Koala Cuddling

What a Thrill!

Being able to cuddle a real koala has been something we've wanted to do ever since we got to Australia.  And today was Cuddle Time!  Yeah!

Koala Has Her Eyes on the Prize for Being Cuddled 

In Australia, Queensland is the only state that allows Koala Cuddling.  Of course, these little marsupials are wild animals and in the wild, one would never think to do this sort of thing.  But at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the Koalas are quite friendly and are scheduled for 30 minutes a day of cuddling, with every 3rd day off.  They are enticed to keep their eyes open and photo responsive by being fed gum tree leaves.

We started our journey by taking bus and train from Scarborough to the CBD (central business district) of Brisbane, then proceeded to the dock where we caught a 1.5 hour cruise up the Brisbane River to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

We enjoyed the ride up the river.  Homes and spring foliage made for a lovely ride, although it was abnormally cool for this time of year, and the winds were gusting up to 40 knots per hour.  Only the brave with jackets sat outside on this sunny day.  We rode outside in the lee of the pilot house on the way up the river, but chose to sit on the inside on our way back.

Looks like Spring and Fall Combined

Along the Banks of the Brisbane River

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a rustic and fairly small sanctuary.

Arriving at the Dock

Koalas, Dingos, Wombats, Devils, Lizards, and Kangaroos, Oh My!

There were many kinds of animals at the Sanctuary, but the main event for us was of course the Koalas.  They are just as cute, if not cuter than one would expect.  Koala is Aborigine word meaning "doesn't drink water".  These little marsupials "not bears" get their moisture from the gum tree leaves they eat.

Doing What Koalas Do Best  - PEEK - A

Koalas eat about 4 hours a day and sleep for 20.  They are sleepy little critters.  In order to sleep safely high in the trees, they lodge themselves in the crooks of the branches.

BOO!

What could be cuter than a Koala?  How about two Koalas....mum and joey.

And What Could Be Cuter than a Mum and Baby Joey Koala?   How about Mum, Joey in the Pouch, and Kindergarten Joey on her back.

The Koala fur is dense and soft, but not as soft as that of a kangaroo.

What I lack with my little for legs, I make up with my powerful back legs and tail.

What have you got in your pouch?

We also got to see some dingos up close and a lovely Kukaburra who wasnt' laughing.

Golden Dingos Checking One Another Out

Kukaburra Proverb.....She who laughs, lasts.

And so ended our wonderful day of being with these wonderfully unique creatures of the earth.  G'Day for Now!

All is Well with the 2 Yank Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind.

Uniquely Australia

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Just a quick update to our uniquely Australian experience.  

We have made arrangements for a 10 day Way Out Back Experience in a 4 wheel drive from Alice Springs to Darwin.  Really excited!  You can check out our itinerary here.  We're going to be the jolly swagmen...hmmm...swagpeople, camping, and letting someone else doing the driving.  We are really getting used to  kicking back.  We leave Brsibane a week from tomorrow.

So after we made our 4x4 travel arrangements, we spent another day in Brisbane walking around and visiting the city museum, the state museum, and the state library, and then taking a nice bike ride. 

My picture of the day was the young man above dishing up a side of Vegemite in a mall cafe.  If you are a New Zealander and enjoy Marmite, you might enjoy Vegemite.  If you are an Aussie, you probably love the stuff.  If you are anybody else, you would probably prefer a pre-colonoscopy cocktail!  Crikey.  This is miserable stuff.

And then, we have been brave enough to go bicycle riding during Magpie nesting season.  Last year, you may recall that our first ride resulted in being attacked by a mad male magpie.

Hey!  Isn't that a part of my ear on the end of your beak?

He nearly knocked me off of my bike and took a good swipe at my ear drawing blood.  After getting the "local" advice, we put cable ties on our helmets.  We were also told that the birds attack from the back when they think you are not looking.  It was suggested that we put some sunglasses on our helmets backwards so the birds couldn't tell if we were "looking" at them.

Is the one on the right, coming or going?

Symmetrically Stylish with Black and Red Cable Ties

I'm Getting Rock N Roll!

What channel are you getting Russ?

Before we did all of this, because we thought it might be an Aussie-American initiation joke, we observed that many Aussies were riding around looking like helmeted porcupines.  So today, we tied on the cable ties and sunglasses and hit the pavement.  We enjoyed our ride.  I did see a shadow of bird flying over my head, but he didn't come near me.  We both still have our ears!  Cheers!

All is Well with the 2 Sail R's  on SV Worrall Wind

A Stroll Through Brisbane

Downtown Brisbane - Old and New

Thursday, October 3, 2012 - Brisbane

Russ and I have  been in Australia now for almost a year.  With the exception of our entrance to Brisbane harbor upon our arrival and a quick trip downtown to get an extension on our visas, we hadn't really explored the city....until today.

So today, we arose early and got on a commuter train into the city, arriving around 9:00 a.m.

Central Train Station

 Russ was equipped with his walking tour map.  Not only did we want to  see the city, but we were on a mission to buy some baby gifts for some of our favorite new families, the Touheys in New Zealand and the Luceros in California.  We knew just exactly what we wanted and where we wanted to go.

The Stuffed Toy Koalas are Too Cute!

Before we got to the shopping Arcade, we were struck with the clarity of the day and the beauty of the city.  We couldn't have chosen a more perfect day. It is the second to the last day of a 2 week school holiday.  The city of Brisbane was not only hopping with the day to day business of a city, but was chocka (full in Aussie talk) of families enjoying the sun and the mildly warm weather.

Our stroll through Brisbane took us to some of the historic Buildings and Monuments,

ANZAC Square

Churches,

Parks,

Jacaranda Trees in Full Bloom

Pointsettias in the Queensland Spring

Groves of Bamboo

Post Office,

River Front Promenade,

Swimming Lagoon and Playground,

Jessica Watson's Pink Lady - Youngest Woman to Solo Circumnavigate

Free Swimming Lagoons in the Middle of Brisbane

Wall to Wall Children

We ended our day with an ice cream at the Queensland Museum, but it was so filled with children and families, we postponed our tour of the museum until a quiet rainy day.  From the weather forecast, that may be as early as next week.

All is well with the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind.