Westward, Ho!

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We will be traversing through Sydney multiple times, and so we left after this short visit, headed westward to Melbourne and environs. Bit of a tough start to the morning with an early flight and late night before, but travel allows no shirking. The good thing is that we arrived in Melbourne in early morning and were thus able to make the drive to the Yarra Valley and the Healesville Animal Sanctuary. The Yarra Valley is a well-known wine region (think Napa), but after our visit to the animal sanctuary we drove back to town. There was a lot of traffic in the Valley because there is an outdoor venue there and Elton John was scheduled for that night. (The next day we found out that he had to be rushed for the stage for safety when large thunderstorms suddenly crashed in.)

When Jennie and I were here in 2003, we visited the animal sanctuary, and among other things were particularly struck by the constant sound of bellbirds singing. To anyone used to watching WW II submarine movies, the bellbirds sound just like the sonar pinging when a submarine was being pursued.

Unfortunately, today was very hot, and many of the animals were seeking shelter in structures and environments where we could not find them. Even the koalas were hanging out in the trees where there were sprinkler heads to keep them misted down for comfort. I should note that this is not, however, the John Oliver Koala Chlamydia Ward. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/05/07/john-oliver-finally-has-a-koala-chlamydia-ward-named-after-him-thanks-to-russell-crowe/)

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