Ticking the Tourist Box: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

I was stupidly excited to be visiting Lone Pine koala sanctuary; the oldest and largest in the world. When I was young, my nan gave me a real koala skin toy (banned practice now, thank god), and whenever I played with it I always daydreamed about stroking a real koala one day. Having spotted a wild one on Stradbroke Island, I couldn’t wait to hold one!

Chillin' with a Roo

 

When we arrived at the sanctuary I was like a kid in a sweet shop. Seeing them up close, I was cooing and ‘awww’ing like a mad woman. ‘Kindergarten’ had 4 cheeky girls who were being very playful, jumping on the keepers head whilst he was cleaning. Never knew they could jump so far! The ‘retirement home’ had a more serene feel, with the OAPs lazily munching away and napping. The ‘boys’ area absolutely stank from their scent; the smellier the better to attract the girls apparently!

The Girls: '1, 2, 3...Jump'

 

I was in my element when I got to hold Hallie, a 2 year old koala. She was an absolute superstar, snuggling into me and posing like a pro for the camera. She was soooo fluffy! I wanted to scoop her up and take her home with me.

 

Meet Hallie

Next, we loaded our pockets with kangaroo food and soon found ourselves surrounded with a very friendly bunch, who had hopped over to say hello. For such big animals, I was surprised how gentle they were when eating out of my hand. They didn’t bat an eyelid when we gave them a stroke, and they were even softer than the koalas. Then before we knew it, boing, they had hopped off again.

Roo Selfie!

 

Such a novelty day; Now I really feel like I’m in Australia. Loaded up on my new koala facts, I’m going to be boring people for weeks!

Birthday Treats: ‘Fear and Delight, The Devil’s Banquet’.

Hitting 27 didn’t seem so daunting when I had a birthday treat in store! As part of the Brisbane festival, which runs throughout September, we bought tickets for ‘Fear and Delight: The Devil’s Banquet’, a dining experience and entertainment show shrouded in secrecy. We had no idea what to expect.

We dressed up to the nines, in keeping with the black and white dress code. Lining up outside the venue with hungry bellies, we puzzled over our only clue about the banquet: ‘Willy Wonka meets Heston Blumenthal….’

As we ducked through the velvet drapes leading inside, a pill was tucked into my hand by the hostess, inviting me to ‘take a trip’. Panic stricken, I broke open the capsule to check the contents. Edible glitter. Duh. I made a mental reminder to loosen up and just go with whatever was in store inside.

Dressed up to the nines

 

We were invited to enjoy the cocktail area, whilst awaiting the main banquet. First obstacle: retrieving my urine coloured cocktail from a bathtub and drinking it from a plastic bag. Comfortingly, the room was full of guests exchanging nervous glances. Not just me then…

At every turn, there were more edible surprises, each even more strange and delightful. Carpaccio canapes ‘off the bone’ (literally laid over a stags skull) complete with artichoke and freeze dried ant dip (yes, you read that right!). Gloved hands darting out from boxes to deliver tasty fruit and marshmallows. A creepy sorcerer serving spoons of ‘blood’ from his alter if you dared to try. Interactive canapes called ‘flick and lick’ involved weird and wonderful toppings, a perspex wall and spoons to use as projectiles. You can guess the rest. We soon got into the swing of things and were in fits of giggles.

Marshmallow? Yes please!

 

Finally, we were invited into the main banqueting hall where we had ringside seats, a prime spot for the show later. There were no plates and my cutlery was a pair of black gloves! Starter was a syringe full of a delicious tomato soup, which we were instructed to inject into each other’s mouths. Main course was roast dinner, but by no means ordinary. The chicken came complete with head and feet, and the garlic sauce was served in a paint pot, with a brush to paint it over your food. Dessert was ‘egg and soldiers’; a sweet custard served in a hen’s egg with shortbread biscuit soldiers.

Dipping and Brushing

 

Getting interactive with food in such a unique way, confusing the hell out of our taste buds and just getting generally messy was so fun! We couldn’t stop laughing throughout the entire meal, especially with the wine flowing. Even the water was served via a nozzle jet through the waiter’s legs, ooo-err.

Dinner is served

 

The entertainment afterwards was an entrancing mix of acrobatics, comedy, singing and dancing, injected with sex, leather and bondage. Not for the faint hearted!

Creepy Clown

 

After the show, we enjoyed some bubbles at a riverside bar, animated by what we had just experienced. It had been even stranger and more fun than we had expected. Truly ‘Fear and Delight.’

Bubbles on the riverside

Acknowledgements: ‘Fear and Delight’ picture and ‘Creepy Clown’ pictures taken from Brisbane Festival Flyers.

Moving to the Sunshine State: South Brissie and Straddie Island

Time really does fly when you’re having fun! It’s been over a month since the big move down under with my boyfriend, Dom, to work in A&E in Brisbane, Queensland. I can’t quite believe that this is the 7^th country I’ve visited in as many months, and am looking forward to the adventures to come!

Aptly named the Sunshine State, I was greeted with cloudless blue sky and a temperature of 25⁰C the day we arrived. Did I tell you they call this ‘winter’?! Helloooo Australia!


My new home!

The first week passed in a blur of life admin, night shifts at my new job (NOT a good combination with jet lag) and getting settled into our new home in South Bank. The buzz of city life means there’s so much to see, do, drink and eat! It’s an exciting contrast from our relaxed country lifestyle in North Wales last year. Living in a beautiful riverside location, even commuting to the city centre is done in style here via a kitsch ‘city hopper’ ferry. Catching some rays on the top deck whilst cruising along the river, I feel a world away from the UK. It certainly beats the tube!



Commuting the Ozzie way

Evenings have been spent sipping bubbles overlooking the river, admiring the city skyline sparkling against the night sky. And what a novelty being able to have a drink outside in the evening without feeling cold!

Enjoying Bubbles in the City

 

One pro of shift work is getting a stretch of a few days off, enabling us to go and explore. First on the list? Stradbroke Island (or as the locals fondly call it, Straddie Island) off the East Coast

After dropping off our stuff at a cute Airbnb on the coast (massive fan of Airbnb!), we hopped straight on the ferry over to the Island. What a treat we had awaiting us. Wow. The island was breath taking!

 

Straddie Island

 

Walking around North Gorge at Point Lookout on the tip of the Island, we were rewarded with humpback whales and dolphins majestically jumping out of the beautiful turquoise water. We even spotted a pair of giant manta rays leaping gracefully over the surface of the sea, whilst Kookaburras and some cute plover chicks tweeted in the sunshine.

North Gorge

 

We got very overexcited to see wild koalas in the eucalyptus trees for the first time. Cue double overexcitement when a family of kangaroos casually hopped past us, complete with baby Joey in pouch.

Enjoying tasty gelato at Point Lookout

 

The next day was spent strolling along the golden coast, with warm sand beneath our feet and crystal clear waves rolling ashore. It was only after Dom took a dip in the sea that the locals warned us about the number of sharks in the area. Definitely won’t be trying that next time! We ended our mini break by enjoying sunset at Cylinder Beach, before tucking into some delicious local fish and chips. What a great few days, I can’t wait to explore some of the other Islands!

Sunset on Stradbroke