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Published: April 18th 2011
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Another beautiful 80 degree day here in Townsville. Heather says I am looking a bit tan! Which is quite a shocker since I never tan. As much as I love the sun and the heat that comes with it, I can honestly say I have never been so happy to see clouds in my life. The sun in the Tropics is just brutal and almost everyone wears a hat and/or sits under an umbrella if a pinch of shade cannot be found.
Today we are headed to the Billabong! From what the kids are telling me between squeals of excitement is that we all can get a chance to hold a Koala, Wombat (they say he is reallllll heavy 😊, and a Crocodile! You bet that I packed my camera (and one of these days I will have the time to put all of the pictures up, but its hard to say no to cute little Australian accents say please jump on the trampoline with me! When that is the only time I have to put some up) Heather took her nice camera and got some fabulous shots! We indeed did get to hold a Koala, they are soo
cute, they kind of have that faraway look in their eyes which is spot on since the keepers said that they aren't very smart.
I have to say that the Wombat was so incredibly cute as well. I didn't hold one but I did get to rub ones belly. The Billabong has been closed for a couple months ever since the category 5 cyclone Yasi hit and it only reopened less than a week ago. The keepers were telling us how Tonka (the wombat you got to hold in pictures) started getting really sick and going off of his feed after Yasi. They had him completely checked out and found out he was suffering from depression. He loved people so much that since no one was coming to the park to hold him for pictures and to be part of talks he was very unhappy. They started to read to him and spend more time with him and it helped, but the day the park reopened he was brought out for the talks and afterward he went right over and ate a whole bowl of food. As he sat on his keepers lap today you could actually see how
happy he was. I never realized how adorable they really are!
We went on to hold some reptiles, including Skinks, Bearded Dragons, and a Black Headed Python. Along with other animals like a black headed Cockatoo and a Crocodile.
At the entrance to the Billabong we each bought a paper bag of food for all the animals, and we ended up feeding the kangaroo's, turtles, birds, ducks, and geese (I think Emily threw seed into one of the Crocodile's enclosures and we all laughed). There were tons of turtles about the Billabong and at one point in the day they have turtle races. The keepers catch 2 turtles and walk a few meters away from the water, then they get everyone to root for one or the other and then they let them loose for the race between which one makes it to the water faster. I was so suprised at how fast these turtles are! It is so funny to think you are going to watch a long and drawn out turtle race and then be shocked when theProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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urtles motor down in less than 3 seconds to the waters edge.
All
Koala
Emily holding the Koala throughout the Billabong there were Kangaroo's just hoping about and you can just walk up and feed them. They are so gentle when they eat out of your hand, and we fed one with a Joey in her pouch!
The last show we saw was of the Crocodiles, they have quite a few of them at the Billabong and it is amazing to see these guys jump up after the food the keepers have dangling in front of them. A few months ago one of the keepers was running from a female Crocodile, which he has done many times before and we saw him doing today(Crocodiles are not very fast), but he tripped in the process, fell down, and the Crocodile bit him on the butt! There are pictures on facebook, and if you search Bradley Cooper Townsville you can see them.
Overall it was a great experience not only because I got to see and hold such amazing creatures, but because the talks about the animals were really nicely done and I learned a lot about them as well. The Billabong is great for someone like me since it is mostly made up of native creatures to
Koala
Max holding the Koala Queensland so it was very relevant to my stay here.
I think Easter egg dying is next on the list for tomorrow. I had to bring the dye from the US since they don't sell it in Oz, Easter here is all about the Chocolate! Till next time!
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Beth
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Billabong
I have be watching for your blog and it did not disappoint. Thank you for sharing this fabulous experience with us. Last night Dad and I watch a PBS Nature show about Black Saturday, Feb 7, 2007 when there was a forest fire in the south of Australia that burned 1000s of acres . They showed the Wombats along with other animals that needed care and how cute the Wombat is. It was amazing how the forest has recovered. Daddy just came in and read your blog and said, "She is never coming back". Is Mr. Almborg still there? I love you tons, Mom