Coffs Harbour

This weekend I traveled with five friends from my program to Coffs Harbour where we volunteered to help coordinate the Ella 7s Tournament. The Ella 7s Tournament is a big rugby tournament for Aboriginal Australians (both men and women).

On the seven hour drive to our destination we were surrounded by nothing but grazing cows. Coffs Harbour was a small beach town, secluded from the hustle-and-bustle of city-life and tourism. The beach was across the street from our hotel--a nice treat for us since most beaches in Sydney are approximately a forty minute busride away. We laid on the beach Friday afternoon, then ate a nice seafood meal in town.

On Saturday we woke up very early and arrived at the rugby grounds at 7am. The tournament was hectic and extremely disorganized. For the first five hours we were running around helping very stressed people register the teams. 24 Aboriginal men's teams participated and 6 Aboriginal women's teams competed as well. This was my first rugby experience. The sport is fastpaced, aggressive, and exciting. I enjoyed watching the players and cheering for the players. The Sydney Skin Dogs won the tournament. The company running this event gave me two competing team jerseys: Redfern-Waterloo Storm and the Brisbane Rebels.

After the tournament (at 9pm) we were rewarded with a staff BBQ. The food was delicious.

Despite our extreme exhaustion from a very long day, the six of us decided to wake up early and watch the sun rise on the beach before heading back to Sydney. My words cannot do this celestial phenomenon justice. The clouds sat on the horizon like mountains in the distance. By 6:30am, the sun began to stretch its majestic rays and kiss the clouds, staining them fiery red and yellow hues. The certainty of the sun's daily journey from the horizon fills me with security knowing that no matter what events play out, the sun will always announce a new day, a fresh start. Above, I posted one of my favourite pictures from this sunrise. To view more pictures of the sunrise, click here (make sure to view the images at the end of the album, as they show the progression of the sun rising from the horizon).

NOTE: Pictures from the Rugby tournament and Coffs Harbour attractions will be added as soon as possible.