Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park

It's been raining for about 5 days constantly, so when the weather finally breaks at the weekend we head to Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park on the North Coast ("Australia's Best Wildlife Sanctuary" - it's okay, but there is obviously not very much competition).

About an hours drive north of Sydney, this is a small managed reserve with some larger areas for more mature visitors. We'll stick with the touristy stuff - especially as I only brought "thongs" {transl:flip-flops}. We start with a few snakes, lizards and other things whose natural habitats involve walls and little doors that only open to drop dead mice in.

Thomas and Zach take great interest in the fruit bats and owls. One of the bats is named Hannah, so we all have to have a bat named after us.

The emus dont seem to show much fear, so you have to keep your eye open that they dont try and grab anything out of your hand.

The bush track straightens out, and the boys turn it into a running race.

Next, we explain the life cycle of a tadpole/frog. I only have to make some of it up.

We stop on the trail for lunch with a friend.

And then say "hello" to Dexter the Cockatoo.

Hannah is particularly concerned that we didn't see any of the Dingos in their enclosure. She then spends 20 minutes telling us that we must not go near "the Mangos". Not sure what that was about.

Zach and Thomas - sometimes they are hard to tell apart....

And the grand finale - the snake. A black headed python - to be honest, I am not suprised that the kids were not afraid of the snake, but I am suprised that Kate got that close!!