Autumnal April – it’s less weird if you ignore the calendar

Around April, the opposite seasons started to seem really strange. Back home, I was getting updates on snow melting and people planning for planting crops. Here in Melbourne, I was grateful the weather was finally cooling down so I could enjoy my walks more.

(I am always amazed at how fast snow can turn into a mini-melt flood back home).

(I was still skeptical of autumn in April)

I have also been trying to use autumn more instead of fall, because everyone in Australia looks at me like I am crazy when I say fall as a season and I am too tired to explain the etymology of fall the season and its popularity in the US.

I got to visit Ellinbank for the first time in April. Ellinbank is a research farm run by Agriculture Victoria. This was probably the coolest research farm I have been on. The staff were incredible, their procedures for research projects was inspiring, and the cows just looked super happy.

I was helping on a new sensor validation trial from a group at La Trobe. We were video taping the cows to track their behaviors and connect them with movements logged on the sensors.

It was super interesting seeing this side of sensor research since I have mainly focused on how we can use sensor output to better help cows and farmers. I was thrilled to see some of the mechanisms behind how sensors record data and the algorithms that convert that into the data I normally see. Plus, I always love an excuse to get into the field and see cows.

The cows were wearing two sensors on their collars that measured their activity and rumination.

I also finished setting up and styling my apartment. I am quite proud of how I was able to organize the space into different sections – I was a little concerned about living in a studio and only having one room, but I actually don’t mind at all. In fact, it has helped me to keep everything much tidier than I used to. (It probably helps that I could only bring my favorite things from home with me versus 27 years of accumulated treasures). I also adore how light and open my apartment is – it makes the space feel much larger than it is.

One thing I was super excited about when moving to Melbourne was the tattoo artists here. Incredible talent all over the city. I got my first piece here with Phryn. I wasn’t sure if I would ever get a color tattoo, but I really enjoyed Phryn’s style and designs! The tattoo is a jellyfish merged with a carnivorous succulent. Its such a unique concept, I love it!

Another adjustment to working in Australia has been figuring out a new set of public holidays. Anzac Day (which is similar to the US Veterans Day) is in late April. Due to this, I was able to take a long weekend and visit my friend Nicole in Tasmania! Nicole and I met at the2018 IFYE orientation in Washington DC. We had three days of hanging out around workshops and have stayed in touch ever since. It was great to finally make it to Tasi to see Nicole, and much easier now that my commute was only from Melbourne!

We went on a haunted gaol tour in Hobart to celebrate being reunited in person. I still don’t believe in ghosts, but the history of the gaol was creepy enough to give me chills.

The next day, we had a lovely hike and picnic at Russel Falls. Nicole’s mom joined us for the day. She was a mycologist in the Netherlands prior to moving to Tasi, which made our hike very interesting. I found myself noticing not only the plants and animals, but so many cool fungi!

One thing that blew my mind was the size of the plants. There was a fallen tree who’s partial trunk was wider than I was tall. And what I originally mistook for a variant of palm trees turned out to be ferns!

It almost felt like I was on set for Jurassic Park. When everything is so huge, it just feels ancient. I kept expecting to see mega-fauna pop out of the foliage.

I was also very impressed by the grill sites the Tasi parks had set up. I was expecting open charcoal grills that are typical in American parks, but we found an empty shelter that had a steel bench with a flat top grill.

Overall, a very tasty lunch after a wonderful morning hiking.

The next day we went to the Tahune Airwalk. It was a little nerve wracking walking so high in the trees, but I am glad I went!

This shot of the river reminds me of my favorite Disney moments – when Pocahontas sings ‘Just Around the River Bend’ and is choosing whether to follow to easy path or the winding path.