AT THE KOALA SANCTUARY IN BRISBANE

Yesterday, we were diverted from our normal course and the ship had to go into Plan B for the various excursions.  The ones we had chosen were no longer possible, so we decided to go to the Koala Sanctuary which is outside of Brisbane.  The route was to go to the Sanctuary and then come back through Brisbane catching its highlights and getting a brief feel for what kind of city it is.  Here are a few photos from the Sanctuary.

I guess the Koalas were the original Teddy Bears.  When Koalas are born they are the size of a jelly bean and live in Mama' pouch facing down, where they stay for about ten months before they are able to live on their own.

They sleep up to 18 hours a day and will only eat certain types of eucalyptus which don't have a lot of nutritional value.  Between that and their natural predators their life expectancy is pretty low.  But these guys in the sancturary are protected at least.  The only predators are the human kind who stand in endless lines waiting to hold one and have their photo taken with the cuddly creature.  We decided to forego the privilege.

We got to feed the kangaroos instead who are surprisingly gentle and friendly.  Obviously, this group is probably way overfed and so most of them had no interest in our purchased food, but when they do eat it, they eat daintily out of your hand and have the softest snouts.   They aren't the least bit aggressive or greedy.

They are very content kangas.

These lizards were about two feet long and hanging out in the parking lot of the koala sanctuary.  En garde!  I challenge you, sir,  to a duel!

And a fight to the death.

Well, maybe not.  Kiss me, you fool!

This is not at the Koala Sanctuary, but at Moreton Island where we are docked today.  The beach is full of cormorants and pelicans and here are two of the big guys making it clear who's boss.

A word about Brisbane.  When we boarded the bus to go to the Koala Sanctuary, we drove through Brisbane and it didn't look like much of a city although it is the third largest port after Sydney and Melbourne.  We passed grain terminals, huge piles of sawdust, asphalt and scrap metal (identified by the guide) and it looked like a mostly industrialized city.  Silver, lead, zinc natural gas and even opals are all mined near Brisbane.  We passed several of the sixteen bridges which span the Brisbane River which snakes its way through the city.  And we did see some beautiful homes with distinctive architecture that belong to the descendants of early Queenslanders.  

The early settlers of Brisbane, besides the aboriginals who had been there for some forty million years, were a convict colony who had been thrown out of Sydney and then Tasmania until they finally made their way to Brisbane.  

After our visit to the sanctuary, we were driven through the main parts of the city.  What a difference!  There are miles of restaurants and outdoor cafes with lovely parks, huge ultra-modern skyscrapers lost in the clouds and the sixteen bridges, each with its own distinctive style and personality. Though it was a Saturday afternoon, people were on the street enjoying themselves, hanging out in the cafes and I'll bet the night scene is something to behold.  A few of our coachmates chose to stay in the city for the evening and take the provided shuttle back to the ship, but Tom and I were afraid we'd never be seen again, and so we didn't get to explore on our own.  I regret that we didn't see more of it because I think it could hold its own against Sydney if given a chance.  Here are a couple of pictures, not very good ones, the skies were gray and snapping photos out of the bus window not very satisfactory.