Billabong Sanctuary!

I had no idea what to expect at Billabong Sanctuary! I'm not normally too interested in zoos because they're usually so hot, crowded, and full of Screamin' Brats © My Dad blocking my view, but this was totally different. 



Unfortunately, about half of the exhibits were wiped out by Hurricane Yozzie a few weeks before we arrived, but the staff are apparently miracle workers and got the whole place up and running again already. They were so impressive! I'm not sure what we missed, but I do know that during our visit, we got to see kangaroos, koalas, cassowaries, crocodiles, turtles, and a host of other creatures.

When we walked in, we were looking at the park map to figure out which exhibits to find first, and then a kangaroo hopped over to us. We fed it some kibble and it even let us pet it! Apparently a kangaroo in the wild can grow to be taller than a human. Scary!

We eventually warmed up to these friendly 'roos and they loved the pellets we gave them. I couldn't believe they would actually eat out of my hand!

We saw some other amazing creatures around the zoo as well. I can't remember what kind of bird this was, but I remember that his name was Ash:

 

Next, you can enjoy my husband, Fun Facts Joe, tell you about the cassowary. FUN FACT: I taught him this.

We came across some dingoes! They didn't seem to be especially frisky or hungry for babies, but looked like my Aunt Nancy's dog, Juneau! Maybe he's part dingo :)

We ran into some lazy crocs while we wandered around. Apparently they don't eat much and have very little energy because it's winter here in Australia, and they are cold-blooded animals. Here's one creepy croc we tried to avoid:

While all these animals are awesome in their own ways, I fell in love with the next little furry creatures: the koalas!

Yup, then I narrowly escaped my demise as these adorable turtles came to get me at lunchtime:

These dudes were feeling athletic after lunch, so the staff held a race for the turtles. The idea that videos can't be rotated seemed to have escaped me, so check out the races if you dare to turn your head to the side.

I'm at an internet cafe here in Townsville and don't have all my pictures, but I'll upload some wombat pics later! 

Thanks for joining me for a tour of Billabong Sanctuary! :D