Australia Zoo!

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Nestled in the Glass House Mountains on the Sunshine Coast in Beerwah Queensland, we visited Australia Zoo, the official home of the Crocodile Hunter.

In November 2003, we arrived early and met Brian and Stewie from the television show and had a brief chat. We asked them about the Irwins and they said they were there but not available. Brian was cleaning Agro & Cookie’s billabong (Aboriginal meaning "small lake") and he said he had no idea that the Crocodile Hunter was so big in America, but that he was just doing his job. (Is he joking???) He seemed surprised that we recognized him from the show. Next best to meeting Steve or Terri I reckoned 😊

Just to get the chance to SEE Australia Zoo was so inspiring! The first thing you see is Coot-tha, the huge wooden crocodile that Steve carved himself. Children can crawl inside the mouth and can climb upon the back. Coot-tha is named after Mt. Coot-tha near Brisbane. Each pen & cage was clean and each animal had heaps of room to roam. One could plainly see that Steve & Terri’s animals come first. They were so well kept and looked after and the zoo was so well organized and maintained. At the Dingo Diner and food court, you can have a meal and watch some demonstrations. Many of the daily demonstrations included: Asian otters, snakes, Harriet the giant land tortoise (who died at 175 years old in 2006), foxes, camels, koalas, Amelia the wedge-tailed eagle, and of course the famous crocodiles.

The Frilled Lizard has a large, thin frill around its head, which it displays in order to frighten enemies. It also opens its mouth wide and often runs away on its back-legs, and is nicknamed the "bicycle lizard."

The new Crocosium is being constructed and opened in December 2003 and will hold 5-6,000 people. The Crocosium is where the crocodile demonstrations will be held, among many other events.

The wombat is the largest burrowing mammal. The closest relative of the wombat is the koala. With its short tail and legs, characteristic waddle and 'cuddly' appearance the wombat is one of the most endearing of Australia's native animals.

If you ever get the chance to visit Australia Zoo, DO! You'll never know if you don't go and you are guaranteed a fantastic time! More photos are here: http://www.kookaburrablue.com/itchy-feet/AustraliaZoo.html

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