Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo

It's quite a few years since we visited the Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo, so we were interested to find out what, if anything had changed.

With only a few days of our holidays remaining and the knowledge that there would be at least two more overnight stays before we arrived back at Alice Springs, we decided to have a lay-over day at Dubbo so we could revisit the zoo. Driving for 8-10 h per day is boring and wears one out, so a rest every so often is necessary, especially since the trip between Mildura (our next stop) and north through South Australia and back into the Territory is fairly ordinary. Especially when you've done it (the latter) dozens of times.

According to the Dubbo tourism site:

The City is a thriving regional home to some 40,000 people who have health, education, retail and professional services at their finger tips…and time on their hands. It’s the best of both worlds: city and country. There’s plenty of work ... great opportunities ... and the time to enjoy it all.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of regional towns throughout Australia that could be equally described. They are nice places with friendly people where life can be very comfortable. Having the Western Plains Zoo just outside the town is a bonus, especially for tourism.

The Western Plains Zoo is owned and managed by Taronga Zoo which is in Sydney.

Many of the unique African animals are present, there are some Asian animals and of course some Australian animals, all located in their own areas with nice roads and walkways wending among them. I perhaps like the meercats most as they are the animal most likely to make a lovely domestic pet (I think!). They seem to be a great example of synergy within a community ... everyone working together for the common good. Even in the safety of the Western Plains Zoo, one of the clan always finds a high spot and stands watch to protect the others from attack. They take this duty in turns and there is never a time when there is nobody watching out for the enemy.

The animal at the top, for anyone who hasn't seen one before, is a hairy-nosed wombat (unique to Australia).

If time permits, do look up the Western Plains Zoo link ... there is some interesting stuff there ... for anyone interested in animals that is.

Enjoy!

Robin

Escaping to Coolangatta - Queensland's Gold Coast

When you live in Central Australia, an isolated place about 1500 km from the beach and "Big Smoke" of the capital cities, occasionally you have to escape.  

During our recent escape, we spent five nights at Coolangatta, part of Queensland's popular Gold Coast. It was an unplanned part of our escapade, but never the less, pleasant.

We had intended staying at a time-share we had booked further south along the east coast of Australia at Port Macquarie (New South Wales), but unfortunately, flooding within the area put a stop to that. As a contingency measure, we headed for Coolangatta where it's sunny with warmish days and cool mornings and evenings.

The whole Gold Coast Strip is an entertainment and holiday region. Hundreds of thousands of people come here annually to soak up the sun, surf, fish, visit the numerous tourist attractions, gamble, shop, and have a break from the every day monotony of their mostly mundane lives. At the end of the calendar year the "Schoolies" flock to the coast to party, party, party and celebrate their success (or otherwise) at grade 12.

Coolangatta is far enough away from Surfers Paradise (often called Sufferer's Paradise) to be out of the glitter and high paced entertainment activities. It's more peaceful and you can find a parking place most days.

There are thousands of restaurants, cafes and hotels. If you can't find the food you want somewhere on the Gold Coast, you aren't really hungry. Attractions like Sea World and Dream World are still popular despite having been here for decades; a little like Disneyland in the USA.

Fortunately, there is a high speed highway at the back of the Gold Coast strip that enables one to drive from place to place without having to wend through traffic and 50 km/hr streets and traffic lights etc.

Only a few kilometres from Coolangatta and north of Surfers Paradise is Mudgeeraba, where our house is situated. We called in to have a look at it and the nearby Robina Shopping Town which is the largest shopping centre in the Gold Coast.

One day in the not-too-distant future, we will relocate to our Mudgeeraba house and be 3 km from Robina Shopping Town and far enough away from the entertainment strip for our quality of life not to be diminished. We are looking forward to it, but still have a year or two of caravanning to do first.

Robin

In Gordon's Backyard

In Gordon's backyard, there is a variety of interesting things.

When his cat died leaving him with a supply of fish-based cat foods, he decided to keep filling the cat's bowl hoping the neighbours' cats would trespass and help him get rid of it. 
They didn't. In their place came the magpies who descend every morning and most evenings to have their fill of cat food. As I watched them I couldn't help wondering if they'd continue eating it if they knew it was cat food. Of course they would ... I'm Caucasian but I eat Asian food. If I was really, really desperate, I'd probably eat cat food, or indeed the cat.

The strawberry patch has one huge, ripe strawberry, the garden bed some lovely colourful flowers, and near the shed, a potted plant that seems to say, "I'm here ... look at me, look at me!" Whatever they are called, they are among my favourite plant categories. I admire them. They have a beautiful simple symmetry that appeals to my sense of order, structure and space. Straight fronds, all parallel with each other, point towards the sky as if acknowledging the wonderful handiwork of the one true god, Mother Nature.

All they ask for is a little water and a place to grow. If only people were as simple.



Robin