The Mint, Martime, Wildlife

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After yesterdays entry I went down to cockle bay again to try and find the Outback Centre, as it features a lot of Aboriginal art and culture, only to find that it is under renovation! Boo, hiss! So after spending a lifetime doing my laundry and sharing my love of Dexter with fellow hostel-ites I went with my room mate down to the cinema to watch Eclipse. Yes, I know, terrible but although there is a hell of a lot of focus on the three main characters (I would have liked to have seen more of the Cullen family and the wolf boys) I did like it and it got us out of the hostel for the night.

Today I ventured over to the Mint Museum which was original known as the Rum Hospital and then converted into a Mint when counterfeit money was introduced to Australia and threatened the economy. I then headed over to the Maritime Museum and learned a lot of the history of British colonisation, convicts and living conditions aboard ships. It was fascinating and had a huge amount to look at and interact with. I'm glad I went, I wasn't too sure how good or interesting it was going to be. After a wander round the harbour I went to the Wildlife Centre next to the Aquarium and saw a huge amount of different animals. I had to storm through the snake section as there wasn't a way around. I got (fairly) up close and personal with Koalas, Kangaroos, and I saw Wallabys, Possums, Cassowary's, Kookaburra's, Echidna's and more! I just can't list them all, it would take forever.

Tomorrow I plan to head over to Manly to explore and to use my last ticket at Ocean World Manly. Friday I have a Blue Mountains Tour planned leaving Sydney at 7.50am. Eeeep, I hope I get some sleep, only if French man stops snoring...

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