Australia Zoo

This weekend we finally made it to the Australia Zoo. Located just a twenty minute drive southwest, it is the birthplace of the crocodile hunter. If only we had made the trek over here a few years ago, and we could have possibly seen Steve Irwin. Bummer! We did get to see the fruits of his labor, though. He was the visionary behind some of the park's recent improvements, as well as the designer of the Crocoseum, the outdoor arena where the snake, bird, and crocodile shows took place. His wife still owns the place and there are pictures of the family everywhere.

One of the interesting things about the zoo is that it focuses almost entirely on native Australian species. There are certainly no polar bears, lions, or giraffes (although there were elephants = random). Instead, we spent the day enjoying koalas, crocs, kangaroos, dingos, wallabies, echidnas, kookaburras, and snakes (among other animals, of course).

Another fascinating aspect of the park are the Steve Irwin-like descriptions on each cage (especially the snakes' cages). In the U.S. I would describe zoo signs as being "child-friendly science textbook-ish", not necessarily dull, but factual. A typical sign on the snake cage at the Australia zoo, on the other hand, starts with something like..."This bloke is a rare treasure. You wouldn't want to cross her on a hot day..." (As you read the signs we can just picture Steve Irwin crawling through the jungle, talking to the camera about the snake he's hunting) Because of these interesting signs that emphasize the amazing qualities of the snakes instead of "facts" about the snake, it is especially funny to notice the small stickers on the corners of each cage giving the deadly statistics about the snake's venum. Some of the deadliest snakes in the world call Australia home. I'm trying to remove that piece of knowledge from my mind for a few more months.
Posing at the entrance

The croc show! I would have paid a lot of money to take home a koala - they're so ridiculously cute!!!

We got to go right up and pet both the koalas and the kangaroos

Here's Jonathan on the way out of the park. Yet again he is showing just how many incredible moves he's got up his sleeve. I think I will keep this picture forever, just in case I ever have second thoughts about marrying him and need a good reminder why :).