Getting to Know Australia's Wildlife

Moments before the Kangaroo boxed Myles in the head

Green Boa

Christmas card for the boys

Me and Roo

How to carry a wombat

   We wanted to break the drive up a bit from the Sunshine Coast down to Coolangata and were lucky enough that the Australia Zoo was not too far off our route. I have always been a big fan of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. I guess he reminds me a bit of my own dad. If you are a fan and have never read the biography of him written by his wife Teri it is a moving piece and well worth a read. His father started the Australia Zoo which has turned into a really nice park. We actually saw Teri and her two children, Bindi and Robert, filming just like their dad used to. They have all the rare Australian and Tasmanian animals like wombats, Tasmanian devils, and dingos. But the kangaroo and koala exhibits are the two that really shine through. The kangaroos are in big open pastures that you casually stroll through. You are allowed to sit with them, lay down, feed them, pet them, and they are very relaxed. It seemed that they liked everyone...except for Myles. For some reason he not only elicited a weird hiss snort from one of the kangaroos but also got double punched in his head after laying close to one. It was hilarious. No one was hurt.

Up close with sleepy, and a Koala too

Koala cuteness

   The koalas are also within touching height. We didn't get a chance to hold one which may have been a good thing. I'm not sure we would have given it back. They are ridiculously cute. And sleepy. I guess eating eucalyptus leaves doesn't give you much energy. The snake exhibit was also very cool. So many of the worlds most venomous snakes live here in Australia.
  It was a great stop early in the trip. Now we know what to look out for as we explore more remote places in Australia like the rainforest north of Cairns.

Bindi and Robert Irwin filming, following in their fathers footsteps

Dingo

Jack in the maw of a prehistoric crocodile