9-06-2004 - Stage 2, Day 12 - More from Dubbo Zoo, NSW

We went to the internet cafe after the zoo and unloaded our camera so that we could fit the next day on. Bradley even took a pic of me at the internet cafe.


Next day we headed back to the zoo (Saturday 05-06-2004). We started the day with the lion keeper talk and feed. Here's Mrs. Lion








P1010011_Mrs_Lion.avi (1.9MB)
P1010015_Mrs_Lion_Lunch.avi (3.1MB)

And Mr. Lion






P1010019_Mr_Lion.avi (0.8MB)

Stopped at the otter feed




The next big highlight was the Siamang Apes. Here are some apes playing and eating.




P1010043_Siamang_Lunch.avi (1.9MB)

And some angry Siamang Apes! You'll need your sound switched on for these!

P1010045_Angry_Siamang1.avi (1.6MB)
P1010046_Angry_Siamang2.avi (4.2MB)

Next stop, Przewalski's Horse (otherwize known as Takhi). This horse is a native of Mongolia, but it has been extinct in the wild since i think the 1960's, but kept alive in zoos and breeding programs around the world. I also think it's the only wild horse left on the planet - all the others are extinct. Anyway, I took heaps of photos for Tracy.








Next to catch the attention of our camera was the dingo






Then a wallaby, but I can't remember which sort. I think it's a red-necked wallaby, but I'm really not sure.


And a trusty koala, doing absolutely nothing for a change


Jumped out of the car to take a picture of this bush chook (emu). I really liked his feet, and was trying to take a picture of one of them when he pecked the camera. Needless to say, I aborted that mission instantly!






And a tapir with the coolest nose in the business!


And of course the camera ran out of batteries straight after that picture! So that's all you're getting of the zoo (was that a sigh of relief i heard???) Anyway, there were heaps of animals that we didn't take pics of, or that we took such crap photos of that we didn't bother boring you with them.

One of my favorates was the Galapagos Tortoise, needless to say they're from the Galapagos Islands (over near the north west coast of South America, close to where South America joins the Central American isthmus). The Galapagos Islands are where Charles Darwin carried out a lot of the research which led to him publishing the 'Origin of Species' - the theory of evolution through the process of natural selection. Anyway, these galapagos tortoises live to about 150 to 200 years old and weigh a couple of hundred kilos. They're huge and completely terrestrial, so they never go swiming in their lives. Very cool tortoises, but the camera had run out of batteries, so you don't get any pics of them to admire.

With the zoo finished, we headed out of Dubbo late that afternoon (Saturday 5th June, 2004) bound for Mudgee, which is a gourmet food and wine district about 100km south west of Dubbo. We camped up at Mudgee after dark, ate dinner and crashed out.

The next day was spent supping on the delights of the Mudgee region - wines, olives, wines, olive oils, wines, steaks (for bradley), wines, bread, wines, white port, wines, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep...

Bradley took a picture of a cow visiting us at the camp site that night. Bradley does like cows!






Next day (Monday 7th June, 2004), back to Dubbo to do the shopping and work on this web site. Stayed in a very good caravan park that night - the Big 4 at Dubbo (for those planning to come and check out the zoo and the nearby wine).

Today (Tuesday 8th June, 2004), shopping and web site again, then planning to head out of Dubbo along the Mitchell Hwy bound for Bourke, then up into Queensland and right to the top of Cape York. After that, we're thinking of getting work somewhere for a month or two, but the best made plans are always broken, so I guess you'll just have to stay tuned!