Monday
30th October
Up
with the lark this morning. Sorry, I mean with the bush turkey! We
were at Australia Zoo by 9.00 and ready to 'rumble in the jungle'.
Sorry, I mean 'rumble in the bush'!
It
promised to be a very hot day ahead.
Steve
Irwin, who was otherwise known as the Crocodile Hunter, was the
creator of this zoo. Following his untimely death due to an attack by
a stingray, his legacy is kept alive by his family and they continue
to protect native and other species of animals which may be in
decline.
It
is an extremely well laid out zoo and the staff are all very
knowledgeable and exuberant about the animals they care for.
We
saw koalas, kangaroos, both red and grey; cassowaries, emus,
echidnas, Galapagos tortoises, wombats, crocodiles and alligators;
snakes and tropical birds all in their natural environment and all
very tame;. The highlight was probably the show which started with a
display of Australian tropical birds and birds of prey, followed by
the crocodile encounter. It is amazing how they manage to train these
creatures at the same time being aware that they are still
unpredictable in their behaviour.
The
zoo has now added an Asian and African section and we were able to
see giraffes, rhinos and zebras, but the cutest were the new
arrivals, the meerkats. Another demonstration was by Oscar, a
Sumatran tiger which was very exciting. I have some video of him
swimming.
So,
late afternoon, we continued our journey on the road, stopping for the
night at a Big 4 campsite at Maroochydore, where the swimming pool
awaited. Just as well, we got the swim in, because a storm breezed
through just before it got dark at 6.05 pm. Wonderful sky though.
Highlight
of the day: Had to be , all the animals in the zoo, being able to get
up close to them.
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