Visit to the Taronga Zoo

Today we visited Taronga Zoo. Silly me, I thought we might have time for something else before the end of the day. However, we spent the ENTIRE day at Taronga, although I'll admit we got a later start than I'd originally planned.

We walked down to Circular Quay, then caught the ferry to Taronga Zoo. We got off, then waited in line for the Sky Safari, an aerial tram that takes you up the hill to the "top" of the zoo. It was worth the wait -- what incredible views! And, just to prove that we really ARE in Sydney, here's one of our first pics of the day from the Sky Safari.
After we got off, it was non-stop animals all day long. Our first stop was Wild Australia, where Makela was immediately fascinated by the Australian pelican, due to it looking "just like Nigel from Finding Nemo." Next, we found kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and more on walkabout around Wild Australia. Then it was on to the spider monkeys, zebras, ostriches, barbary sheep (again, who knew these would be so mesmerizing, but Makela didn't want to leave them for a LONG time), chimpanzees, and giraffes. And I couldn't help stopping here and there, just to admire the stunning views of Sydney Harbour. The animals don't know how lucky they have it -- especially the giraffes -- just look at this view from their enclosure!
We took a break for a desperately needed lunch (at least on Makela's part -- she was a total grump until she ate something more than crackers on the go), and then we watched an elephant show in Wild Asia. All of the performing elephants were female, and most were rescued from various locations in Thailand.

After breezing by the gorillas, we headed into Kid Zoo, where Makela first played around on a really fun playground. Then we discovered the live animal encounters with two volunteers, who introduced Makela to a shingle-backed lizard, an Eastern blue-tongue lizard, a rabbit, and a guinea pig. We explored the Farm Yard a bit more, and just when we'd entered the barn to see what was inside, a zookeeper -- or Farmer Leana, that is -- asked if Makela would like to help feed the animals.

So off we went with Farmer Leana, first to the pigs, which Makela fed through the fence, along with several other children. They were a bit feisty with each other, so I can see why we weren't allowed in with them. Then Makela fed the turkeys, including some "poults" (aka baby turkeys -- and no, I didn't know that until today). Next, it was chicken feeding time, and Makela and two other kids (Zoe and her big brother) got to collect eggs from the henhouse. Our last stop was at the sheep pen, where Amy the goat got in on the action, mooching from her farmyard friends.

We soon found ourselves in the Bush Friends section of Kid Zoo, where Makela wanted nothing to do with the animals, but instead dove into the sand and proceeded to bury Mommy's feet. We ducked back to the Backyard to Bush exhibit, then found ourselves wandering by the "Spider Show" just as it was about to start. Strangely, despite my fear of spiders (I am getting better at tolerating them), I have a morbid fascination with them. And Makela seems to have a genuine interest in them, so we stopped to watch. Out came the Sydney funnel web spider -- the world's most venomous spider -- in a securely latched box of course. Also on display was a redback spider -- Australia's answer to the black widow. Then came a snake -- another diamond python, a female named Widdi Giddi. Makela loved seeing them all and was really happy to pet a second python this week.

Our last exhibit was the Great Southern Oceans, which showcased penguins and seals. We were both pretty tired, so we sped through it -- and I think Makela is a bit jaded on seals and other marine animals, with our Seaworld membership back home. In any case, we soon found ourselves headed for the ferry, but with one last plea in a sweet voice and using her best manners, Makela asked to go up on the Sky Safari one more time. I agreed, so long as we came down on it again. So we did, and it was again worth the trip up the hill and back.

We just missed one ferry and so waited for another to come along about 20 minutes later. As always, Makela was quick to make friends, this time through a window, as we were seated outside (her preferred seating area on the Syndey Ferries). There were two families traveling together with four young children, and Makela smiled and waved at them through the window. The oldest, and the only boy at about seven years old, started making silly faces -- of course I couldn't resist a few pics.

Then it was one final walk up Pitt Street to our hotel, with a stop in Pizza Hut one block shy in order to grab Makela's dinner. It was another fun day -- and I continue to adore Sydney and its people (although I did encounter a few tourists today who were not so polite as others I've met to date). And Daddy is now "off duty" from work, so we will be spending some quality family time together for the next week. Stay tuned!