Visit to Melbourne and vicinity

(expand your browser window to full or near full screen for best viewing)

Friends in Melbourne take me to a wild animal park north of the city to see some of the unique native Australian animals. Many of the animals are in large pens that we can go into but not the Tasmanian Devil (sniffing for a scent), which are too dangerous to approach.

I pet a couple of dingos that a ranger is leading around.

I learn about the habits of the koala (which is not really related to bears). It sleeps about 85% of the day because its choice of food supplies so little energy.

I watched a raptor show where a trainer tosses food so that various raptors fly low over us. I try to pan my camera to catch them in flight. Here is a fan-tailed eagle.

we walk around in a pen with many wallabies. Since it is mid-day most are sleeping in the shade, but one looks over at me.

Wombats are similar to badgers. They live in tunnels in the ground and are relative slow moving. It is claimed that they make fine pets if adopted young.

Back in Melbourne, my friends take me down town in the evening. It is the day before the Melbourne Grand Prix and all the Ferrari owners in Victoria are celebrating with the Ferrari team at a local italian street restaurant. We count 8 parked in a row in one block (along with two Porsches and a Lambourghdini.