Close encounters of the furred kind

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Currumbin Sanctuary seemed like a zoo rather than a sanctuary, with quite a few enclosures that were perhaps a little small for their occupants, but it had an exceptional range of Australian animal life. This was great for Odie, as she hadn't even seen a kangaroo, and also good for me as I finally laid eyes on a southern hairy-nosed wombat, albeit at a distance.

The sanctuary had an enormous collection of koalas, all on trees that were barely 2m tall so it was possible to get really close. Males, females and cubs were all present, demonstrating sleeping, eating, slow climbing, and fighting/mating (I couldn't tell the difference but would put my money on fighting), i.e. the full gamut of koala activities. Needless to say, the cuteness factor was off the charts.

Rivalling the koalas though for sheer cuddliness were the tree kangaroos, a population of just 3 that (I think) consisted of a male, female, and youngster. These were a different species to the ones I'd seen in Yungaburra but were also characterised by an overly long tail and luxuriant coat that was more red-orange than yellow. The photos can probably convey the appeal of these things rather than my attempts at describing them via the written word.

My wombat sighting was unfortunately just a head shot, framed by the entrance to its indoor pen about as far from the viewing platform as it was possible to get.

We also saw a Tasmanian devil, dingoes, a hyperactive echidna, cassowaries, and several species of kangaroo and wallaby, the latter two of which were in an enclosure that you could enter, hence some interaction was possible. Several of the adult kangaroos were lying on their backs, like dogs waiting for a tummy rub. Odie's attempts to encourage them to hop so she could video them met with little success.

Unfortunately we'd arrived at the sanctuary mid-afternoon, so didn't have the time to tour it fully before it closed. Even so, it was an excellent experience, and enabled us to see in the space of 2 hours more than I'd managed to see in the previous 5 months.

The return to Brisbane took us through Surfers Paradise, giving me a taste of the high-rise neon extravaganza I'll be encountering soon. We had an end-of-road-trip dinner back in Brisbane, in which Odie had a different take on Australian animals by eating some kangaroo, and the following day I bade farewell to her on her journey to Byron Bay. Thus I was in Brisbane and alone.

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Photos

Nap time
Again

Lizard
Close-up

Cassowary
Out of focus but the only one I have ...