The Sydney Zoo

Photos:
1. Sydney Opera House
2. Sydney Harbor
3. Two frantically active Koalas.
4. Mom and Baby Koala
5. Freshwater Croc
6. Lara with a Two Headed Lizard
7. Wallaby
8. Lara with our guide, Wendy
9. Lara and the Big Merino

Ron picked us up at 0730 on Sunday morning and took us on a car tour of more of Sydney. We landed at a charming restaurant (Zigolini’s) for breakfast. Meanwhile, the weather had changed dramatically with a 40° temperature drop and drizzly, overcast skies and rain showers. We were thrilled because we knew that this would reduce the crowds at our next destination: the Zoo!

We said good bye to Ron (with requests that he let us reciprocate his hospitality when he visits Phoenix next month). After just one wrong turn and managing to stay on the unnatural side of the road the entire time, we showed up at Taronga Zoo.

Since it was still threatening to rain, we bought those incredibly ugly “trash bag” ponchos and went to the “I” (for Information) booth to make a plan for our very limited time at the Zoo. The Information Booth was manned by Ian (who made a point that the “I” stood for “Ian”). Throughout the day, he apparently moved around to various Information Booths in the zoo and every time he saw us, he would point to the “I” and grin. It began to get a little creepy…

We also saw him at a “touch” booth with a bunch of VERY old stuffed animals from some defunct museum. These horrible examples of taxidermy were available for children to touch and get a feel for the various animals. They looked liked THOUSANDS of children had taken advantage of this opportunity (either that or the moths had been VERY busy). We passed….

At Ian’s recommendation, we hired a personal tour guide, Wendy (a 10 year veteran) to help us make the most of our visit. We had a great time with her showing us around the zoo with an emphasis on the distinctly Australian wildlife. Every time we spotted an animal, she would exclaim, “Good Show” or “Oh, Good Job”. It was so much fun and we felt so competent at finding the animals. This really added to the enjoyment of the tour! She had a great recommendation for an African safari (www.abercrombiekent.com) and we began planning our next adventure….

We only visited the Australian side of the Zoo which included Koala’s. Jim spotted a baby Koala wrapped up in its mothers arms (“Oh, Good Job, Jim”) and we were rewarded with a few shots in the fleeting moments of movement – a shifting of sleeping positions. The Koala’s were fun. They are so cute it is hard to remember that they will also rip you to shreds. We finally saw a Taipan snake - Number 3 most deadly snake in the world and a Death Adder (which doesn’t look a thing like a Lizard). A highlight for Lara was the spotting of a Duck Billed platypus (“Oh, Good Show, Lara!”). They are much smaller and active than we expected. True to Australian form, this animal also has a poisonous barb.

We saw “Ian” again at a “taste” booth with a bunch of bowls of prepared animal and bird foods. Wendy highly recommended the small bird nectar, offering us a taste. Let’s just say that Jim passed on the opportunity and I think Ian was heard to say to Lara, “You’ll want to leave something for the animals.”

At the Wallaby Paddock (Wallaby’s are basically dwarf kangaroos), there is a path through the enclosure that depends on the honor system for visitors to stay on the path. Lara asked if there were “guards” to keep kids, etc. from dashing around and bothering the Wallaby’s. Wendy looked puzzled and stated that it wasn’t really a problem. Then she brightened and said, “There was that time when an entire family apparently couldn’t read the signs and set up their picnic blanket on one of the open spaces in the middle of the bedding areas.”

We had a great time at the Zoo. There is a subtle difference between this zoo and zoos we have been to in America. The entire atmosphere is much less commercial and has no flavor of a circus “side show.” It is all obviously geared toward ecological stewardship and preservation of these unique species.

Still on the hunt for “Devonshire Tea, Scones and Cream,” we headed to Berrima (on the recommendation of Ron) and the Loft Restaurant. We were rewarded with Real Leaf Tea (instead of bags), scones with cream, and a slice of absolutely perfect crab quiche.

Berrima is in the wine country south of Sydney and has a lovely downtown with several intriguing shops. We “visited” with several of the shop keepers. The drought and global warming and other environmental concerns are VERY important to a majority of the Aussies we have met. There seems to be a real sense of concern and a desire for good stewardship of the environment among the average Aussie.

On our continued way back to Canberra, we spotted a sign for “The Big Merino” in Goulburn. When we had read the Bill Bryson book on Australia, he had mentioned the Australian penchant for large, concrete “sculptures” with shops inside. It was apparently started with a “Big Banana” (with a café and gift shop inside) and includes a Big Lobster, a Big Bull, a Big Koala, a Big Oyster, a Big Lawnmower, a Big Marlin, a Big Orange, and (wait for it) a Big Merino. A Merino is a type of Sheep that produces Merino wool: very soft and luxurious wool. To quote the always eloquent Mr. Bryson, these “sculptures” are scattered around the continent “like leftover props from a 1950’s horror movie”. So when we saw the sign, we had to stop. I’ll say this for it…it’s BIG. After browsing the gift shop, we found nothing that we absolutely had to have.

While driving, we have only seen a couple of live kangaroos. On the other hand, there are ENORMOUS numbers of dead ‘roos, wombats, etc. scattered along the road. It makes you very nervous as dusk approaches. Considering that there are 4 or 5 kangaroos for every man, woman, and child on this continent, it’s not like they are endangered. The locals just shrug and add “Roo Bars” (massive steel bumpers) to the front of their cars. However, there are signs everywhere with a phone number to call if you manage to only injure the poor critters and someone will come to their rescue.

Headscratcher of the Day. While standing in front of the Dingo paddock in the zoo, Wendy mentioned that the Dingo’s originally were introduced to Australia by Asian fisherman some 4000 years ago. The Dingo was cross bred with European dog breeds to create the familiar cattle dogs. In some of the colder climates of Australia, the ranchers would allow these dogs to warm up their beds. You can still hear rural Australians refer to a particularly cold night as a “Two Dog Night.”