Australia Zoo

My plus one is British, recently arrived in Australia and keen to have as many great Australian and Brisbane experiences as possible. Beaches, great cafes, hot sunny winter days (he's been loving those) and tropical island escapes. Of course, no visit to Australia is complete without a trip to Australia Zoo. In fact he told me that Australia Zoo was 'number one on his list of one things-to-do in Australia'.

Croc displays at Australia Zoo.

So when was told he'd have last Friday off from work, I hastily took a day off as well and that's how we came to be cashing in our tickets at the 'Steve Irwin Zoo' gates on a glorious week day morning.

 

 A surprisingly active Shingeback Lizard

In the large Tasmanian Devil enclosure, this was the only one we spotted. Tuckered out and enjoying the sunshine. 

A Cassowary.

A Dingo surveying the land.

Let me tell you, if you can get to Australia Zoo on a weekday, perhaps especially in winter, it is worth it. There were so few people around, even less small children, it makes moving around and seeing the exhibits easy and much more enjoyable.

I had sent the Boy a link to the show times on the Australia Zoo website (see it here) and he came back with an impressive day plan of shows. We missed the tortoise feeding at 10 because I was having a lazy breakfast at Gramarcy (delicious, must try) but we made it to the Wildlife Warriors show, which is my favourite for the incredible bird displays, the tiger show (Boy's favourite), we fed the elephants at 3pm and then rounded off the day by watching the Asian Small-Clawed Otter feeding at 3:30. The only show we missed was the croc show. Shameful, perhaps, but we saw a croc display  in the Wildlife Warriors show and tigers and elephants could not be missed.

A Jabiru flys into the crocoseum from her enclosure on the other side of the zoo. All the other birds moved too quickly to photograph. 

The crocodile display as part of the 12noon Wildlife Warriors show. 

Displaying natural behaviours in the tiger show.

It was a truly great day out. We took our time going around all the exhibits, took a couple of hundred photos of us posing with all the animals, munched on a home-made picnic while watching macaws and kites circle the crocoseum. We fed the kangaroos, another of my favourite zoo activities. Such a simple, enjoyable interaction with our native animals, I can never get tired of it.

Feeding our little group of 'roos.

My Boy could not get over the difference between Australia Zoo and zoos he had visited in England. Obviously here a big difference is in the activity of the animals. Being in warm sunshine, even in winter, encourages them to be more active and visible, rather than curled up against the cold and rain in the secret holes of their enclosures. Also, the level of interaction Australia Zoo in particular allows with the animals is outstanding. Because the animals are more active in their relatively open and visitor-friendly enclosures, you can get up-close and personal. The Zoo also provides a lot of additional opportunities to see the animals by taking them on walks around the zoo and feeding sessions, such as with the elephants.  All of this helps to create a memorable day.

Having a real Moment when Bashi, the male tiger stalked up to the glass and vigorously licked his face.We would as a result splurge on a painting of Bashi's paw prints made during the tiger show. All proceeds to tiger conservation efforts in Asia.

A male Cheetah being taken for a walk to survey his territory. 

The smaller but cheekier otters being fed.

A hint from the keepers; come to the 3pm elephant feeding. There is the same about of food and a third of the number of people as the 10:30am session, so you can go around the feeding line multiple times really quickly.

 Asian Elephants feeding during the official show and then I get to feed them a few hours later.

The Africa exhibit was still under construction the last time I visited in 2010, so I was glad to see it on this trip. Unfortunately, it was being re-constructed to make space for the baby rhinoceroses  that will go on display from 22 June. So the giraffe were hidden away elsewhere as their enclose was having a redesign. Disappointing for me, because they are one of my favourite animals.

Southern White Rhinoceros taking a nap.

The ticket price to get in may seem steep - between $53 and $59 dollars for an adult, depending on if you have a discount voucher, which you can get if you are an RACQ member - but when you consider the over all experience and that it is most certainly a whole day trip, it is worth the money. We were there for five and a half hours, making the ticket price an average of $10 per hour. Pretty good for the quality of the entertainment.You can also save a lot of money by taking your own food as we did and not being tempted into any of the official photo opportunities, tempting as they may be.


So that is one more experience ticked off the list. Thanks to Australia Zoo for a tremendous day out. It was everything we were both looking forward to!

You can also read the Boy (Pumba as he is affectionately known) on his brand new blog; Pumba's International Escape.

Brisbane on a Sunday

Sundays fall under one of two categories;

1. Sundays when you do nothing but recover from the week/end, drink coffee then beer on the couch and watch television.
2. Sundays when you get out and have lazy social time with friends.

Neither is better, each is wonderful in its own way. Personally, I find when I spend Sunday afternoon out, it distracts me from thinking about the impending work week. Oddly though, I can feel guilty when I’m out enjoying myself on a Sunday rather than staying at home ‘resting up’. Find the logic in that.

Anyway, I’ve had a great couple of Brisbane Sundays recently.

Last Sunday I paid my first visit to the Eagle Farm markets. Now that I’m a north-sider these are my new local fresh food markets and being a lover of markets in all forms, I couldn't put off my first visit for long. So I dragged myself out of bed on a cloudy and windy Sunday to get to the markets and pick up weekly necessities like baby roma toms and smoked bacon. 

When I arrived, the cheap-skate in me grumbled a lot about entry into the markets costing Twice As Much for Eagle Farm than Rocklea ($2 rather than $1. $2!). So cheap sometimes.

Eagle Farm is significantly smaller than either the Rocklea or West End markets. However, many of the stall holders are the same and there is one of just about everything. 

 

I had lovely chats with Black Sheep Coffee Guy, Jus Oils Couple, the Bacon Ladies and Egg Man. I'm a chatty person. The two separate food stall sections were giving off the most wonderful aromas of baked and fried breakfasts, but I got seduced by a mars bar muffin, which I took home to enjoy with my freshly ground Black Sheep Coffee. Good espresso puts me in an expansive mood.

This Sunday I tripped into the CBD to check out Suitcase Rummage. This ingenious idea for a market has been happening in Brisbane for a few years now. Held on the first Sunday of every month, it is an opportunity for people to ‘sell like their Grandmas’. You take along suitcases full of stuff you no longer want, lay it out and wait for someone to decide your trash is their treasure.

Brisbane's first Scandinavian Festival

Today marks the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Danish Club in Brisbane (est 1872 for those who can't count). To mark the occasion, the Brisbane clubs of Denmark, Sweden and Norway came together to hold Brisbane's first ever Scandinavian Festival.

I haven't spent anything like as much time in Scandinavia as I would like to. I have a bit of a crush on the region. I adore Scandinavian design principles, the people are charming if too geneticaly gifted for my liking - why do they get olive skin And blonde hair And to be tall and slim? - and I admire them for their socially developed ways of thinking and political governance.

Some of the lovely artwork for sale. Owls, horses and reindeer.

I went along to the festival, however, in anticipation of the food.

Delicious Norwegian waffles with jam and browned goats cheese.

 

Swedish lollies and Danish pastries.

A couple of girlfriends and I arived nice and early before the sun got too hot and the waffles ran out. The festival was held in Austin Street Newstead, outside the doors of the Danish Club. There were market stalls, Norse huts and traditonal dancing.

 Beautiful traditional crafts.

By 11 the streets were packed and the lines for the roast pork sandwiches and icecream stretched through the street. I think the festival was a lot more popular than the organisers anticipated. But if the annual success of Paniyiri and Oktoberfest show anything it's that we love to celebrate all the diverse cultures that make up our national fabric. I hope the clubs count this first year as a huge success and maybe next year will be bigger. And in a park with shade.

Brisbane's first Scandinavian Festival: a great day out. 

 There were scores of people in traditional costume or else in national colours.

 

Boys playing what looked to be a traditional version of chess and main stage entertainment.

Delectable Queensland's Food Bowl

This Sunday my friends and I headed along to the Delectable Queensland Food Bowl at the City Botanic Gardens.

I'd been really looking forward to this festival for a while. A score of Brisbane's best award-winning restaurants all in one place putting on plates of food I could actually afford, with wine and sunshine in the park – what was not to enjoy?

Sunday was one of those perfect days that help to remind you why you choose to live in Queensland. We got to the gardens at 11, nabbed a table under the trees and started to scope out the impressive array of food on offer. 

There were 24 resturants and cafes participating in the Festival, each of them well known and some of them award-winning with international chefs. The ones I was most excited to sample were Moda, Sake, Ortiga and Stokehouse. 

I started the day with Ortiga's chicken and lemon croquettas and what a good way to start, particularly when washed down with a nice pinot grigio.

 Ortiga's chicken and lemon croquettas - so good I had two serves.

A day out at the cricket

Yesterday was a certain Music Blogger’s birthday and to celebrate a group of us went to the cricket. The one day international series arrived in Brisbane with Australia vs. India, and I think there are a few more matches coming up … India vs. Sri Lanka I think … ? Sports fan me. 

 

I come from a completely non-sporty family. With the exception of the Tour de France, we neither watch nor attend sports together. So any interest I have developed in sports has happened purely be accident or outside influence and it is through the influence of a series of cricket-mad boyfriends that I have developed an interest in the great game. So I am a bit Aussie after all.

 

We started the day at the German Club to stock up on decent beer and schnitzel before squeezing into the Gabba for first ball at 1:20.

 

It wasn’t an amazing game of cricket but it was still a great day. We brought in our lolly bags, hot cross buns and bottles of water then filled any belly-holes with bad beer and yellowy hot chips.

The crowd builds up and the costumes start arriving. Even more impressive then the invisibility of Wallys was the whole section of Fred and Wilma Flintstones.

Australia opens.

The heat in our lower level seats was intense and even with sleeves, hats and sunscreen we needed to take breaks every now and again and hide away in the shade. At about 2:30 I couldn’t take it any longer and along with 2 other girls ducked over the road to Canvas for a icy cold cocktail and a rest in the air-conditioning.
I’d only been to Canvas once before but had had a delicious glass of wine and one of the best mojitos I’d ever tasted. This time on the recommendation of the bartender I got a Great Escape and it was delicious. So cold frost formed on the outside of the glass, fresh, light and just what I needed.

A Cumberland Bay and a Great Escape.

The crowd flagged a bit around 4pm as Australia wound up their innings and the intense heat of the day took its toll on us spectators. An injection of fresh people for the evening session picked us all up cheer on the Aussie bowlers and fielders as they ploughed through India’s top order batting to finish the game all out for 178 – 110 runs short of Australia's effort.

A lull from the Aussie supporters.

The crowd bakes and copes with the afternoon glare.

The perfect day for a picnic

Labour Day Monday – the last day of that wonderful, extended Easter weekend – was one of those glorious Brisbane days that seem to be unlike anywhere else in the world. I was lucky enough to be taken on a surprise picnic to Scarborough.

Originally we’d intended to buy supplies for a picnic lunch but my suggestion of fish and chips by the water was much too good to be passed over. We stopped near Morgans but didn’t go in as the place was packed wall to wall. We were not the only people taking advantage of this perfect day. The fish and chip corner shop around the corner still had a queue almost out the door as well.

We ate our lunch in a tiny strip of park by the bay and afterwards had a short constitutional around the water’ edge. It was not a very active or eventful day, but it a perfect day for a quiet picnic.