We woke up at 6am on Tuesday to get ready to go to the zoo. We wanted to actually look put together which we hadn't actually done the whole trip. We did our hair and makeup and picked out cute outfits. On the road by 8:30 ish, the zoo opens at 9 and we got there about a half an hour after it opened. We seriously were like small children. SO giddy and excited to be there we couldn't help it. We packed lunch, sunscreen, hats, water, just like soccer moms but just for ourselves. The parking lot was still pretty empty when we parked and quickly got out and headed for the entrance. Before we even got to the gates we took our first photo-op with the welcome sign and I couldn't stop smiling!
From the moment we walked in it was so much fun. We came up with a game plan of how to tackle the whole park and right when we got there we were closest timing to the elephant feeding so we hopped on the safari shuttle and went to Asia! When we got there, there was a line but it wasn't too bad so we got in it. The elephants only get fed twice a day, once in the morning and then late afternoon so we were stoked that we got it in early. I hand fed the little elephant a piece of old melon and it felt so funny to have it take it out of my hand with its trunk! Again, child moment of being completely fascinated by animals. After that we walked through the Tiger sanctuary but kept on moving to Africa where we saw giraffes, zebras, and rhinos! There were even two new baby rhinos that were just revealed to the public that week. So cool. And even as babies they were pretty big. While in the Africa exhibit we ran into Jessie and the rest of the group from Noosa. We said a polite hello but then kept moving without them.
After Africa is was pretty close to 11:30 and we had been told upon entry that starting at that time was Bindi Irwin’s performance followed by the whole wildlife show in the Crocoseum. We couldn’t miss that so we walked back to get a good seat. Sure enough, in the flesh there was Bindi. It was really surreal to be there and really see these people in person. They are such an inspirational family and I find it so awesome that they still care enough to put the effort in to still do the shows themselves and continue to advocate for what Steve stood for. Bindi’s show as dorky and cute, and very for kids, where she danced and sang about king of the jungle and stuff. It was adorable, and all the kids went down to the front and danced. One of her last songs was a song about her and her dad with a montage on the big screen of all their memories and I kid you not it got my eyes watering pretty bad. It’s so sad he died and well I am such a daddy’s girl stuff like that gets to me! And I miss my dad.
Once she was done with her bit, they began the real show with awesome birds flying in and all around the stadium in such coordination. It was incredible and hard to describe. Each species that came out they told you about them, where they were found, and what makes them special. Finally, after all the build up, all three of the Irwins came out together! Bindi (15), Terry and Robert (10). Again, I had that feeling of being in awe thinking “this is really my life right now”. With them came the crocs! which lets be honest is why everyone was there. They let Robert feed a little one and then they brought out the big guns. I think his name was Murphy. Talk about a stunning animal. They are so powerful and cool looking. They taught you all about how to attract a croc and more importantly how to stay away from them, and the importance of them as well as their history.
I walked away from that show in awe and was just so happy to have gotten the chance to see it. And then the day just got better. We got in a pretty short line for the thing I had been waiting for since I got to Australia: a picture with a koala!!!! Oh my gosh it still makes me giddy. It was so fluffy and soft and they cling to you like you’re a tree, or a happier thought is its like a big koala hug! :D They are so stinking cute I can't get over it. Makenna got a second one too because how could you not? And every picture is a donation to their conservation so you feel like you are doing something good at the same time. Once we did that, we had lunch and went to the Tiger show which had just started. That was also really cool. Considering I am the biggest cat person ever, I find big cats magnificent creatures and they are so amazing to watch. Again, the kid in me came out and I somehow was able to snake through the whole crowd and end up in the front. Sneaky me.
When the Tiger show was over we didn’t realize so much time had passed and that we needed to pick up the pace a little. We quickly went through the wetlands with all the birds and then headed down the wonderful cuddly koala walk. Basically we got to pet them all over again but not hold them. There were tons of them on very low trees set up so you could see them really close. There was even a baby in its moms arms! The Koala walk then turns into the roo walk where I finally got to feed and pet lots of kangaroos!!!! Yeah, that’s right, kangaroos. They really don’t care about humans and just lay there in the sun and let you hand feed them. Up close, kangaroos are very strange animals.. watching them move and balance with their tails is crazy and their feet are very weird and pointy. Still, they are super cool and a lot of them have faces that remind me of grumpy old men. I am in the airport right now but when I get back to the states I will update this post and others with pictures to share.
We spent a good amount of time with the kangaroos and koalas and to be fair, who wouldn't? The only bummer was that 5 pm was approaching very quickly and we found ourselves nearly running to see all the crocs, alligators, dingos, cassowaries, wallabies and more. We also missed out on going to the animal hospital which was located in a different building off of the parking lot which was a bummer. They rescue all sorts of wildlife and apparently Justin Timberlake just donated some crazy amount of money to them and he is the single highest individual contributor to the zoo. Fun fact I thought. We made a pitstop at the gift shop where I got most of my souvenirs and then very slowly, and very regrettably we had to leave :(. We were nearly one of the last cars in the parking lot as the sun set and we called it a day. We blissfully got back in the car and started driving to Surfers Paradise reflecting on how awesome the day had been. It is hard to find words to describe how perfect the day was and it was definitely my second favorite thing we did this whole trip (the first was snorkeling the great barrier reef) but it is one I will never forget.
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