I have finally been to Australia – a country I’ve always wanted to visit, to see both wildlife and those iconic places. I wasn’t disappointed – in fact my only regret is that I didn’t go years ago and many times in between.
Adorable Animals
Top of my list of animals to see were kangaroos and koalas. ‘Roos are everywhere, you can’t miss them,’ everyone told me, ‘But Koalas might be trickier.’ Luckily, my dear hosts in Melbourne, knowing my enthusiasm for wildlife photography, decided I should tick some off my list at an early stage. So, we went to Healesville Sanctuary.
Healesville is a genuine sanctuary that truly cares for its rescues, and it was a pleasure to see so many different ones: wombats, wallabies, Tasmanian devils, a platypus, dingoes and lots of tiny nocturnal creatures.
They were species I had never seen up close before, yet they were all local – it really brought home to me just how different Australia is, even if the humans do speak English.
Like many Brits I have always referred to Koalas as Koala Bears, probably because they look so much like the teddy bears I grew up with. I now know better: they aren’t bears, they are marsupials.
Habitat loss and the disease chlamydia has hugely reduced koala numbers and their conservation status ranges from Vulnerable to Near Threatened. They are mainly nocturnal and spend much of their time up eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus leaves are a major part of a koala’s diet. Their teeth are adapted to chew leaves into a digestible paste and they have adapted to deal with the toxic oils in the leaves. Being up trees makes koalas hard to spot, so it was great to see them up close at Healesville. We also saw some in the wild on French Island, which was another treat.
The roos were also close at hand at Healesville – which was just as well as we didn’t see as many in the wild as I was expecting. Sadly, large numbers of those we did see were roadkill, including a mum and her little joey. They are nocturnal and being near roads in the dark makes them very vulnerable. Fortunately, we did see kangaroos alive and well in the wild on the aptly named Kangaroo Island; looking very relaxed and often happily grazing.
We also feared for the fate of the echidnas we saw at various points along the road, but each time they survived – and posed for photos. They are remarkable little creatures. Just as koalas aren’t bears, echidnas, though spiny, are not hedgehogs nor porcupines. In fact, they are most closely related to the platypus. They are very cute, but I wouldn’t want to hold one.
Then came two other great sightings I had not expected. On Kangaroo Island we saw a fantastic selection of sea lions in Seal Bay and nearby some long-nosed fur seals swimming in rock pools. Wonderful.
Following that, in Adelaide Botanic Gardens, we saw fabulous flying foxes. There were loads of them flying around and hanging from branches. This was a real surprise but, as it hadn’t been planned, I didn’t have my long lens with me! Not that I’m complaining, I did get some OK shots.
As well as all these wonderful animals there were some stunning birds. Again, Healesville was a great starting point as we saw eagles, owls and more in the Spirits of the Sky display.
Yes, lots more photos!
Some Fantastic Places Too
You can only see so much in three weeks and given the size of Australia we had to choose wisely. We managed to visit Melbourne, Uluru, the Great Ocean Road, Kangaroo Island, Adelaide and Sydney. All thoroughly recommended, even without the animals.
The natural environment ranged from ocean to dessert with expansive rolling countryside in between; we saw Uluru and Kata Tjuta, and on the Great Ocean Road the 12 Apostles; while the cities offered stunning skyscrapers, historic houses, great art galleries and more.
As a Brit I was rather uncomfortable being reminded of the part we played in the country’s history, especially our impact on the First Nations People. It’s good to see that First Nations Rights are now being respected, but hard to see how Retribution will play out. This is a topic I’ll be taking much more interest in.
I will also explore Aboriginal Art more. It was fascinating to see these dramatic works made up of dots and circles, all with a deep meaning. Other fabulous exhibitions, albeit by foreigners, were the Bruce Munro Field of Light at Uluru and the Chihuly glass works at Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
So much to see, so much to do. I think I’ll have to go back.
Many Thanks
A big part of the success of the trip was due to the generous hospitality from friends Suzanne, Deb, Matthew, Micheal and Annie, and of course my very patient travelling companion B. Thank you all.
As well as having fun together, we shared fond memories of dear Linda. She is sadly missed.
