A koala bear hunt
31 July 12
Having a non-Australian visitor is the perfect excuse to go and visit the Australian icon — the koala — at a nearby sanctuary. As our girls grow up, it’s great to return to the same places again and again, cementing the memories of these special locations in their minds — like the Daisy Hill Conservation Park.
Along the road to the koala sanctuary, the electricity poles are decorated with incredibly detailed paintings of Australian fauna.
The Conservation Park provides a great location for picnics, walks in the bush, horse-riding and koala-spotting.
A wooden walkway leads from the carpark to the koala conservation centre.
Inside a double set of cage doors, we see our first koala. Most of the koalas on display came from other wildlife sanctuaries.
Probably only between 40,000 to 80,000 koalas remain in Australia. The koalas' natural habitat — eucalypt forests — are destroyed by encroaching urban development.
Inside the building, another koala is on display.
Brioni plays an interactive game which teaches her about the hazards an urban environment poses to koalas.
Koalas have a plate of cartilage in their bottoms that makes it easy for them to sit (and sleep) like this.
Koalas have two thumbs on their front paws. These help them climb, to hold onto the tree and to grip their food.
The koala information centre contains a small movie theatre which runs two short features on koalas.
A look-out tower takes you up to the tops of the trees where you scan the branches of the surrounding forest, hoping to spot a koala in the wild.
It's wonderful to see koalas up close.
Although we scanned the trees in the conservation park, we didn’t spot a koala — unlike on a previous visit with Benjy from Israel. However, just being in the Australian bush was pleasure enough for our Kiwi visitor, and we left feeling appreciative of the Australian flora and fauna.
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1 · Jessica · 3 August 2012, 02:16
Awwwwwww.
2 · Erin · 3 August 2012, 03:49
This is amazing! I can’t imagine what it would be like to see a real koala so close.
3 · Pam Jordan Arnold · 3 August 2012, 04:12
My hubby got the wonderful experience of going to Austrailia and he held a koala. He said it wasn’t like he thought it was going to be. The little guy held on for dear life with those little claws of his. :)
4 · alyson · 3 August 2012, 05:56
That’s a lovely little article. I enjoyed it very much!
5 · holly c. · 3 August 2012, 10:29
What beautiful and amazing creatures. Thanks for sharing!
6 · mandy · 3 August 2012, 19:53
A message to you all from Mandy and family ,she wanted to let you know that the girls always include your girls in their games and imagination and they miss them and ask when their friends are coming to visit.Great to know Johnny is there.
7 · G · 3 August 2012, 20:57
I adore taking my kids here :)