Jet lag has taken a back seat and the temperature dropped away from that 39C scorcher when we arrived. We have found our way to the beach numerous times for some sun, sand and surf. We look a bit more local now that we have shed all former remnants of our backpacker attire, opting for flip flops, boardies and summer dresses (only Rachel of course). Not to mention a more sun friendly glow rather than the pasty white we had adopted once we left the boats and travelled in the arctic temperatures down in South America.
Hardly seems like a week already. Time is a flyin'!! We've been pretty darn busy going to the beach, gathering for bbq's to meet various friends and their kids and basically just enjoying the Northern Beaches before summer holidays. Hey we're still travelling, so we might as well live it up, right??
We took in a trip the other day to a local park to see some of the native wildlife. What a great couple of hours. As soon as we turned up, the koala interaction was still on. We got to pet the 8 year old male called "Patch", took some excellent photos and learned a bit about the koalas without anybody else there. We also saw the sheepshearing, sheep dog and boomerang demonstrations. May not seem that interesting if you lived here, but we had a great time being there nonetheless.
Moving on to the kangaroos, we were a big hit with the honey flavoured Cheerios that her mum bought at the entrance. They loved us. Another excellent interaction was with Mathilda the wombat. Vicious little buggers, but we got up close with her handler and snapped a few shots off before she was put back into her run to sleep.
We finished off our trip watching the koalas have a go at each other. A couple of males fought it out on the ground, chasing each other around. Another one plopped out of the tree and knocked himself silly. Come to find out, it is koala mating season. From an animal that sleeps 18-22 hours per day, they are nasty little furballs. Deep, guttural sounds from the males and a shriek from the females as they clambered up the eucalyptus trees clawing away at each other trying to take one for the team. Not what you'd expect from the little cuddlies. Quite interesting though.
An awesome couple of hours with no crowds and up close interactions with some amazing animals. Even sitting outside, there are always lorikeets, cockatoos and kookaburra's flying overhead and chattering away.
Well, on that note, we are off to the beach...more later...
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