Wheels on the Go

There were only a couple of things that I really wanted to do in Australia and to visit the Australia Zoo was one of them. Others we have already accomplished, except one, which was the 12 Apostles Drive which we decided not to do as we went to Kangaroo Island instead. The Australia Zoo is about an hour north of Brisbane, and we are staying one hour south, so I knew that it was going to be a bit of a drive to get there however the review of my friend Nicole, who visited earlier this year with her family was phenomenal so we (more me and Andrew said he was up for the drive) decided to make the trek!

To make things easier we even paid for the tollways to get there – we have not gotten the bills yet however from the signs we saw they will amount to no more than $10 AUD. We did make one driving mistake, thanks to Google and it sometimes telling us to get off the highway prematurely which cost us about 20 minutes to turn around however eventually we got to the Zoo!

Some background information – the Australia Zoo was started by Steve Irwin, also called the Crocodile Hunter, who was a TV personality and conservationist in Eastern Australia. With his wife, they took over a 2 acre zoo called the ‘Beerwah Reptile Park’ from Steve’s parents, who had established it in 1970, which was home to native wildlife such as lace monitors, tiger snakes, freshwater crocodiles, magpie geese and kangaroos. The kangaroos were cared for in homemade pouches by Steve’s mum, Lyn. She was an extraordinary wildlife rehabilitator and was quite skilled in nursing injured and orphaned animals, rehabilitating them before returning them to the wild.

In 1991, Steve met Terri Raines, from Eugene, Oregon and their passion for reptiles and mammals was a match made in heaven! They married in 1992, and started filming the The Crocodile Hunter TV Series which was also seen in North America. The wildlife park’s name was then changed to ‘Australia Zoo’, with the mission for it to be the very best in Australia, if not the world! Extensive efforts were made to create habitats, so that all zoo animals could be exhibited in natural environments. In addition, from its humble beginnings as an avocado packing shed, they established the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. In 2004, Steve dedicated the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital to his mum. This world-class facility continues to rescue, rehabilitate and release over 7000 native Australian animals every year. Australia Zoo now encompasses over 700 acres and employs over 500 staff, continuing Steve’s mission of “Conservation Through Exciting Education”. Steve Irwin was tragically killed in September, 2006 by a stingray barb that pierced his heart when out filming in the ocean on the Great Barrier Reef.

Here is a map of the Australia Zoo:

The zoo is by the Glass Mountains in a very open area north of Brisbane and it was a nice drive there once we got off the M1 highway. We quickly got parked and as I had bought tickets online, we entered the zoo fairly fast. We checked out some Komodo Dragons, Lizards and Alligators near the admissions area and then made our way to the Crocoseum as I had noticed that a show was about to start!

So, along we walked to the Crocoseum to see the wildlife show – I had not really paid attention to what the show was however I knew birds were involved! It was a pretty impressive structure that had a cafe on the 2nd level with a Dietary Section where you could get Gluten Free fries! I was WAY too hot for fries so I instead had some Coke Zero and ice cream – way better options! We then got seated in the accessible section and the show was to begin! There were two ladies down on ground getting the crowd warmed up and behind us there was an awful racket – the ever present seagulls and the gull with the long beak seemed to be in a fight for something and then I noticed that there was another bird – a beautiful blue bird that was doing all the talking – the parrot on the mans arm! He was coming down to take flight and the other birds I guess thought he was in their territory! So we saw a bunch of parrots fly around then a zookeeper lead out a wombat who really had a mind of her own and did not follow directions and then lastly, a falcon and a stork named Charles who was having a bad day! Charles sure has some long legs! He did not particularly like the fish he was being fed today.

After the birds and the wombat were put away I noticed that the staff put up ropes all around the stair cases so that the guests could not walk down to the water level and the exits were blocked at the water level – we soon found out why! Here comes the Crocodile! Graham was in good biting form – it was a respectful display of what crocodiles do in the wild to catch their prey – they used tapping the ground and water slapping noises to get his attention. He crawled through the water though until he came to the point he sensed the noise coming from and then he put his snout up on the side and walked out. It was amazing to see! There were 2 zoo keepers – one who was holding the fish/food and the other behind him I presume as a look out and safety person. They did mention that they recently had a close call with one of the crocodiles when feeding them.

After that show, we decided to visit some of the different areas of the zoo to check out some Australian animals. First, we headed off to the Quokka’s, Kangaroos and Wallaby’s. We had seen Quokka’s previously when we went to Rottenest Island where they are very present along with another island off the west coast of Australia. Unfortunately, the population is dwindling on the continent as their habitat is being taken over.

Next we moved into the Cassowary and Emu section to check those big birds out! While the Cassowary was not standing, we did get to see one a few days ago, the Emu’s were up feeding and I got some great pictures of them!

Then we continued on our journey though the park, next visiting the elephants, red pandas and the lions! I must admit, for all the zoos that I have been to, including the Vancouver Zoo, this one has the most homey feel and that the animals are in a natural environment.

Now we are well into the zoo lands and instead of walking back, we decided to take the tram as there is a talk going on at the Koala Nursery! On our way to the Shuttle Stop and waiting for the shuttle we were able to see some Giraffes, Zebras and Rhino’s who had just gotten out of their mud bath!

Now, onto the most important part of the day in my impression! The Koala Nursery talk! It sure was a highlight as the Koala mum was out and walking around instead of sleeping in the tree like Koala’s like to do for 20 hours of a day! The naturalist did an excellent talk also on koala’s – some we hard on Kangaroo Island and some information was new – like one Koala mum will take care of other koala “cubs” once out of the pouch so that other mothers can get food! I got some great pictures!

Then we walked back through the zoo to the Wildlife Animal Hospital, which is another part of the zoo and is where both the zoo animals and ones from the wild are taken for rehab. When we got there, RACO truck had just arrived with some birds that were being admitted to the Wildlife Animal Hospital. There is a viewing area for the public – you can see the small bird area which contains a bunch of incubators to keep them warm and then the surgery area and behind it the treatment and cage area for larger animals. Behind the building area also portable buildings which look like they house different populations such as Koala’s or other species that are under their care that cannot be accommodated in the hospital due to size or environment.

Now, that was a fun day! We now had to drive 2 hours south to meet our dinner reservation that I had booked at a restaurant across from the hotel that was recommended for it’s seafood on the Gold Coast – we made it on time (barely) and sat down and had a really nice dinner! I had my favourite salad – caprese (motza and tomatoes) along with an octopus entree! While I had creme brule for desert, it was nothing to write home about so no picture! On our walk back to the hotel, we found a very nice waterfall in front of the Sheraton, which was very cooling – at least in sound, for an otherwise warm night!

Tomorrow, we will travel to Brisbane Airport to catch a plane to Sydney to start our journey back to Canada! Let’s go!

Okay, this I think is going to be my shortest blog post of our trip. Today is going to be chill day AFTER I get off the phone!

I was up early and had some lovely interactions for just over 2 hours with a Credit Union which will remain nameless, in the United States, in relation to the Estate that I am dealing with. This Credit Union (which are not like Credit Unions in Canada) has taken over the small Bank that was wonderful and helped me as a Canadian open an account in order to fulfill the requirements of the Washington State Probate Court. I do not have a Social Security Number (nor do I want one) and that is primary piece of ID needed to have a bank account in the USA. The Bank used to put in a “fake” number to allow me to do what I needed to do. Now that the Credit Union has taken over there are more RULES and the rules are not giving me access to the money that I manage as they do not deal with “fake” Social Security Numbers. Thank goodness I do get paid for my time dealing with these types of things! I told the lady, when we were about to miss the breakfast buffet I was on the phone so long, that it is in their hands to figure out as they have inherited me as their customer! We shall see what happens!

Here are my 3 thoughts for today. 1. Interesting bird with a nasty beak at the pool! 2. Andrew relaxing at the edge of the pool. 3. Doing laundry again in an open air laundry facility – just like we did in Thailand! Other than that – it was a chill day!

Tomorrow we are going on another road trip to see a zoo / animal refuge that comes highly recommended and has had some world wide exposure! More on that tomorrow! I hope you all had a relaxing day!

After a smashing good breakfast (funny pun for my dad) we are off to Mount Tamborine! It is about a 45 minute drive inland and has a walk in the trees which we can do along with a variety of other scenic views to look at, prior to driving to Surfers Paradise, which is the town/beach/area below the Gold Coast where we are going to take a sunset cruises tonight! It is a beautiful day lets go!

The buffet breakfast at this Sheraton hotel is also awesome – actually a step above! They actually provide the recipes for the dishes on the gluten free and vegan (not shown) areas of the buffet. There is a hot side, a cold side and then fruit along with as I mentioned a gluten free section and a vegan section. Then next to the gluten free section (which has its own toaster with a sign) and something I have never seen on a buffet previously was gluten free home made ice cream with toppings! Now that is how to get your sugar screaming high in the morning but also a way to cool down…. On the gluten free table below they have both a chia/coconut yogurt and a Spiced Breakfast bowl which contains GF oats, quinoa, milk, cinnamon, apricots cut up, raisins and honey. Now that is one good way to start your day! If anyone wants the recipe let me know!

We then made a beautiful drive to Mount Tamborine which was a bit like climbing half way up Cypress in terms of height from sea level where we are staying. Once on what I would call a crest, the sight looking west – so away from the Gold Coast was quite beautiful! It was hard to get a picture as it was on the other side of the road and Andrew could not stop anywhere. I have found some on the internet shown below, similar to what we saw during our drive.

Next we started a bit down the mountain and towards the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk which I had read was an accessible experience where you can walk among the tree tops of the rain forest, listen to the birds, perhaps see some wildlife and have basically a COOL experience! I was impressed when we got there that the lady at the admissions counter fully disclosed that the path is hard going for those with walkers and that she was only going to charge us a child’s admission which was basically half price or 1 adult and 1 free. I thought that was fair as I could only do one part of the trail. The Mossman Gorge needs to adopt this policy too as I was only able to go about 200 metres on a 1.5 km trail system – the rest of the trails had stairs and were narrow. Back on subject, they had a really interesting display about the environs such as the Aboriginal families who inhabited the areas, the fact that there are glow worms that hang out and night and that the “mountain” which I would actually call an escarpment or bulge was originally a volcano!

Then came the walk that one of my parents would NOT like! The walk in the trees where you could see DOWN about 900 feet! Yikes! I kept my focus forward despite the awful racket that my wheels were causing on the grids of the steel walkway. I would stop every once in a while and take pictures etc however we were nearing the end of the walkway and I could hear people behind us and I thought as my walker took up most of the width of the walkway, they might want to pass so I pulled aside and collapsed my walker. One man passed by but the other would not – he REFUSED to. He said that he was only on this walkway as he saw me doing it and figured that if I could do it and get to the end then he could too as he is scared of heights! His friend waited for him about 100 feet away. We then chatted a bit about the Sydney Harbour Bridge which he cannot walk over either due to the grid like walkway – I did not know about that – however I did let him know that he did not have to walk the Skywalk again to get back as the trail will take him back to the beginning – I have to take the Skywalk back as the trail has stairs and the only way for me to get back is to ensure the shaking arms and sounds again! I was okay with the height however I defiantly did not look down and I made Andrew take the picture looking down to the forest floor…

Next we drove into the village that is on the top of Mount Tamborine where the road is called “Gallery Row”. We stopped at a couple places – this first one I thought was really cute and reminded me of Coombs actually! I almost did not go into the stores though as they were down some stairs until Andrew found an unmarked ramp. I rewarded one of the stores with some purchases and provided the feedback that they would not have the sale if I could not get down there. We also went to a glass shop which was beautiful – we did drive by a glass blowing studio to see if anyone was there but it was closed.

Next we continued on our way to Surfers Paradise in order to get parked, to go grocery shopping for a snack for me on the boat and then to get to the boat! Despite going around the block once, we managed to find parking – Surfers Paradise has GROWN UP since I was last here 27 years ago! Holy cow! High rises everywhere and businesses lining the streets. We made our way to Wollies Grocery Store and then walked to the boat slip to get onto the evening cruise.

I am still struggling with picking activities that say they are wheelchair accessible and then finding out they are not! So this boat said it was wheelchair accessible – it was fine for me to get onto however a person in a wheelchair? Nope. The “lip” to get up onto the boat was about 2 feet high (a little difficult if someone is in a wheelchair) and the real kicker was when they phoned me, which was good that they did, they wanted to make sure that I did not have a power wheelchair as they cannot take them. I now see why – the slip that you want on to get to the boat (not pictured) actually sinks the more people that are on it! When I tried to get onto the boat, there were about 10 people on it and thus the huge climb onto the boat. If one was on that slip with a 300 pound wheelchair plus some people I am not sure what would happen. Needless to say, they need to indicate that on their advertisements! I must say, when I got off the boat, I waited for everyone to get off the slip, including Andrew and the drop down was only about a foot at that time. However to get into the boat, through the door, I had to collapse my walker and the washrooms on board are not accessible either. This excursion, while it was nice (despite having to sit on the lower floor while most people were up the stairs on the top deck), I would not consider recommending to someone who uses a wheelchair. Just not safe.

Other than that little dissertation, it was nice to be on the water, cruising the inner waterways of Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast! Jason likened to to Venice which we both totally disagreed with (but did not say anything) as one, the “public transit” only runs every half hour along the waterway for about 5 stops from dawn to dusk, not every 3-4 minutes, the waterways are MUCH wider and lastly it is wide open and not enclosed with buildings high up on each side. Oh, and there are cars and way fewer bridges! I think this area is more similar to the Miami Beach or the Inland Waterway that goes up the East Coast of the USA. Jason also talked about how “expensive” the houses are – which were in the 1-2 million dollar range for most of them. Now, coming from Vancouver, where we have kind of high housing prices, paying 1-2 million to be on a waterway in a medium to hot climate where it does not snow or rain that much is not that bad in my opinion! There were though some very nice mansions on the waterways too – some that rivaled what you see in the Point Grey waterfront area – of course with yachts out front just for show!

Walking back to the car in the parking lot, we decided to check out the beach side (South Pacific) of Surfers Paradise first. This area I had visited with Karen and it is SO MUCH more commercial now! The first thing we saw – which we actually first viewed from the boat, was Slingshot – another think my mother would not like! It is basically a ball or cabin strung on a huge elastic between two high towers and then somehow pulled down to the ground so people can get into the cabin. Then the cabin or ball is released and it sling shots way up high into the air and then it bounces around on the rubber cord until it is lowered back down to the ground. Barf bags anyone???

The width of the island where Surfers Paradise is located (the area we were in) is only about 6 city blocks wide – we were soon at the beach! The lifeguard towers have been strung with Christmas decorations and the one below had a Santa hat on top! There were several people on the beach – one man looking for metal! The waves were rolling in and I was really happy to see that there also was a nice wide ramp down to the beach where we sat for a while and I took some pictures of yet again another seagull management meeting! On the beach promenade there were a lot of vendors set up (I was surprised as it was not a weekend – just a Wednesday night) including one lady who had .925 solid silver rings. You might say I have a new ring for my collection of rings that I have obtained from around the world displayed on my fingers now!

Walking back down the street, which was closed to traffic, on Surfers Paradise, the normal fast food restaurants were there – McD’s, Walburgers and Burger King aka Hungry Jacks! For those who do not know, Hungry Jack’s is the Australian franchise of Burger King, operating under a different name because “Burger King” was already trademarked in Australia when Burger King tried to open their first store in 1971. To avoid a legal battle, Burger King’s franchisee, Jack Cowan, opened the first restaurant under the name “Hungry Jack’s,” likely inspired by his own name. The two brands are the same company, with Hungry Jack’s using the Burger King menu but adapting it to suit the Australian market. The same goes for McDonalds around the world too – there are variations in each country – such as in Scandinavia they offer gluten free buns at McD’s! I digress though…

Just as we were about to turn the corner to get to the car, I decided that I needed something to cool me down – gelato! The store on the corner looked good to me so I asked if they have any gluten free flavours. The young lady was really helpful and told me which ones were gluten free and that the ones in the display case contained cookies. I then asked for a scoop of mango and scoop of chocolate which she replied – cone or cup. Now, in Australia I know the rules are pretty strict and they really do not patronize the “trendy” gluten free eaters. However I was standing in a tourist spot so I smiled and said I have not had a gluten free cone since I was in Italy – mostly joking as I thought she was going to give me a cup and she made a mistake in offering me a cone. But NO. She was serious! They have gluten free cones and they are NO EXTRA charge! Yahoo! Look what I got to enjoy – I did share with Andrew a little bit but the cone was all MINE!

Well, after that excitement of having an ice cream cone, it was time to come back down to earth and find the car in the parking garage. It is interesting that Andrew usually has no idea where we park and he relies on my memory of where to go – again tonight that rang true – he had no idea where we were going! Good thing I was born with a good sense of direction! We made it back to the hotel – which was only about 10 minutes north and fell into bed after a pretty fulfilling day!

Tomorrow we are going to RELAX at the hotel and see what other trouble we can get into! See you later alligators! In a while crocodiles!