Monday was intended to be our departure to Melbourne but because of the flooding, we were trapped in Agnes Waters for an extra day. This was great for us because it was beautiful and sunny. Most people were tired and sore from surfing and snorkeling but a few people went and found the beach to soak up the sun and practice their surfing skills.
Since we were delayed our schedule had to be rearranged a little bit. We still had our tour of the Bundaberg Distillery on Tuesday, much to everyone’s happiness. We learned how they developed their rum and that molasses is a key factor in their processing. I also learned that they only distribute their product in Australia because their consumers buy almost as much as they produce on a regular basis.
The same day we were hit by a van not paying attention to his surroundings. Luckily, we were in a little town near the beach and got to experience some nice leisure time on the beaches rocks. Once the bus issues were settled, we hopped back and returned back to our motel to pack and get ready for our plane hopping adventure down to Melbourne for our next company visit with the Foster’s Group.
On Thursday, we met with CEO Ian Johnston of the Foster’s Group. Mr. Johnston gave a presentation on company statistics and why Foster’s has chosen to split themselves into different groups to better market their wine, beer and spirits. After the meeting, we left to take a tour of the Carlton United Brewery, to see how they produce some of Foster’s beers: Victoria Bitters, Carlton Dark, etc. We then were served a very nice lunch by the company and then prepared to leave to meet with Ian Anderson of the Australian Football League. I learned a lot about a sport I’d never really heard of before. The players there make much less than American football players but they give more of their time and money to trying to make Australian youth better people, which I thought was very touching. They even allow children in to the games free or for a small fee, while adult tickets are only $20. A drastic difference from American sports.
Afterwards, we left to prepare for the cricket match later that night. I had never been to a cricket match before but I have to say it was way more interesting than I thought it would be. There were very spirited spectators and fans, as well as dancers and shooting flames for every time Australia got a run. There were some England supporters in front of us but they remained quiet under the constant screaming of the aussies in front of us. “You are a wanker, a bloody, bloody wanker!” was the chant of the night. I finally returned to the hostel around 11pm and was very exhausted and partially deaf from a very packed day.
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