Sydney 2010: Sydney Surrounds

While we were well into Spring when we hit the ground in Sydney, the weather wasn't as warm as we hoped. It was still cold with intermittent rain all week. Therefore when the days dawned clear and sunny, we ventured out for some fun.

Our first stop on Saturday was to a Koala Park not too far (relatively speaking) from DDad's place. It was not a long drive, but on-route we discovered that Noey appears to have inherited his dad's ability to fall asleep in any moving vehicle at any time. (Ok, that and the fact that he was probably getting over jet lag.) He was asleep when we arrived, which to his grandfather's dismay. We walked around with him in his stroller for quite a while before we decided to wake him up since we were all there for his benefit anyway!

He was a little zonked for a while but perked up sufficiently to enjoy his first introduction to Australian wildlife.

Group shot at the entrance. (I've found that these shots help me remember where we were at when scrolling through photos.)

Cuddly Koala looking right at us! The koalas on the trees always look exactly like stuffed toys to me.

The smiles started coming in as Noey started waking up.

This was a rare sight for us -- a koala actually moving! We usually only ever see them curled up in the trees looking all drugged out on eucalyptus leaves. This one was making his way across the boardwalk to another tree nearby, much to the delight of some kids nearby who were busy trying to pet it while it scurried across. I have never seen a koala move that fast.

What are you bringing me to see next, Ah Kong?

"I can see an EMU!"

Ah Kong and Noey share a private joke. Somehow the Emu line cracked Noey up.

Had to get one of 'em family shots with a koala in the background.

Here we are sneaking in for a private shot with the koala. These are special only to the bus groups visiting the park. By virtue of our Chinese appearance, we managed to squeeze in right after the Taiwanese tourists were done with their shots. Noey wasn't too hot on being THAT close to the koala though.

A little wallaby on the loose. We never did quite figure out what this little guy was doing outside the pen since all the others seemed to be inside.

It was altogether a rather small park and we were able to make our way past all the exhibits fairly quickly. There was a good selection of animals -- from memory, there were koalas, wallabies and kangaroos, dingoes, emus, cockatoos, peacocks, a couple of varieties of owls, penguins, and a wombat or two. There were also some sheep which were involved in the sheep shearing show, which we didn't stay to watch. The nice part about this park is that they pretty much let you pet all the animals you like without much restriction. There is also a picnic area where you could sit down for a bite and I would imagine it would have been quite nice if we had done so.

The downside was that the place seems popular with bus groups. I'm not sure if it was because it was a Saturday morning, but there was a flow of Chinese and Taiwanese tourists coming into the park that morning, crowding around the pens and making a lot of noise and taking photos. I know we were tourists ourselves but I just hate noisy tour groups. Part of the reason why we never travel with one! We steered clear of them but it was still a bit irksome. Then again we owe them for our close up with the koala. Heh. The place was also a bit rundown.

Still, I think we enjoyed a nice morning and Noey was well on his way to being acquainted with the animals and just being in Australia.

We headed home for a short break, bought some food to eat along the way, then hopped back into the car for a longer drive to The Entrance. (Isn't that just the oddest name for a town?)

Well, apparently The Entrance gains its name from the channel that runs along much of its northern border that is the entrance to The Tuggerah Lakes. And one of the things it is most popular for (and what we were there for that day) was the Pelican Feeding that takes place 365 days a year, at 3.30pm, come rain or shine.

We didn't know what to expect since we'd let my in-laws fix the day's programme. We only knew we would be seeing pelicans. So it was a pleasant surprise when we arrived to find ourselves at the coast with a resort feel all round.

Zzzz-ing on the way there. Told you he was a champion sleeper on the trip.

Here we are by the coast! The water reached only up to mid-calf for a good distance out from shore and you could see plenty of kids wading and playing on patches of sand. And of course, plenty of pelicans.

Up close and personal. The pelican didn't think Noey was tasty enough to warrant a second look.

There was a little carnival going on at the waterfront where we were and the one thing that caught Noey's eye was the little train they had going round. I was not going to pay A$3 per head for a short ride but of course Ah Kong gladly obliged.

Enjoying the sea view while going round and round.

At 3.30pm it was time for the main event and the pelicans are ready! A good crowd (of both people and pelicans) has gathered at the waterfront all ready for some action.

This guy tries to get ahead of the pack and manages to nick a couple of fish for himself while the lady from the town council is busy cutting up the fish into smaller pieces.

Feeding frenzy!
Ahhhhhh....Mmmmmmm.

While the feeding was going on, the town council reps kept up an interesting and informative commentary on the pelicans, other birds and marine life and also the area.

Incidentally the whole exercise did make some impression on Noey, though while it was going on he did get a bit restless from all the sitting around and watching. Throughout the trip going forward, DDad would get him to open his mouth during his meals but asking him to demonstrate how a pelican eats! That is as good a takeaway from the whole experience as I could have hoped for.

A fun-looking water play area near the waterfront. There were lots of kids splashing in it, and Noey did venture to the edge but it was still a wee bit too cold for him.

We grabbed some ice-cream from Cold Rock and then it was time to call it a day and head off home. I think we did well for our second day on the ground!