 10:00 am instead of the usual 8:30 am. Afterwards we had time on our own to explore and go shopping. Many of us went to the Mick Simmons store (again) to buy some rugby gear. Some more people did souvenir shopping in the QVB (Queen Victoria Building) and the other malls. Others decided to go to Darling Harbor and relax on a hill.
We had an afternoon game against the developmental team of the Australian Institute of Sport. This was honestly one of the most physical, overtly brutal games that any of us had ever played in. There weren't many fouls called, but it was a great learning experience of how we need to play in the upcoming season. We lost the game but it was a hard-fought battle.
So did you know there was an opera house in Sydney? We drove by it again on our way back from the game. It was beautiful of course, but we were ready to get cleaned up and go to dinner. Most of us went to Nick's, a seafood and grill on the harbor. We all tried kangaroo and octopus. The kangaroo tasted much like steak. On the harbor, we met two Cornell men's basketball players who were also on tour. We ended the night at St Patrick's restaurant and thus concluded our time in Sydney. Off to Cairns in the morning.

May 21 -- Julie Cohen

We started today with breakfast in the hotel. Coach Kerry made everyone try Vegemite, which most Australians enjoy. Our team did not enjoy it much -- it must be an acquired taste. The rest of the breakfast was really good though.

After breakfast, we went on a tour of Sydney Olympic park and the Olympic village which were both really beautiful. We got out of the bus and had a tour of Telstra Stadium which was used as the main stadium during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It was the largest venue in Olympic history and it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. It also hosted soccer , track, the field events and the final stages of the
men's and women's marathon.

In the afternoon we had some free time. A group of us went to the IMAX theatre to learn more about Australia. We then met some more members of the team at the Sydney Aquarium, which had a large collection of sharks. The aquarium also had an amazing exhibit on the great barrier reef which we will soon get to see in person. That afternoon, Lindsay, Katherine and Erwin climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge which took three and a half hours. The climb was worth the spectacular view.

Dinner was a lot of fun. Apparently, in Australia, you do not get to choose what you eat for dinner but rather they serve alternating soup and salad for each person. We didn't get to choose our deserts either. This luck of the draw method caused a major outburst from the parent and coach end of the table.

We can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!!!

Julie Cohen '04

May 19 and 20 -- Captain Brynn Gingras

Our team left New Haven on Saturday and arrived in Sydney, Australia on Monday morning. The 20 hours of flying were difficult, but upon arrival we soon realized that it was well worth it.

After clearing customs, the team boarded a bus for a brief tour of
Sydney. We were exposed to downtown Sydney, the Botanical Gardens, beaches, parks and luxurious homes along the coastline. The rest of Monday was for our own liking to explore the city. At night., we gathered together for an Aussie style dinner.

On Tuesday, we began by having a delicious breakfast in the hotel
followed by a cruise around the harbor. This gave us a picturesque view of Sydney from sea level. After, we met at the famous Sydney Opera House. Like the Eiffel Tower is to Paris and the Tower Bridge is to London, the Opera House is Sydney's most famous landmark. We were given a tour of the opera house and learned that it resembled a boat with sails floating on the harbor.The view of the Sydney Harbor bridge from this setting was amazing!

Finally, at night we played our first Australian team, the Southerland Sharks. The game was competitive and it gave us our first opportunity to play together before summer break. Our game attracted many fans and was followed by a home cooked reception. The people and players were very friendly.We are excited for the games and sights that are in store for us in the next week.

• Australia Photos