Though it is a touch smaller, what it lacks in size it makes up for with a choice few incredible Australian exhibits: the koala bears, and the platypus.
The koalas are at least as cute and cuddly looking as any teddy bear. They are slow and lethargic, sometimes sleeping as much as 20 hours a day. They move so mechanically, you would swear they were robotic, crunching on ecalyptus leaves and then dozing in and out of a perpetual series of naps. They seem to be the most peaceful of creatures.
The platypus is strange and curious. From an obscure Australian family of two animals called monotrenes (named because they have one exit point - the cloaca), they are thought to be a potential link between mammals and reptiles. They have a duck bill, webbed feet, a lush coat of fur and a beaver's tail. They lay eggs as opposed to bearing live young, and are one of the few mammals known to be venomous. This little guy is noctural, so the viewing is quite dark - making photography very difficult. He is very quick, and based on my observation, partial to doing clockwise circles in his giant aquarium. I watched him in two sessions, totalling about a half hour, and I don't think I saw him stop swimming once.
The zoo does have regular exhibits - with all of the amazing wonders of the animal kingdom you would expect. I took the opportunity to take out the SLR camera for the first time to give it a test run. I brought it all this way... might as well use it :)
Later in the evening, I met up with Will and Leah. Will is Ken's older brother. I had met him briefly in Sydney, and he offered to meet me for beers and to put me up for the evening.
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