Adelaide
Good to See You Again, Australia!
Hi Australia, I'm back!
Today was just a travel day, from Queenstown to Adelaide via Melbourne, so no pictures this time, but a few stories or tidbits from that travel:
In case you were wondering, flying from Queenstown to Melbourne is considered an international flight (there are some who asked whether flights between New Zealand and Australia would be considered domestic). But unlike flying to Australia from the US, we did not get the complementary disinfectant shower on the plane. I'm not sure if the spraying is just a Covid thing or not, but apparently Australia considers the US more infectious/dirtier than New Zealand. Duly noted.
The customs and biosecurity officers in Melbourne were definitely a different breed compared to the ones in Sydney. Here, they had a no bs attitude, were borderline rude and seemingly annoyed at everything. Almost like New Yorkers (sorry!) No wonder they didn't take Djokovic's bs last year and deported him. Oh, they also had the 'sorry sorry sorry' voice over again as we approached Melbourne, even coming from New Zealand, so Djokovic definitely doesn't have an excuse for lying on the customs form!
I know it's a big thing that I'm back in Australia but I didn't expect them to send a news crew to welcome me. Well, they weren't there for me but as we went through customs and walked towards the baggage claim, there was a TV crew (Channel 7) filming something about border control or immigrations at the airport. I should check if I made it into the final cut.
Between all the flights I had so far, I binged all of The House of the Dragon. Anyone else think recasting some but not all actors for the last episode was totally weird?
Fun fact: I'm not sure what message Adelaide wants to send to those coming to visit but right after you land and your plane makes a turn off the runway to taxi to the terminal, you can see an old, burned out plane body. They must have a dark sense of humor here in South Australia.
South Australia is also one of those random +/- 30 min time zones. It doesn't make any sense to me. Basically, the west coast is GMT+8, the east coast is GMT+10 and the middle, where South Australia is, is GMT+9:30. Why? No idea, but I'm getting the feeling that South Australia may be like the Texas of the US or the Bavaria of Germany...
And a final pro tip: If you ever find yourself flying on a Virgin Australia flight, make sure you book a seat in rows 1-14. Why? Because on almost all flights, if you're in row 1-14 you get to use the sky bridge to get on the plane. Anyone booked in row 15 or higher, has to go down the outside stairs, walk across the tarmac and then up the stairs to board the plane from the rear door.
Making New Kanagroo Friends
Day one in Adelaide started out with a quick trip to one of the many white sand beaches for a quick dip in the clear blue waters. It was going to be a hot, hot day, 35 C, / 95 F, even too hot to be on the beach in my opinion - so the early swim was a perfect start for the day. The sand was like powder sugar, so soft underneath my feet! And because it was early, there weren't a lot of people at the beach yet.
After a quick shower back at the hotel, it was time for the highlight of the day: the Gorge Wildlife Park. This is where I booked a koala cuddle - yes, you actually get to hold a koala in South Australia - but I had a feeling that that might get canceled because of the incredible heat. Koala's can't control their temperature aka sweat, so I'm sure cuddling with a human is the last thing they want to do on a day like today. And sure enough, when I got there, they told me that the cuddle sessions had to be canceled.
Bummer, and I was disappointed at first as I thought I missed my chance for good because I was headed to Kangaroo Island for the entire day tomorrow and then I was off to Melbourne the next day. But luck was on my side, the stars aligned, all the good karma I accumulated came to my help, because I checked the wildlife park on Kangaroo Island, my destination for tomorrow, and they had one tour spot left on Friday 13, at 2 pm. Quite literally the only time I could make between arriving on the island and driving to and from the park to the ferry building. So I booked it, not even realizing what an unforgettable experience that would become. More on that in the next post.
Back to Gorge. The trip was still so worth it because you could get a close up view of a lot of Australia's native animals and hang out with kangaroos and wallabies! I got a bag of food at the entrance and off I went to make new friends. And new friends I made!
It was such a fun experience to have a kangaroo hop towards you. At first I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw the first kangaroo hop over (see the video). It came over and looked at me with its big eyes, waiting for the food and a good rub on the back. A fun fact: they actually can't reach their shoulders so us humans are a perfect means to get that itch scratched away and massaged :)
Kangaroos and wallabies are grazers, so it's normal for them to eat at any time during the day, hence we get to feed them. They are surprisingly gentle too, and soft! I expected their fur to be rough but it was really soft, almost like a soft fleece jacket. They all have different characters and food preferences too. Some loves the corn, others didn't care for it. Some loved the green kibbles, others didn't touch them. Some stuffed their faces with as much food as they could, others would take one piece at time and then happily chew and chew and chew. At one point I even had three kangaroos around me and eat off my hand at the same time.
I also had a baby kangaroo aka joey put its front paws on my hand while eating the food in my palm. They are incredible animals, and naturally friendly. I will cherish this experience!
IMG_3042.movIMG_3084.MOVThe Local Hero at the Adelaide International
Ok, after the disappointment earlier in the day, at least there would be some world-class tennis to end my day. I had prime tickets for the night session quater finals at the Adelaide International. I had already seen the arena when I was driving to my hotel yesterday, and today, I would get to the court itself.
The night session started at 7pm so I walked over around 6:30 pm. It's only a 20 min walk from my hotel. It was still ridiculously hot, even as the sun was beginning to go down. I sought out the shadows on my walk and drank half my bottle of water before I even reached the entrance. Yes, in Australia you are allowed to bring food and drinks to event, did I mention this already?
My seat was behind the baseline and while I made it a point to have a seat in the south stands and slightly to the west (yes, I am a seasoned tennis fan and know you have to keep the sun in mind when you choose your seats because oh boy, can the sun ruin your experience!), the sun was still burning down on us for a good 20 min. It was hot, very hot, but just in time for the first serve of the match, the sun disappeard behind a building for us, and the south stands were in the shade for good. Not so much the fans in the north or east, they were burning for another hour and could probably barely see what's happening on the court. I did pad myself on the shoulder for thinking ahead when I booked the tickets :)
I was lucky to see the local Australian hero Kokkinakis, who was in top form during that tournament. He played out of his mind against Kecmanovic and easily took the first set 6:3. I think it was combination of Kokkinakis feeling just a bit too secure and Kecmanovic finding his rhythm, but the second set was a nail biter. Kokkinakis lost it in a tie breaker, but was so angry/motivated/competitive/fired up that he blew through the third set and took the match with a bread stick in the last set. What a great match that was!
So the day had a great ending to a not so great start, and because it was still 30 C / 90 F at 10:30pm, I got some ice cream on my way home, across from this nicely lit cathedral. The place was called St. Louis, packed and I can't tell you who was melting faster, the ice cream in the heat or me enjoying the delicious creamy cold treat.
An Island Just for Kangaroos?
About two hours south of Adelaide is Kangaroo Island, also known as KI by locals. It's basically one big nature reserve that's home to more kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and sea lions than humans. That alone sounds like a must-visit spot to me, but on top of that, the shore lines and beaches are supposed to be ruggedly beautiful.
So month before this trip, I made sure I got a round trip ticket for the ferry that would take me to and from the island because no, there is no bridge connecting KI with the mainland, so you either have a ferry ticket or you don't get to go (or leave). It's a vehicle ferry so you can actually take your car and go explore the island on your own. That's if you can manage to park your car on the boat without getting stuck or damaging it beyond repair. I say that because the ferry has five lanes for the cars, but the outer two are encircled by the wall (duh) and pillars with barely enough space to fit a car in between. You know those team building games where you fall backwards and have to trust your teammates will catch you? That's how I felt because the staff will walk slowly in front of you, fold in your side mirrors and tell you exactly what to do, how to point your wheels, when to turn etc. I was towards the end of the line of cars so I got watch most of the other cars in front of me, and while some seem to be seasoned ferry drivers, others clearly weren't and you could tell that they simply wouldn't do what the staff was telling them to. Which of course made their lives so much harder and just a bit embarrassing knowing that everyone else was watching. When it was my turn, I put myself entirely into the hands of the staff, didn't even dare to look at the wall or the pillars and just focused on following the instructions to the millionth. It paid off because I was quickly in my spot, walked upstairs to enjoy the roughly 40 min ride and drove off the boat the same way I came, following the instructions without looking anywhere else.
So I made it off the boat in one piece without scratches, and was off to a fun adventure on KI.
Pennington Bay
I had about 2 hours before my tour at the wildlife sanctuary so I had chosen a few scenic stops for the roughly 1 hour drive to the park. The first one was Pennington Bay.
It's a beautiful white sand beach with clear, turquoise water but somewhat big waves. I was the only one in the parking lot at first, got out of my car, and almost immediately felt a mini panic attack. Because besides the wind, you could clearly hear a rattling sound. Listen to it in the video, you can kinda hear it. The sound was not just in front of me, but apparently all around me. I immediately thought I made a huge mistake and somehow drove to beach full of rattle snakes that were just ready for the lunch that just showed up on their door step.
I got back into my car as quickly as I could, and took a deep breath. Did I miss that KI is home to millions of rattle snakes in my research? They had an informational video play on the ferry. Did I miss the part where they were talking about the rattle snakes? Or do they hide that fact to trap stupid tourists like me on the island, never to be seen again?
This may sound funny and ridiculous, but those were the thoughts that came to my mind. Eventually there was a group of people that came to the parking lot and they didn't seem nervous or scared at all. I figured they can clearly hear it too but they acted normal, so I thought I'd give it another shot. I walked to the boardwalk down to the beach, but that rattling sound was everywhere still. I'm all up for a good adventure, but not when it involves snakes, so I took in the view but then I said 'screw this, I'm not walking down there' and got back into my car and got the hell out of there.
IMG_3182.MOVStokes Bay
Feeling safe in my car, I recovered from that initial scare, and continue my drive to the second stop at Stokes Bay. Remember how I said that KI was home to more wildlife than humans? Sadly that was obvious just driving around the island because while I didn't see much wildlife hopping around (it was over 30 C / 90 F afterall), there was so much road kill on the side of the road, in various stages of decomposition. It looked like kangaroos, wallabies and some I didn't dare to look any closer in fear of realizing it may be a koala. The speed limit was 100 kmh, but I did not drive that fast. I was not comfortable with the thought that I could kill a kangaroo when it jumps in front of me, not to mention the damage such a collision would do to the rental car.
There was barely any traffic so it didn't matter that I was going slower than the speed limit, but about half way to Stokes Bay, the paved road turned into a dirt road. So unbeknownst to me, I would be going off roading today... in my tiny economy rental car. Well, it wasn't that bad, it was just a dirt road with a few holes here and there, but it did feel like real off roading in that particular car.
I got to Stokes Bay and at first I thought I took a wrong turn because instead of a white sand beach, I just saw rocks. And when I got out of my car, I could hear the rattling again (oh geez!). By this time I was pretty sure that it wasn't rattle snakes, because I did my research and didn't read a single thing about rattle snakes. So whatever it was, I told myself it wasn't dangerous. Foolish maybe, but who knows, right?
There were also a good amount of cars in this parking lot, but the weird thing was that I didn't see anyone in the water, or on the rocks. Where were all these people? I walked to the water, looking around and then I saw it. A tiny sign that said "beach, this way!" pointing towards the rocks. And sure enough, there was a path! That must be a hidden beach!
I walked the path, climbing over rocks and squeezing through some narrow areas, and then the rock wall opened up and revealed a beautiful beach (and all the people I was looking for). Had I had more time, I totally would have jumped into the water, it looked magical. But I had a date with a koala, so I took in the scene for a little while and then headed back.
The video is the walk backwards, so you don't get the amazing moment when you see the beach for the first time, but at least you have an idea of what a cool path you have to walk to get to this hidden beach.
I got back to the car, and from here it was just a quick 10 min drive to (hopfeully) a koala cuddle session... I had no idea what an unforgettable afternoon I was about to experience.
IMG_3184.MOVIMG_3187.MOVBeing a Zoo Keeper for an Afternoon: An Unforgettable Experience
Today was a perfect example of how things going wrong isn't always a bad a thing, and why looking at the positives is always better than focusing on the negatives. Why I say that? Because today would have been so different had I been able to hold the koala at Gorge yesterday. But because I wasn't able to, this Friday the 13th turned into one of the most memorable and unforgettable days in my life: I became a zoo keeper for an afternoon. And here's how it all came about.
Backstory
When they told me yesterday that because of the heat, all koala cuddles at Gorge were canceled, I knew that my only shot at a cuddle session was if there was an opportunity on Kangaroo Island (KI), my full-day trip destination for the next day. (Yes, I do have a full week left in Australia but you cannot cuddle koalas in Victoria, so my last day in South Australia was literally my only shot.) And so as all the luck and good karma in the world would have it, there was a wildlife park on KI (luck #1), they had koala cuddle sessions (luck #2), and the only available spot left (luck #3) was at 2pm (luck #4, because any sooner or later, I would not have been able to make it because of the ferry schedule I had booked). So I jumped on it and booked it while I was still at Gorge. It was this or never.
How I Became a Zoo Keeper
Well, I thought I had read the description of the tour because I knew that it would include not only a cuddle session with a koala, but also an encounter with a dingo, serval and kangaroos. I obviously did not read it carefully enough because when I showed up just before 2 pm and said that I was here for the tour, the woman at the check-in was super excited. She said she would let my keeper know. There was nobody else around waiting, so I looked at her and asked if I was the only one who booked the tour. She said that privates tours only have one slot, so you can book it as a single person or a family, but it's just you and the keeper. That's when I realized how special this experience would be, but I was still way off in terms of the level of amazing this tour would be.
When my keeper, Shanny, arrived, she introduced herself and told me that we were going to go anywhere I wanted to go and that we would be feeding and interacting closely with almost all the animals, unless there were some I didn't want to interact with. I was blown away. I told her we could skip anything snake related (which she said quite a few people request) but that I would be up to do anything else. And oh my gosh, we did!
Cuddle Time for Alfie, the Koala
This moment was so incredibly precious. When the heat cooled down a bit (I'm talking 31C instead of 35C), it was time for a koala cuddle. Shanny told me to wait and disappeared into a blocked off staff only area. I could hear her greet the little koalas by name (I counted six) and shortly after she appeared with Alfie here. Isn't he a cutie? I got to hold him and cuddle with him, which was the cutest thing ever. He held on to me like I was a tree, firm but gentle, and his fluffy ears were brushing against my face. He even almost gave me a kiss when he wanted to check out who that human was that was holding him.
His fur was fairly soft, the closest I can compare it to is a soft fleece. And he was heavy! Much heavier than I thought.
Shanny told me that most koalas in this park were either brought to them because they or their mother was injured (think hit by a car) or they were burned during the big wildfires in 2020 and need medication for the rest of their lives. Alfie here has been in the park since 2015 because his mom got hit by a car and didn't make it. Such a sad story.
I asked if the koalas actually like being held by humans or if this is just something they have to endure because we think they are cute (I hoped that was not the case). She told me that they actually really love it, especially those who were used to humans feeding them as a baby or those who need medication. Apparently some of them get depressed when they are on display without being picked up for a cuddle because to them, they see all these humans walking by but they are all ignoring them. Koalas take that personally, so some koalas are kept separate and need cuddling sessions. To the extent that if they don't have enough visitors in a day, the keepers 'have' to cuddle with the koalas. Can you imagine 'having' to cuddle a koala for work?!
Something else Shanny mentioned is that the koalas get to choose if they want to be in the cuddle session or not. That's why she walked in and greeting all of them by name. That's their cue that it's cuddle time, and the koala you wants it the most will look at here and open up his arms, begging to be picked.
Knowing both of these things made me feel so much happier because by cuddling the koala I was actually able to make the koala happy too. If I ever hear about a zoo looking for volunteers because their koalas need more cuddle time, I'll be the first to sign up!
Goofing Around with Marmoset Monkeys
Our first lunch was with the marmoset monkeys. They are SO tiny! And oh so much fun. They are barely the size of your palm and weigh almost nothing. I know that because after a minute or so, they warmed up to me and started jumping and goofing around. It was way too hot for them to really eat, so only one of them took a little (skip the next word if you're easily grossed out) maggot as a midday snack. But you could tell that they were always up to something because soon enough they were on my lap, on my arms, on my head, and once they discovered the shiny phone, it was all over. In a good way, see the videos. They held on to it, their tiny paws changing the photo setting to portrait (they know how to pose apparently) and one even changed it to the cinematic video setting (great aspirations for that one). Those two little guys were so much fun!
IMG_3224.movLunch Time with Servals
No, servals are not native to Australia, it's an African wild cat. But believe it or not, up until a few years ago, you could have a serval as a pet in Australia. Seriously. I can't remember the exact year she told me, but it wasn't until a law was passed a few years ago that keeping servals at home has become illegal. That's actually how this wildlife park ended up with these two. They were held as pets and later surrendered to the zoo when the law went into effect.
Anyhow, I was allowed to go into their cage and feed them yummy red meat. But because they were tame, I was allowed to pet them first (they are just a tiny bit rougher than your house cat), and then we practiced what they had been trained to do: You see the small tree trunk pedestal? They need to stand on it with all four paws to get their food or a pet on the back. And gosh they loved it.
I asked how they were trained, and Shanny told me that they started off with clickers. So every time all four paws were on the wood, they would hear the click and get a piece of meat. Pretty soon they knew that hearing the click meant food and that having all four paws on the food meant there would be a click. They are so smart. And now I can check petting and feeding a wild cat off of my bucket list (not that that was ever on my list though).
IMG_3274.MOVFishy Magic with Fairy Penguins
Next up were the super cute Little Penguins aka Blue Penguins aka Fairy Penguins. They are the smallest penguin in the world and can only be found in Australia and New Zealand. Not really what you expect from penguins, right? There's no ice like in Antarctica and it does get pretty hot in those places (it was a blazing 35 C today!). But these little guys actually don't like the cold and much prefer warm temperatures. They usually live in large colonies, and in fact, I'm headed to Phillip Island on Sunday to watch them come ashore at sunset. Hundreds of them!
But today I got to feed them their favorite meal: fish. What's amazing is that since they don't have teeth, they have to swallow the fish as a whole. And they eat up to 20 fish a day! How they can fit all that fish into their tiny little bodies, I have no absolutely no idea.
Now, in nature all they have to do is catch it and then the fish naturally slides down their throat. Since we're hand feeding them though, we have to hold the fish a certain way and wait until we can feel the bill hitting our fingers before letting go. As you can tell, it takes some getting used to that so the second fish I tried to feed them dropped in the sand. Nobody wants a crunchy, sandy fish, so that one will go into the trash and I had to grab a new one. I'm proud to say that that one fish was the only one I dropped though. I'm sure the little penguins were happy about me learning quickly too.
IMG_3289.movMore Fish for the Pelicans
While we already had fishy hands, we walked over to the pelicans. They are humongous birds as you can see in the video! The fun fact I learned is that during mating season, their beaks become super colorful and their feet turn a bright blue. The more color, the more attractive the male is to the female. Finally a place where the guys have to dress up to impress, not the women ;-)
Feeding these guys meant throwing the fish over the fence for them to catch. The big guy in the middle is a bit of a bully though and chases after every fish you through and will fight the others for it, even if they already caught it. So the trick I was taught is to toss two fish so he can catch (or steal) the first one but then the second one will definitely go to one of the other two.
Unlike the picky penguins, these guys don't mind if a fish lands in the sand. They just pick it up, throw in the water to rinse, and then eat it. No food wasted here. You can also tell if they are full if they catch a fish but drop it. Again, it was super hot so they barely made a dent in the bucket of fish I had at the ready.
IMG_3293.movQuokkas, Truly The Happiest Animal on Earth
I'm sure you seen the quokka selfies that have been going around the world ever since Federer went to Rottnest Island (pretty sure he was one of the first ones who helped make these little guys famous). Rottnest Island off of the coast of Perth is pretty much the only place you can find quokkas out in the wild. I expected them to be just barely larger than a rat but these guys are pretty big. Probably the size of a cat, maybe even a bit bigger. They are surprisingly soft too, but unlike their cousin kangaroos and wallabies, they are a bit on the shy side and don't immediately come to you for food. But once you win over one, you win over all of them. I literally had five trying to eat out of my hand at once. One of them even used one of his mates as a stepping stool to gain a height advantage.
And the little guy with the buckets was the smartest (and obviously happiest) of them all. When Shanny left to get food for the next animal, I had to put the bucket down so I could try and get some photos while also feeding them. This little guy didn't waste a second and immediately went for the source of all the yummy food. Just look at his big smile. So adorable!
Bottle Feeding a Joey
The last stop of the day was at the park's hospital. This is where they treat animals that are brought to them or check for any illnesses. They have a vet on call that will either come here or they stabilize any injured animal and transport it to a bigger hospital for surgery. There's a whole community on Kangaroo Island that will respond to any reports of injured wildlife, and there are signs along all the country roads that list the phone number or website to make a report.
This little guy here gets milk every five hours, down from every 3 hours as a baby, and I got to bottle feed it to him. I think I mentioned before that they can't scratch themselves behind their shoulders so giving them that scratch while they drink brings them double happiness. It was so cute how he drank from the bottle, bending further and further back no matter how I held the bottle. Shanny said that's normal and while it doesn't look comfortable to us humans, they don't mind and actually prefer using their thick tail as a stool. (The way to distinguish a wallaby from a kangaroo is the tail btw. The kangaroo tail is much thicker and can be used as a stool. The wallaby tail is thinner and not meant as an attached sitting device).
Other Animals and Fun Facts I Learned
Echidnas (no, not enchiladas, which I have seen in some reviews *palm to face*) are egg laying mammals. Their spikes are hard but not sharp and not poisonous at all. They eat nothing but bugs and insects and put their short beak into holes and openings to sense any vibrations from the bugs around them. They actually can't really see or smell so that's how they detect food. The one I met loved my sandals with all the holes to stick that beak in. It doesn't hurt or scratch at all, they are just curious. A fun fact is that there is absolutely no way to tell if an echidna is male or female. Not as a baby and not as an adult. They only way to tell is by doing an ultrasound. Even researchers don't know how echidnas can tell the other echidnas' gender. It's a mystery science apparently has yet to solve.
The meercats were so much fun to watch. So much fun, that I totally forgot to take any pictures. They were constantly talking to each other and Shanny said that they are actually like a firm, where every one has a very specific job: there are rulers who give orders, cleaners, food gatherers and explorers. And once you have a job, you stick with it for life. There's no career change in meercat world so you better hope you get stuck with a job you love. And as the firm, you hope that whoever got stuck with the food or cleaning job is good at it. Imagine if they aren't... The firm does adjust a bit though, especially in smaller parks like this one. They only have three meercats, so some of them have to do two jobs. But since the keepers are constantly bringing them food, they are actually part of the firm and take on the job of food gatherer. I guess it's kinda like outsourcing, right? In larger parks with biggest firms, they cannot have the same keeper bring the food because that would make that one keeper part of the firm and take away the job of the meercat food gatherer. Instead they have to constantly rotate in new keepers as to not form a pattern and let the meercats become to familiar with any one keeper. Job security is a big deal in those parks!
I may be off a bit with the numbers so don't quote me, but even though we skipped the snake house, Shanny told me that Australia has 15 of the 18 most poisonous snakes in the world. Thankfully for me, I knew that and did all my hiking in New Zealand and am sticking to cities in Australia for that very reason. (For those who don't know, I have a rule about animals: I'm okay (to various degrees of course) with any animal that has 2 or 4 feet. Any more or less than that, and you're on my do not like or hate list. Dolphins are the only exception to this rule).
Not so much a fun fact, but driving around Kangaroo Island was a reminder that wildlife is the main inhabitant of the island. It was so sad to see all the dead kangaroos, wallabies and wombats on the side of the road. The speed limit is surprisingly 100 km/h but I barely drove that fast. I did not want to hit an animal. There weren't a lot of cars on the road so it was even more indicative of how much wildlife there is. I'm assuming though that most of these hits happen at night because I did not see any wildlife around. Granted, it was also super hot so they were probably smart and just stayed in the shade throughout the day.
I did see a ton of wildlife in the fields on my way back though. I had heard that you should not drive outside of the cities at night and now I know why. There were so many kangaroos sitting or hoping through the fields just around sunset. Fortunately, I did not see any close to the road during the roughly 45 min I had to drive through the country. That said, I made sure I always had a car in front of me as I did not want to be the lead car. I probably would have gone 40 km/h if I was alone on the road. Thanks a lot to the yellow Toyota who was driving in front of me at a reasonable pace below the 100 km/h speed limit pretty much the whole way back to Adelaide.
Wow, my time in Adelaide is a testament to how something negative can turn into something even more positive that you'd dare imagine. Thank you for that experience, Adelaide! What a lead up to my last stop Down Under: Melbourne.