<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Down Under Diary]]></title><description><![CDATA[Aussie Adventures for Young Explorers]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 03:32:56 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Back Home]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have now returned to sunny Los Angeles after a 15-hour flight home. I am going to miss the incredibly nice Australian people and the beautiful land of this great continent. It was fun to see people smile whenever I spoke because they enjoyed hearing my “American” accent. Seeing the varied ecosystems will truly enhance my teaching in the classroom as will sharing what I learned about conservation and the importance of preserving the Great Barrier Reef. I am so thankful that I was able to...]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/back-home</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a73fcc89abf8df64c7f1e32</guid><pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 03:49:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_3eea0a9fff154a73bd9d737b70cd1478~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Walking Around Sydney]]></title><description><![CDATA[This beautiful rare bird just wanders about the streets of Sydney- the Australian White Ibis.]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/walking-around-sydney</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a70c34ad4a46bf3078018c0</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:37:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_1608e51583ae4def807c5eb025971c73~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sydney]]></title><description><![CDATA[The last leg of the trip is Sydney to see the amazing architecture and engineering of The Sydney Opera House. While there I saw a play and an Operas greatest hits concert. They were both great shows and the opera house is beautiful.]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/sydney</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a70c1c1d4a46bf307801895</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:35:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_7ab1220c8c4a433d8879a03da8247172~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Crocodiles]]></title><description><![CDATA[Australian waters are known for their crocodiles. Swimming at beaches and in rivers in Northern Queensland are avoided because the crocodiles are in charge of those areas. I went on a river cruise where we spotted 6 different crocs - the males are twice the size of the females. Here’s one that I saw.]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/crocodiles</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6e819121f142e7c47cba3e</guid><pubDate>Sat, 01 Aug 2026 23:34:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_7783106c516b48e68b51db8efbc22d60~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Daintree Rainforest]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Daintree Rainforest is in the far north of Queensland, Australia. It is a remote area with one main road going in and out. This rainforest has been dated to be the oldest tropical rainforest on earth. While the Amazon Rainforest is bigger, this area has been dated back to 200 million years ago. The weather was beautiful as the winter in Queensland is the dry season and the afternoon temperatures were about 70 degrees. I saw incredible examples of all the layers of the rainforest- the...]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/daintree-rainforest</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6e8071f5592cd94aabaedc</guid><pubDate>Sat, 01 Aug 2026 23:30:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_64776e415a0d4fb6b44ce53e79513997~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Great Barrier Reef]]></title><description><![CDATA[Over 1400 miles long, the Great Barrier Reef is off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is the biggest coral reef system in the world. Today, I got on a large boat, went 2 hours out into the ocean and then jumped in the ocean to snorkel around a part of the reef. I wore a wet suit because the ocean was cold. It was a little scary at first because the ocean was rough but once I got used to it I was able to just float and look down at beautiful colorful fish and coral. They took us to a...]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/the-great-barrier-reef</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6af664f5592cd94aab0e09</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:15:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_d3508d75b84f4645b7c510fb4912330e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Off to the Great Barrier Reef]]></title><description><![CDATA[I am on my way to the Great Barrier Reef!  I can’t wait!  This boat took us out to the outer reef, which was two hours out into the ocean.]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/off-the-the-great-barrier-reef</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a691e84bc8139d51452e023</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:30:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_a7095e1edfab4bbcbaa0e4e07934bcd2~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cairns, Queensland, Australia]]></title><description><![CDATA[We are exploring the town of Cairns. The weather has been warm and reminds me of Hawaii. We listened to a great musician who sang all American songs from artists like Nora Jones, Stevie Nicks and Brooks and Dunn. I also found an incredible donut shop that sells gluten free/egg free donuts. They made the best breakfast ever. We are getting ready for our full day trip tomorrow to the Great Barrier Reef for snorkeling. I’m so interested to see the difference between the healthy coral and that...]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/cairns-queensland-australia</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a680b46388acffd1e3d4408</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 02:01:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_91d6f8926dc74b5aa1c4f8b175821788~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Travel]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today is a travel day. We got in late last night from a 6 hour train ride back from Cootamundra. It was a long journey through the countryside with very few towns, thousands of sheep and many kangaroos. It’s been very cold with temperatures dipping to 0 degrees C (32F), as it is winter here in the S Hemisphere.  Today we fly North to the state of Queensland to the city of Cairns. It’s warm and tropical there so we can put away our warm clothes. It’s tropical because it is closer to the...]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/travel</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6535a335380d3132b2ac4f</guid><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:48:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_112643e3448a40dd9ab0344de595942f~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cootamundra - First buildings]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first two buildings built in the area named Cootamundra, were the Barnes general store and the Albion Hotel. These were built by my great, great, great grandfather on the other side of my family. We stayed at The Albion Hotel and had breakfast in the building that was the general store. These pictures show what they look like now and a rendering of how the store looked initially.]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/cootamundra-first-buildings</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6533e535380d3132b2a7e9</guid><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 22:15:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_95c7ad3746a64cdca8d40d0dc85c9bfd~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cootamundra - Littledale]]></title><description><![CDATA[These are pictures showing where my ancestors raised sheep. It’s beautiful there and even has kangaroos roaming on the land. This is the original homestead that my great, great, great grandfather built in the 1870’s. Everyone was so wonderful to show us around Cootamundra.]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/cootamundra-littledale</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a652e8b35380d3132b298aa</guid><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 22:05:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_7e4cee7283154828850b73f35321c149~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tracing My Roots]]></title><description><![CDATA[In 1861, after immigrating to Australia from England, John Barnes and his wife Elizabeth built the first two buildings in an area between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.  There were no buildings there, just open farm land where kangaroos roamed freely.  They called this area Cootamundra which means turtle in the local indigenous people’s language.  The two buildings were the Barnes General Store and the Albion Hotel.  They also built their home, called Clapham Cottage.  The town needed a...]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/tracing-my-roots</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5ea4146adee9ecb1619d8a</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:28:10 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Airport]]></title><description><![CDATA[My flight is about to depart for Sydney, Australia, in the Southern Hemisphere.  It is 7,488 miles from Los Angeles.]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/the-airport</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5ea488c7241b4b842610a9</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:06:41 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Getting Ready to Travel]]></title><description><![CDATA[I am planning all of the stops for my trip to Australia!  I can't wait to take off!  My flight from Los Angeles to Sydney will take 15 hours.  I'm a little nervous to think about all of that time in a seat on an airplane.  I will be taking snacks with me because sometimes my food allergies prohibit me from eating prepared food on a flight.  I am taking one carry-on bag to last me for the two weeks.  I am having to be creative in my space organization.  I have decided to take a carry-on so...]]></description><link>https://ssplanecolwell.wixsite.com/down-under-diary/post/getting-ready-to-travel</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dadecb75afb0779a731320</guid><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 23:19:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b07fb0_41135a5fba98420c92b352622bd78369~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stacy Splane-Colwell</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>