A Diversion to Billabong Sanctuary

Manda writes:

Ian and I took the ferry back to the mainland this morning. Once back on dry land, we decided to continue our journey down the coast. Shortly into our journey, we stopped off at the Billabong Animal Sanctuary. It was an unplanned stop but proved to be a great diversion.

We not only got to see a lot of Australian zoo animals, but even got the opportunity to hold them too. What I liked about this zoo was that we could pick the animals up and take our own photos. No professional photographer meant that we weren't charged over-the-top prices for the privilege. Also, the warden would take the group around the grounds (it was optional to join him), feed the animals and provide more details about these cuties.

We watched the crocodiles being fed - they are huge creatures. I was surprised at how quickly they jumped out of the water to grab the piece of meat, dangling from the rod.

Ian and I held a koala, crocodile, snake and wombat. We managed to get some good photos. Even the animals seemed to co-operate and posed along with us.

At first, I wasn't too bothered about holding a snake. I didn't like the idea of holding a slimey reptile but hey, lots of 5 year olds were trying it out and I gave in to peer pressure! I didn't even look too scared in the photo! I did, however, hand the snake back to the warden pretty quickly after the photo had been taken! The lady before me, looked a bit wary of the snake too. To make matters worse, the warden walked off temporarily to collect the wombat when she was holding it. Those extra seconds do not help the squemish, especially when the snake decided to wrap itself around her neck! No strangulation witnessed - the snake was just being friendly.

When it was my turn to hold the wombat, the warden left me with her for a few extra seconds, while he went to collect the next animal in the line-up, the koala bear. The wombat was cute, a bit on the podgy side though. She must have weighed at least 20 kg. I held her like a baby and she looked as though she was dozing off.

The crocodile felt more rubbery than I thought it would. I noticed his mouth was taped up so that he couldn't snap! I wonder if it had done in the past.

Ian adds: Note that these photos are unrepresentative. I didn't only hold the cute furry animals and leave the scaly, scary ones to Manda. Honest. I have the photos if you need proof ;-)

These animals must get so used to being picked up - they are definitely pros and can work that camera angle to their advantage. Models paid in return for some food and shelter!

Ian staring out one of the roos.

After feeding the kangaroos, we left the zoo late in the afternoon and continued our journey southbound. The sun was a lot less intense and made it easier to travel in. We covered around 110km to Bowen, another coastal town, found a camp site and settled in for the night.