Sixteen-year-old Emily Heape has overcome incredible odds and was granted a dream come true through the Dream Factory. Just before Christmas, Heape went on her dream trip to Australia to experience all kinds of adventures with her family.
“We started our journey to Australia on Dec 17, flying to Vancouver after spending the weekend in Winnipeg,” said Heape. “What felt like a billion hours later, we arrived at my aunt and uncle’s house in Noosa, Australia. We extended our stay as a family holiday and in total, we were in Australia for 17 days.
“My thoughts and first impressions of Australia when we first arrived were darn it’s hot here! If I’m not dead by the time we leave, I’ll be a raisin. It was really warm, but beautiful and so different from Canada.” Heape did a lot of sightseeing while in Australia and witnesses some breathtaking views. She also made sure to check out all the animals and sea creatures she could. “While we were in Australia, we did lots of fun things,” said Heape. “We went up this huge 230 metre tower called Q1 at the Gold Coast. From there, we got to see a 360 degree view of the beach, ocean and the city of Bris bane all at once. Then we went to the Australia Zoo, which was my favourite, and we got to see all of the different amazing animals. We visited some markets and mom loved all the different vendors. “We also went to Rainbow Beach, went swimming in the ocean and to the Great Barrier Reef, which was amazing. All of the different fish and creatures you could see, it was incredible. To get out to the reef, we had to take this huge boat that kind of reminded me of a ferry. “While we were at the Great Barrier Reef, we tried snorkelling, but I did n’t like it very much,” said Heape. “There was this glass-bottom boat that my dad and I went on, and you could see everything. It was so cool. Later, while my mom and brother were still snorkeling, my dad and I went in the submersible. That was even better than the glass bottom boat. You could see a lot more in the submersible than in the glass bottom boat. I think that was one of my favourite things we did the whole trip. There was this one fish that they named Wally, since he was al ways around. “Also, we took a glass-bottomed sky rail ride up a mountain at the world's oldest tropical rainforest while in Cairns and visited a 100-year-old town called Kuranda.” Each adventure Heape went on was left a lasting impression and she was really engaged at the zoo, where she saw lots of different animals for the very first time, up close and personal. “My favourite activity in Australia was the submersible,” said Heape. “This was my favourite activity because it was like a whole different world under the water that I had never seen before. It was a whole experience in itself. I enjoyed seeing all of the cool and different sea creatures. “All of the different animals that we got to see were one of my favourite parts of the trip. My aunt and uncle had quite a few different animals in their yard. They have wild turkeys they named Walter and Winne, as well as kookaburras, and wild cockatoos among others. They have lots of different kinds of bugs and spiders. My mom and brother got to see a praying mantis. There was this huge beetle at the B&B that was the size of a palm. “There were lots of different kinds of birds when we went to the zoo,” said Heape. “We went to a bird show and we got to see so many types of birds there. At the zoo, we saw a Komodo dragon, tortoises, and lots of different types of lizards and snakes. We went to a crocodile show, which was pretty cool to see, we saw a cassowary, which sort of looks like a fancy ostrich native to Australia. “We went and saw the koalas, which to be honest were sort of boring, but very cute. One day we went to a koala sanctuary, which I enjoyed much more as we got to pet a koala and see it up close. We got to see some sleep ing dingoes and a binturong, which looks like a bear and a cat combined. We got to see lots of wallabies and lazy kangaroos, as well we got to see some elephants, which made me very happy. We also went and saw a tiger and a giraffe.” This trip to Australia will always be one Heape and her family will cherish forever. Not everything went as smoothly as planned, but the memories made will last a lifetime. “I went swimming in the ocean for the first time when we went to Rainbow Beach,” said Heape. “Unfortunately, one of the medications that I take causes my face to react to the sun and it gets sore and itchy, so swimming in the salt water didn’t make my face feel very good. “I think I’ll remember everything since this trip was my dream trip and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Finally visiting my aunt and uncle and having them show us where they live, with all the different places and things that are unique to Australia is something we’ll always remember.