Noosa Heads & Australia Zoo

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We travelled up the coast to Noosa Heads next. Our friend Claire decided to come with us which was great and we all planned to go to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo which we had previously paid for and had expected to have been organised by the agent we booked with. Unfortunately when we rang to check we were booked on to the bus to the zoo for the next day we were told that we weren't and that it was full!
This initiated a massive panic which could not be satisfied due to it being late afternoon with the agency being shut. We only had one full day in Noosa before we were booked to go somewhere else and really didn't want to miss the zoo, not only because we'd paid for it but, because we were so excited about going.
We'd decided to just turn up at the bus terminal in the morning and see if we could talk them into sending another bus. Of course, true of our style, we were one minute late for the hostel bus to the terminal and so more panic ensued. When we finally arrived we were lucky to see that the Zoo bus was running late and that it just so happened that there were six extra seats, exactly the size of our group!
We managed to get on. The hour long bus ride showed us videos of Steve Irwin's 'The Crocodile Hunter' which were entertaining and got us all in the mood. We spent the entire day, and trip in Australia actually, quoting Mr Irwin. ('You're alright, mate! You're Alright!' -to a croc he was wrestling. Don't bite your Uncle Stevie! - to a venemous snake he's just pulled out of a tree.'
Watching Irwin's show and seeing his complete and utter, if not unconventional, dedication to nature brought home how sad it was that he had died. Being at the zoo only intensified this. There were shrines to him where fans had left heart-warming messages. And we watched a video of his young son which was equally heart wrenching.
The main highlights of the day were a) not only seeing koalas but holding one too b) watching the crocodile feedings and c) being able to walk amongst free roaming kangaroos and wallabys.
We were also fasinated by the crocodile and beginning to understand why Steve Irwin was so as well. It's incredible being able to see these reptiles that have been alive since before the time of the dinosaurs and not had to evolve much at all in 200 million years. They are incredible creatures.

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