Hi everyone,

I am just a little over a month away from my trip to Adelaide, South Australia, and Melbourne, Victoria, for research for Vanishing Down Under, and I am getting more excited by the day.  In addition to finalizing meetings and appointments with various wildlife caregivers, sanctuary owners, and veterinarians, I have been busy securing my Australian visa, the necessary medical certificates and medications I need,  practicing with my new camera, and ensuring my travel arrangements while I am in Australia.  I arrive in Adelaide on August 29th where I will stay until September 5th, then I fly to Melbourne, and I return to Berlin on September 24th.

While all this work is vital to ensure a productive and hopefully seamless trip, it has taken me away from writing the manuscript. Nevertheless, the book's first quarter is written in the hands of an editor. I am anxious to see her feedback and make the necessary changes.  In the meantime, here are the latest plans for my upcoming trip.  

I am very fortunate that a friend of mine, Cybil is a wildlife caregiver, who has graciously agreed to serve as my chauffeur, hotel, and social secretary for the time I will be in Adelaide and South Australia.   Cybil is so connected with the wildlife community that she has personally arranged for all my meetings and appointments while I am in town. She has been so thorough that I decided to cancel my trip to Kangaroo Island because there just was not enough time to do everything she arranged and I would have liked to do. I figure there is time next year when I return to visit Kangaroo Island.  

In the meantime, my flight arrives at (3.30 in the afternoon on August 29, where Cybil  picks me up, and I have precisely one afternoon/evening to recover from the jetlag.  On Friday, August 30th,  I have an appointment at the Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue (SKER). https://www.sker.org.au/ I have followed their website for years and have adopted multiple koalas and echidnas who have been in their care, so to have the opportunity to meet some of my adoptees in person is an actual reward. 

On Sunday, September 1, I plan to visit the Cleland Wildlife Park, where I will see the fantastic wildlife, including dingoes, wombats, kangaroos, wallabies, potoroos, native birds, and echidnas.  Additionally, I have booked an" encounter with a koala" where I will receive a "behind the scenes" tour of the koala lofts, watch and assist the koala caregivers in feeding and caring for their famous residents, and learn about koala conservation efforts (https://www.clelandwildlifepar...) Following that experience, I have a meeting with Koala Life Director Dr. Chris West.  He will talk to me about his work with Cleland Wildlife Park and his nonprofit work with Koala Life Board (https://koalalife.asn.au/about...)

On Monday, September 2, I am meeting with Dr. Wayne Boardman, Associate Professor of Conservation and Endangered Species at the University of Adelaide.  

On Wednesday, September 3rd, I have a meeting with Dr. Phil Hutt, director and founder of the Adelaide Koala and Wildlife Centre.  This, too, is a place where I have followed their fantastic work and donated money over the years, so I am thrilled to meet the staff in person.  

During my "down" time,  Cybil is trying to arrange some lunches/dinners and visits with friends of hers who are koala, wombat, and bat rescuers.

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On Sep 6th, I take the 90 minute flight from Adelaide to Melbourne, where I will spend a couple of days with my friend Trish, whom I met on tour in Italy in 2018.  While I am in Melbourne,  she will serve as my chauffeur, activities director, and hotel.

On Sep 8th, I am honored that documentary filmmaker Peter Hylands from Creative Cowboy Films has agreed to meet with me and talk about my work and the status of wildlife protection currently in Australia https://www.creativecowboyfilms.com/about#:~:text=%E2%80%94%20Peter%20%26%20Andrea%20Hylands,understanding%20of%20care%20and%20respect.

On Monday, Sep 9th, I board a train for Victoria Valley for approximately a 300-kilometer trip to the Wildwood Wildlife Shelter, where I will spend the next 4 days working and living side by side at a Kangaroo sanctuary with wildlife caregiver Pam Turner.  Cybil told me that Pam is one of the most widely known and respected kangaroo carers in the region, so I am honored that she has agreed to allow me to shadow her and her work. https://www.facebook.com/Wildw...

On Friday, the 13th, I return to Melbourne, where I will spend the weekend with my Trish "relaxing" before I am off on another train ride on Monday, the 16th, this time a 260-kilometer ride to Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter, where I will spend another 4 days with a wildlife caregiver for a different perspective on the rewards and challenges of dealing with Australia's wildlife. https://www.facebook.com/Dutch...

I return to Melbourne on Friday the 20th.  I have the weekend free to explore different parts of the Melbourne area, On Tuesday the 24th, I have a debriefing meeting with Peter Hylands, and then on the 25th, I am on my return flight back to Berlin.  This is going to be a very exhausting but informational trip. I think I am going to be very grateful for the long trip back.  I will post regular updates and I encourage you to follow me on this incredible voyage. In the meantime,  I encourage you to look at the websites or facebook pages of the groups I am visiting and learn more about them and the incredible work they are doing to protect Australia's wildlife.