A Trip Down Under 2019
Qantas 747 Business Class San Francisco - Sydney
Qantas Business Class Lounge, Sydney Airport
Qantas A330 Business Class Sydney - Auckland
Holiday Inn Auckland Airport - Review
The Pavilions Hotel, Christchurch - Review
What We Saw In Christchurch
Hilton Queenstown Resort and Spa - Review
What We Saw In Queenstown including Doubtful Sound Tour
Avani Metropolis Hotel, Auckland - Review
What We Saw In Auckland
Oceans Mooloolaba - Review
What We Saw On The Sunshine Coast
Brisbane Marriott - Review
Qantas 787 Business Class Brisbane - Los Angeles
Normally by the time we reach our last destination we're pretty tired. We did do a lot of travelling on this trip but having a day of rest in Queenstown followed by several hours of bus rides the day after that meant we weren't as tired as we otherwise might have been. We could not have asked for better weather in Mooloolaba: highs in the upper 70s to low 80s and nice warm breezes.
We arrived on a Saturday and, being a beach town, it was slightly more crowded than during the week. We spent the first afternoon walking down the beach as far as we could and then walking back on the pathway above it. There were lots of families out enjoying time together and plenty of people running, walking and biking in the area.
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| The public beach was pristine and not too crowded |
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| These were right across from our condo. Not conducive for swimming but violently gorgeous. |
On Sunday we spent more time at the beach. D and I got in the ocean. It was a little cool but not too bad. The waves were pretty spicy and we had to keep checking to be sure we were in the lifeguarded area between the flags. We spent the rest of the evening checking out the shops along the Esplanade below our hotel. Late that night there was a thunderstorm out over the ocean and it was pretty spectacular from our viewpoint. We also watched a little World Cup rugby. We were learning to really enjoy it!
Australia Zoo
This was my third trip to Australia but the first time I'd been anywhere close to this part of Queensland and Australia Zoo so I wasn't going to miss my chance. C and D had no interest in going, so they took themselves off for a beach hike and I called an Uber to take me to the zoo, which was only about a half-hour drive away. I'd loved the original Crocodile Hunter shows and had been at the Great Barrier Reef only a couple of months before Steve Irwin lost his life there. I'd lost touch with what was going on with the family until reading that his daughter Bindi had gotten engaged in the summer of 2019 and it was hard to believe they were grown up enough for that already! (Incidentally, Bindi was due to be married this April but when COVID-19 restrictions kicked in, she and Chandler moved up the ceremony and got married on my birthday in late March. So nice of them to make it easy for me to remember!)
My first impression of the zoo: if you didn't know about Steve's accident, you'd think he might be around the next corner. He's on the signage, on pamphlets and in the Crocoseum - the arena where the croc shows are held - there are videos and interviews being played non-stop. Since I returned I've read that he and wife Terri had already built out a 10-year plan for the zoo and that it's still a driving force in what they do today. They have several behind-the-scenes tours that cost extra. I didn't take them because I was concerned about running out of time but if I ever get to return I will definitely do that. The wildlife hospital has helped over 90,000 animals since its inception and had its hands full recently with the terrible wildfires in the area. They even had to quickly build an addition to their fruit bat rehabilitation area because so many had been displaced. Then, of course, the COVID-19 virus shut them down for weeks on end in the fall, depriving them of any income though fortunately they were ultimately able to receive some government help. Over 100 staff members worked to care for the 1200+ animals who didn't know anything about a shutdown.
Anyway, here are some of the animals I saw. You can follow what's going on in the zoo with Animal Planet's "Crikey, It's The Irwins". If you've seen that you may recognize some of the critters below:
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| Rhinoceros Iguanas get their name from the extra-large head. The males use it to defend territory so the bigger the head, the bigger the territory he'll have. |
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| American Alligators a long way from home |
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| Aldabran Tortoises can live for a hundred years. Tortoises have flat feet while turtles have flipper feet. |
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| This blue-tongued skink was just one of the animals available for meet & greets. |
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| This wedge-tailed hawk is quite the beauty! |
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| I learned it's difficult to catch river otters in one place for long enough to photograph them |
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| Perentie goannas are among the largest monitor lizards. That tail carries a powerful whack! |
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| Ever heard of a Binturong? Me neither. It has a prehensile tail like some primates but is a carnivore. |
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| A brolga is a large bird that likes to dance as part of its mating ritual. |
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| This emu demonstrates how well he blends in with the surrounding area |
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| Aussie icon #1: the koala. Did you know they can sleep for up to 20 hours a day?! |
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| Aussie icon #2: the kangaroo. There's a large portion of the park called Roo Heaven where Roos and Wallabies roam free and visitors walk among them, pet them and can buy special food to fee them |
No trip to Australia Zoo is complete without seeing the crocodile feeding show in the Crocoseum. On the day I was there Mick, who's a croc trainer-in-training, was conducting the show under the watchful eye of Toby, who's been at the zoo for over 15 years, since before Steve's death.
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| Mick keeps Mossman the croc looking at his hand for food |
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| Now it's Toby's turn to feed Mossman. Did you ever realize a croc's legs were that long? |
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| Mossman may weigh 1100 pounds but he's 12 feet long so jumping even half of his body length lets him reach fairly high! |
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| Laughing kookaburras are so cute |
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| Bubbles (left) and Cuddles, the macaws |
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| Ring-tailed lemurs are another species it's hard to photograph because they don't stay still for long! |
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| I love how meerkat groups post sentries who look out for danger |
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| No telling what you'll find running wild in Australia! This little ripper and dozens like him are everywhere. |
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| Sumatran tigers are the smallest of the tiger breeds. You can pay to do a meet & greet with one of them. |
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| Finding a sleeping wombat is the easiest way to get their photo. They're pretty active and move surprisingly quickly. |
My last stop was the African savanna area. You can't get really close to the animals here (unless you pay to feed the giraffes) but they look like they enjoy their big, wide open enclosure (and yes, that sounds like an oxymoron).
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| Rhino mom Caballe. You can see a little of her baby, Carrie, behind her head. |
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| Zebra pals Spartacus (left) and Lucas. Does that make them Zebros? |
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| The giraffe family, led by big guy Forrest. |
While I was waiting for the in-zoo shuttle back to the entrance, I saw this staff member with one of the cheetah boys. While the zoo does not have a cheetah exhibit, they do participate in a cheetah conservation program and have 3-4 they keep behind the scenes. You can do a meet & greet with these guys as well.
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| Hello gorgeous! |
Final Thoughts
Mooloolaba was wonderful. We couldn't have asked for better weather so if you fancy a visit, late October is a great time to do it. Australia Zoo was all I'd hoped for and I wished I'd done more research ahead of time as I'd have appreciated certain things more. I know this area of the country can be very hot in the summer but we picked a great time to visit and I'd love to go back sometime.
