Koalas, Kangaroos & Dingoes….oh my!

It doesn’t matter what “things” we do here in Australia….it’s all about the beauty of the land and the amazing variety of wildlife.  I love that I now know how to spot places where a koala might hang out in the wild, or that I can see the koala crossing “bridges” near highways so that they aren’t at risk of being hit by cars as often.  I love that I just came back from a night trek with a ranger guide who showed us how to find spider eyes in the dark.  I also just saw a stingray next to the jetty, with the help of our guide’s flashlight.  It was huge, flying like a bird underwater, and you could see why it would be so hard to spot it because it’s sand coloured and has great camouflage.  The best, for tonight, was seeing a dingo running down a beach.  There are dingo fences at this resort, so that visitors are safe.  Two weeks ago, someone said a young girl was attacked….but if you’re aware of what ticks off a dingo, it seems you’re fairly safe.  In the hotel rooms, there are brochures on dingo safety.  As the brochure says, “Enjoy their beauty, but keep your distance.”

We are on Fraser Island, a World Heritage site….it’s the only sand island in the world.  It has a rainforest, too.  Fraser is famous for its dingo population because DNA testing has proven that the dingoes on this island are the purest strain in Australia and need to be protected.  (Surprisingly, I always imagined them as scrawny and brownish, but they aren’t…they’re more orangey….and solid. )

Yesterday, we did a 4WD tour of the mountains around Surfers Paradise.  We climbed up steep gravel roads, ventured into the rainforest, and even tried to throw boomerangs.  Afterwards, in the late afternoon, we visited Carumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.  It was AMAZING!  I was able to have my photo taken with a koala.  So, let me say this….koalas are more dense than I imagined.  You put out your hands, one on top of the other, like a little cradle.  The handler positions the koala’s bum in your gathered hands and the koala automatically reaches up to steady itself on your shoulder.  You feel you are protecting it….and it’s slow pace and sweet little face makes you feel that you must protect it.  (I knew I was in trouble when I felt something at the arse end of the little koala….he was farting!  As soon as the handler picked up the koala to remove him from my arms, I glanced down to see a pellet left behind.  Fantastic!  There’s a story for the ages….I was pooped on by a koala!)   The thing about Caurmbin is that there is a great animal hospital there, so that wounded animals from the area can be mended and then sent back to the wild.  So, the koala photo taking sessions actually fund the good work done by the folks at Carumbin.  One intersting fact that I learned is that the koalas are in danger because people are cutting down eucalyptus forests for development.  Without those trees, and that particular food source, the koalas are at risk.  There’s work to be done in support of the poor wee fellas.

Interesting koala fact:  did you know that koalas really only ever stay up in trees?  They only come down a tree to go up another, as one Australian told us yesterday.  They are, he said, too slow to wander about on the forest floor, because they would be easy prey for other animals, so they hang out in the eucalyptus trees.  They are also very picky eaters….

Early yesterday morning, we drove through a national park.  We got off the bus and walked along what seemed to be a regular road.  Not so, though.  Within minutes, with the dew glistening on twigs and low brushes, we soon became very clever about ‘spotting the roos.’  As you walk, you notice little heads that pop up above grasses.  They sit, staring, arms balanced and strong.  Then, if you get too close, they dart off and you can see the power of their hind legs, and the speed with which they travel.  Amazing!

Carumbin is famous for the koalas, but those kangaroos and wallabies are ones that are closely tied for second place.  At Carumbin, you can actually walk into a kangaroo enclosure and feed them.  Holding a koala was grand, but getting down to a lower level to feed and rub the head of a kangaroo, is simply beyond explanation.  I could write and write and write, but never do any of this trip justice….

Tomorrow, I intend to do some laundry (very exciting, non?!), perhaps go for a swim in one of the pools, and do some writing….there are some poems marinating in this head….that’s for sure.

peace,

k.