Brizzy - Part 3 (aka Marsupial Overload!)

Tuesday, October 2

Shortly after I learned that we would be moving to Australia, I read about the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane.  Visiting this zoo immediately went to the top of my “Australia To Do” list.  I mean come on, you get to HOLD A KOALA and pet kangaroos- who wouldn’t want to experience that?!  I was seriously obsessed with the idea of holding a cute, cuddly koala from that moment on.  And when the day finally came for us to visit Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, I was 5-year-old-child-on-Christmas-morning GIDDY!  I’m fairly certain that David thought I was crazy.

As the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is about 30 minutes outside of the city, we opted to take a boat cruise down the river that drops you off right at the zoo.  The tour took about an hour, and it was interesting to see the sights along the way and hear some of the history of the city. 

 

 

 

I could go on and on about how much fun we had here and what an amazing experience it was, not to mention what a nice and well-maintained zoo it was, but I will try and refrain from doing so, and just let the pictures do the talking.

 

 

Birds 

 

 

 

Dingoes

 

 

 

Tasmanian Devils (Tazzy Devils)

 

 

Wombat

 

Kangaroos

The kangaroo habitat was this HUGE, open field area where there were literally at least 50 kangaroos and wallabies just hopping around.  You were allowed to go in and out of the enclosure as much as you wanted, and you could buy kangaroo food for $2.  I was totally surprised at how docile the kangaroos were. It was almost as if they couldn’t be bothered by the crowds of people wandering around.  They would let you pet them without any hesitation or fear.  Even the mama kanga’s would let you pet them and their joey’s- which really surprised me.  You’ll see a little joey in one of the photos below, AND if you look closely in another photo, you’ll see a mama kanga with a bulging pouch.  It was cah-razy to see a pretty decent sized joey climb right in there.  It was a truly amazing experience- they are SUCH beautiful and unique animals. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Koalas

And now, my favorite- the koalas!  First of all, I must tell you that they are NOT Koala BEARS. Aussie’s do not like it if you call them bears, and are very quick to remind you that they are not bears.  J  There were seriously probably over 100 koalas in the sanctuary in various pens and exhibits.  And you better believe I paid the $16 to have my photo taken holding a koala.  As my friend Kayli said, “$16 for a lifetime of happiness is a small price to pay.”  I totally agree!  The koala I held was named Finn, and as you can see, he loved me very much.  They really are very cuddly, and when the handler handed him over to me he kind of “sighed” and then just cuddled right up.  I had serious thoughts about trying to get one home with me, but was unsuccessful.  I did, however, take so many pictures of the koalas that the camera battery died (no joke!), and I had to resort to cell phone photos.  Yes, I went a little overboard… I just couldn’t get enough koala cuteness!  It was neat to learn about the koalas- how they sleep about 20 hours a day, that their cute little koala bums are speckled to camoflauge them when they are up high in the trees, that they are one of the only creatures that can digest eucalyptus leaves and that it takes a ton of energy to digest which is why they sleep so much, and that ALL baby marsupials are called joey’s- not just baby kangaroos. 

 

 

 

They look so awkward walking on the ground 

 See the joey on the mama's back above?

 

Me and Finn!!!

 

WHEN you come to visit us in Australia ;-), you MUST visit the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary!  I definitely already can’t wait to go back.