Did you know we went to the Zoo?

It's true! Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo is just an hour from our house. Earlier this year (yes, we forgot exactly when), we took the kids up the road to have a play at the Zoo.

And what a marvelous venue!!! A perfect family-friendly environment. Not only were the entertainment and interactive options available outstanding for kids of any age, it was as near spotless as you can get for a zoo.

There was so much you could do. Here is a list of what was on the day we visted:

We got to see the Elephants being fed (only just barely - it was quite a popular parade). And then we trapsed over to the Crocoseum to wat the Wildlife Warriors 101 Show! In the Crocoseum we saw some Zoo Employees being silly (one had to chase some birds all around the zoo!) and view Elephants (again!), snakes, more birds and CROCS!

It was such an easy to understand presentation. It really spoke to the kids about conservationism, especially in relation to animals which could easily be turned into a further discussion about overall conservationism and why it's a good idea to "be nice to the planet".

Walking around the zoo, many employees were about carrying animals (blue tongue lizards for one!). Poppi was keen to have a pet of the lizard and a couple birds, but Hunter was a tad shy.

While we were there, we took the opportunity to pay a little extra (in support of animal breeding programs) and have some up close and personal encounters. Age restrictions applied to most, but we were able to get in to feed the Giant Tortoises with both Poppi and Hunter.

And because he loves his wife sooooo much, Dean arranged for me to have my own encounter with my favourite Australian marsupial - The Wombat! Oh, it was so much fun. I was just tickled.

Throughout the rest of the day, we wandered about the Zoo. Other highlights included the Kids Zoo (where we saw Hunter's favourite animal - The Elusive Bob - aka a cow... Like father, like son, huh?) and a walk through the Kangaroo enclosure where we got to pet about 30 kangaroos (and tred on the toes of one poor fella, learning what sound they make when they're "Not Happy, Jan!"). They also had on offer a spinning teacup ride (which we had to do about 3 times), a jumping castle, a giant trampoline and multiple playgrounds.

(The best part of the day? $12 wagon hire for the kids! It kept young Hunter entertained all day!)

Poppi keeps asking when we can go back to "that zoo". Not sure when that will be, we're thinking of doing Sea World with them next. But, for us, we're headed back up in June. The Dalai Lama is giving a talk as part of his Australian tour in June. It's our way of offering support.

If you're in any major metropolitan city in Australia in June, we would certainly encourage you to attend one of his many events. Click on this link for more information: Dalai Lama in Australia.