First, let’s get some food out of the way…
The beer was Dad’s. I took the picture since I figured it has to be the only beer in the world with a thylacine on the label.
Today I set out at about 8am to walk to Blackbutt Reserve, which is a (free) public nature park with many lovely walks and some very impressive displays of native wildlife. Even at that hour the heat was relentless. I had packed a frozen solid bottle of water with me, but it had completely thawed within twenty minutes of setting out! I was covered in sunblock, wore loose clothing and kept to the shade as best I could but I still felt like I was walking in an oven. The sun was absolutely merciless; every photon hit me like a tiny bullet. I felt like I was training for the army. I felt like I was being punished for something I hadn’t done.
I felt like I was alive.
< Long Time Man
It took me a little over an hour to get to Blackbutt (if you’re super-bored, check the route on Google Earth), and I immediately set out to see the animals. I had heard the bird exhibits were damaged in the flood/storm of last June and so they were…
< Poor birdy
But damage notwithstanding, this would prove to be my best ever visit to Blackbutt. Rather than explain why, I will show you:
I have never been so close to a Koala. It’s a little hard to tell in the third image, but had I wanted to I could have reached out and touched his paw. The first photo (which I love) was providential – while I was in the Koala house he just deigned to look up at me as I stood there and just watched him. It was almost as if he was mugging for the camera, albeit in that slow-motiony way a Koala moves.
Or do they??
The icing on the cake was that a second Koala was running around on the ground of the enclosure. He was crazy! I got a lot of good video of him (which I can’t upload since Dad has almost reached his monthly quota) and watched him for at least fifteen minutes. I can’t remember ever seeing a Koala so active, much less active like he was (running around sniffing around for food like a cat). It was a very memorable experience.
The other natives didn’t seem to want to disappoint me today either…
I dislike using the flash on my camera, but it was necessary for the wombat photo. One day I’ll walk into a wombat enclosure and they will actually be awake 🙂
Oh, and if you’re an arachnophobe…avoid Blackbutt 🙁
< Terokkarantula
< Newcastle
Random shots from this morning's stroll:
< Black Prince
After playing with him I carefully put him back in the bush, since a nearby seagull was eyeing us suspiciously!
Tonight we go for a barbeque at my uncle's house, and then early tomorrow it's the train to Sydney.
This could quite possibly be the final blog entry for this trip. If that is the case, then I hope you enjoyed my travelogue.
If not, then look forward to the next entry :)
