Mount Stuart

Saturday was exciting for two reasons. First, I completed my first final examination. I will not bore you with coral reef geomorphological processes or theories; however, I will tell you that it went very well - I was content. The examination set-up (room, proctors, etc) I must say was rather imposing but nonetheless, but 3:30pm I was a free man and had no plans to study for the rest of the day.

That being said, my lovely friend Jamie and I decided to drive up to Mount Stuart, the beautiful, paramount formation that provides a natural skyline to the city of Townsville. It was about a twenty minute drive through beautiful foothills and rolling meadows, gradually winding their way up to ridges dotted with eucalyptus trees. The sun, tempted with the idea of setting for the day, sat like a sinking beacon to the west casting long shadows across golden and pink grasses and deepened the textures of the nearby barks of the trees we drove past. Once at the top we were met with the most spectacular view of the city. To think, I have been here for four months and had yet to experience this gorgeous scene. Just goes to show you that you can travel all you want to see "the beauty of the world" but sometimes the most beautiful things in the world are in your own backyard, overlooked by monotony.

Jamie and I walked around a little path along the edge of the mountain and had the best views of the surrounding area. We could see Magnetic and Palm Islands (near where I was at Orpheus a few months ago), and inland where rolling hills were met with flat grasslands. Beautiful.

We caught the early part of the sunset before deciding to drive down in order to catch the colors and sights on the way down the mountain. Equally gorgeous. I am so happy I finally got the chance to go up on Mount Stuart.