NEW VINEYARD – Shannon Yates, 17, of New Vineyard recently returned from a volleyball tour to Australia. “It was the experience of a lifetime,” said Yates.

The Sports Tours USA trip included stays in Cairns, Sydney and New Castle, where the two-day multi-sport tournaments between the United States and Australia took place. “The competition was great and the tournament was fast-spaced,” Yates commented.

Highlights of the trip included a day in the rainforest, scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef and cruising Sydney Harbor. While there, Yates got to hold a koala, pat kangaroos and meet and learn from Aborigines.

Yates is a senior at Mt. Blue High School and is a member of The Highlanders, a Junior Olympic volleyball team from nearby Mexico.