Wildlife Experience

I had something of a lazy morning the next morning, catching up on lost sleep and resting my still somewhat sick lungs. My flight wasn't until that evening, so I did have a bit of time left to explore. I didn't have enough time to make it out to the zoo (something for which I know one of my friends may never forgive me), but there was a "wildlife experience" down in Darling Harbour and since I was in Australia for the first time, I wanted to see at least one koala, darn it.

I was not disappointed. And in addition to the koalas, I got to pet a few snakes and saw wombats, kangaroos, other marsupials, lizards, snakes, birds, and lots of bugs, some of which I have pictures of and will attempt to accurately identify below. Please forgive the moments where the caption is "Look, it's a this thing, I think!" because I wasn't smart enough to take pictures of the name plates while also gawking at the critters.

Case in point, this long necked turtle:

Multiple snake and lizard buddies, having cuddle time.

Why did it have to be...

 

Butterflies!

The whole experience was fairly interactive, with lots of keepers out to answer questions and allow close-up looks (or, depending on the animal, touch).

A bit of representation for New Zealand.

Some gravity defying lizards.

First koala sighting! There are two separate koala enclosures, one for photo ops, and one for the animals to chill. This was the more natural habitat.

...relatively certain this is a quokka. If you do know for sure, please say so as I feel rather silly not being able to properly label things.

Wallabies!

A kookaburra. Not sure if that is an old gum tree.

Wombat bum. As dangerous as it is fluffy.

Cassowary.

More lizards.

Grey kangaroo, in various poses.

It's a bird! It's... two birds!

 More wallabies, one with bonus bird:

One section was an open aviary. This curlew very nearly ran directly into my legs in an effort to escape a rampaging toddler, and proceeded to hide behind me. Given height and relative stillness, I must have been doing a good impression of a tree...

More birds and another curlew:

Echidna:

And today, in reasons why I am glad to live in places where thing like this aren't, a 5 meter (16 feet) long saltwater crocodile. His name is Rex, because of course it is.

Another curlew. I adore them.

And finally, here are a bunch of pictures of koalas!

Soon it was time to leave, and I picked up my bags and headed for the airport. I did stumble across this lovely war memorial on my way to find a cab, after I missed the light rail I needed to have been on, after getting lost trying to get to a station I could see but not access.

The flight home was uneventful and customs was a breeze (I had a tiny, irrational fear that they wouldn't let me back into the country, when in reality I was through customs and had my bag within twenty minutes of landing). It was after midnight so I took a cab from the airport, and driving toward Mt. Victoria it felt as if I was coming home.