Australia Zoo.

We took a trip up to Australia Zoo at the weekend. This meant an early start to miss the traffic and so I could get back in time for work at 6. It was well worth it. Australia Zoo was set up by Steve Irwin's mum and dad back in the 1980s and was then taken over by Steve and his wife Terri in the 90s when they renamed it to...Australia Zoo. It is still run by Terri with both the children, Robert and Bindi taking an active role in the zoo with the live shows. Unfortunately none of the family were there today but that didnt take away from how cool this place was. Now I have been to Washington Zoo and that is the most incredible place to see animals and is still probably the best zoo that I have visited but for what Australia Zoo is, a small wildlife sanctuary created by two people, it is class. We saw all the animals that people come to Australia to see. Kangaroos, wallabies, tazmanian devils, australian camels, echidnas, snakes, lizards, the lot. Add to that, we finally saw a Cassowary, after all that time spent in the jungle and driving through Cassowary trritories, we finally got to see some. I have seen them at Einburgh zoo mind you but I guess seeing them in Australia just makes it a little more special. We also got to see and touch Koala's, again after driving through countless euculyptus forests and seeing nothing it was quite rewarding. As well as all the animals native to Australia, the zoo also houses tigers, asian elephants, giant tortoises, american aligators and red pandas which I have always found to be really cool little animals. There is so many cool parts to the zoo as well. The kangaroo enclosure is open and you can feed, stroke and pose for pictures with grey and red kanga's as well as little red necked wallabies. The koala enclosue, as I mentioned, is also open and you can stroke there fur which is incredibly soft and on some occasions get to hold them. The snake house is cool as it holds most of the deadliest snakes in the world including drop-for-drop the most venomous, the fierce snake. In there is a taipan, a king brown, a brown, carpet boa constrictor, green python (which is stunning) and many more. The majority of the lizards at the zoo are allowed to run freely and we encountered countless watere dragons. The best though were the Rhinoceros Iguana and of course the Komodo dragon. If you get the chance to see one I would take it, they look like something out of a mythical tale, they are immense, and seriously deadly as well. The best part of the zoo however must be the crocs. They have both freshwater which are small and not dangerous, as well as the monster saltwater crocs. There is one in the zoo which weighs over 1000kgs. The shows they put on with these great animals are incredible. The keepers are mad to even just stand in the enclosure let alone play with the monsters. Waving chicken in front of their noses, enticing them out of the water, they must be insane. Mind you the thrill and adrenaline rush you must get would be immense. There is a bird show as well and we were able to see up close the parrots and lorikeets that wake me up every morning before the sun is even up. They may be beautiful but they are loud. We left the zoo all three having had an amazing time. There are zoos aplenty in Australia and I am sure they are all excelent, but if you want to see crocs up close, then this must be the best by far.

As for me, still in Brisbane, working away at the pub and coaching the kids when I can. Playing for the team in the next suburb and loving that. Hoping to get to either Moreton Island or North Stradbroke with the car for another adventure at the end of the month and then thinking about moving on down the coast again. Got lots to plan for South America as well and getting to Melbourne also. Lots to do and so little time. I cant believe that its April already. I finished my dissertation a year ago now!!