Australian Adventures: March 2013

Thursday, March 7, 2013

2-27-13 - Sleepy Day

I slept all day today and now I am home :)

2-26-13 - Coming Home

Today Is my fly home day. The flight to Los Angeles was great. They fed me lunch, lots of snacks and breakfast. Qantas Airlines rocks for customer service.

When I boarded my flight in LA to Chicago, I was ready to sleep. It’s a good thing because we circled Chicago for two hours waiting to land in the snow storm. My flight to Buffalo left late and I got home around 11 PM EST.

Here is Sydney from the air!

2-25-13 - Manly and the Sea lIfe Sanctuary

My last day is going to be spent in Manly! I caught the ferry in the Circular Quay Sydney.

Manly is situated seven miles north-east of Sydney on the lower Northern Beaches, Manly was named by Captain Arthur Phillip after his encounter with the confident and manly Aboriginal people of the Kay-ye-my clan who lived here. Surrounded on three sides by water, Manly is the perfect destination to enjoy both the harbour and the 18 ocean beaches, coves and inlets to swim, sail and surf.
First stop – Manly Sea Life Sanctuary

Penguin Cove

Manly is lucky enough to be a breeding habitat for Little Penguins, and is one of the last colonies on the mainland of Australia!
The local population of Little Penguins is around 60 breeding pairs, and they come ashore to nest every night between July and February.
Manly's Little Penguin colony has been listed as an endangered population, and the local area has been declared a critical habitat for the population.
Some of the penguins are named Armani, Elvis, Versace, and Mumble.

Underwater Sydney

There are more species of fish found in Sydney Harbour than in the entire Mediterranean Sea!

I saw:

Octopus
Seahorses
Lionfish
Cuttlefish
Port Jackson Sharks
Bamboo Sharks
Epaulette Sharks

In the rock pool I touched a shark egg and held a crab.

2-24-13 - The Taronga Zoo

Today it is off to the Taronga Zoo! I caught the ferry in the Circular Quay Sydney. I had Kangaroo Steak for dinner!

· The Circular Quay is the hub of Sydney Harbour, situated at a small inlet called Sydney Cove, the founding site for Sydney and Australia. The quay is a vibrant, bustling place with ferries leaving every few minutes to different parts of the harbour, including the Taronga Park Zoo. There are great views of the Harbour Bridge, a short distance away.

· Taronga Zoo, situated on Bradley's Head is home to the Cammeraigal people. Early reports indicate that Bradley's head, the headland Taronga Zoo is situated on, was called ‘Booragy' and was neighboured by other clans.

· “Our name comes from an Aboriginal language word Tarong, long thought to mean ‘sea view’, but it is also a local word for ‘shoulder’. We have strong links to our history and both zoos have Aboriginal stories to tell.”

· Divided into eight zoogeographic regions, the 21-hectare (52-acre) zoo is home to over 2,600 animals of 340 species.

· The list of animals that I saw

Wild Australia

Australian Wetlands

Black-necked Stork
Little Pied Cormorant
Brolga
Australian Pelican
Royal Spoonbill
Pacific Black Duck
Chestnut Teal
Blue-billed Duck
Australian Wood Duck
Australian Shelduck
Plumed Whistling Duck
Water Whistling Duck
Black Swan
Cape Barren Goose
Magpie Goose

Australian Walkabout

Red Kangaroo
Tammar Wallaby
Swamp Wallaby
Agile Wallaby
Red-necked Wallaby
Emu

Koala Walkabout

Koala
Short-beaked Echidna
Quokka

Platypus House

Platypus
Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
Water Rat

Australian Nightlife

Tasmanian Devil
Red-tailed Phascogale
Bilby
Long-nosed Bandicoot
Long-nosed Potoroo
Brush-tailed Bettong
Common Ringtail Possum
Squirrel Glider
Yellow-bellied Glider
Feathertail Glider
Greater Stick-nest Rat
Black-footed Tree-rat
Plains Rat
Spinifex Hopping-mouse
Ghost Bat
Tawny Frogmouth
New Caledonian Giant Gecko

Australian Rainforest Aviary

Rainbow Lorikeet
Musk Lorikeet
Eclectus Parrot
Australian King Parrot
Crimson Rosella
Double-eyed Fig-Parrot
Paradise Riflebird
Wonga Pigeon
Topknot Pigeon
Superb Fruit-Dove
Emerald Dove
Brown Cuckoo-Dove
White-headed Pigeon
Red-browed Finch
Blue-faced Parrot-Finch
Buff-banded Rail
Black-breasted Buttonquail
Regent Bowerbird
Eastern Whipbird
Noisy Pitta
Black-faced Monarch
Pacific Koel

Australian Bush Birds

Creatures of the Wollemi

Backyard to Bush

Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
Red-necked Wallaby
Spinifex Hopping-mouse
House mouse
Guinea pig
European rabbit
Sheep
Goat
Pig
Emu
Budgerigar
Cockatiel
King Quail
Chicken
Wild Turkey
Coastal Bearded Dragon
Lace Monitor
Shingleback
Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard
Eastern Snake-necked Turtle
Australian green tree frog
Dainty green tree frog
Green and golden bell frog
Splendid Rainbowfish
Pacific Blue-eye

Other Wild Australia

Red Kangaroo
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
Tammar Wallaby
Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby
Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo
Emu
Malleefowl
Sacred Kingfisher
Southern Cassowary
Eclectus Parrot
Red Lory
Rainbow Lorikeet
Purple-crowned Lorikeet
Red-rumped Parrot
Victoria Crowned Pigeon
Diamond Dove
Common Bronzewing
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Regent Honeyeater
Striated Grasswren

Great Southern Oceans

Leopard Seal
California Sea Lion
Australian Sea Lion
Australian Fur Seal
New Zealand Fur Seal
Australian Pelican
Fiordland Penguin
Little Penguin

Wild Asia

Asian Elephant
Fishing Cat
Binturong
Oriental Small-clawed Otter

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