Australian Animals...Best I've Got!

A few weekends ago I took myself to the Melbourne Zoo, thinking it would be a relaxing way to spend a sunny Sunday. It was Kids Day. Strollers galore. I still managed to spend several fun hours there. The zoo is set up like IKEA - divided into quarters, you have to snake through enclosures to get where you want to go. 

I was primarily there to see some more Australian animals - I definitely have not had my fill of kangaroos, and have not seen any that are close to the six-foot mark I was promised. The Melbourne Zoo fell short on this front. There weren't more than two kangaroos to be seen, and they only have one koala bear!! I also visited the one platypus and a couple other spiky animals that were mildly interesting. As for the other animals, the highlights are included here...but let's just say after an African safari I'm not sure I will be satisfied with a zoo ever again.

For me, the koala was the best part. Did you know that when a koala is born it's just the size of a jellybean and it has to climb up the mother's stomach and into her pouch all on its own? And if it falls down the mother won't go after it....it just gets left behind! Here's some video I took of the koala. (You can hear the annoying kids in the background.) I was lucky to be there just at feeding time - they sleep 20-22 hours a day, so I'm very privileged she woke up for me!

A lazy kangaroo. Where's the bouncing action?

An emu?? Very large and walking around unsupervised and uncaged! 

ANOTHER lazy kangaroo 

This is the koala. This is all she was doing for the first 15 minutes I was there

This is a cool animal who lives with the koala. He's an echidna, and like the platypus, lays eggs 

The koala woke up!! Much cuter from this direction!

Cute...and a bit scary! 

Hungry!

Thinking about going back to sleep...

There was a beautiful aviary

Really massive pelicans

Only non-Australian animal that was interesting

A tree kangaroo (I think!) 

Australian penguins. Very small!

The platypussary!!