Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Friday 8th February 2010

This is going to be quick today. My boss, Nigel, has been reading the blogs and commented that he thought I was on holiday. He's obviously worried that i won't want to type anything when I get back to work.

Weather really good today at last. Took the ferry into Sydney and then another to Taronga Park Zoo where we then caught a cable car to the top (it is built on a hill) and worked our way down with a few ups in between. On such a muggy hot day it was good to push the wheelchair around. If nothing else, I will return a hell of a lot fitter.

We 'stood in line' waiting to see the Koala's for the best part of an hour after being fleeced of another $19.95 on top of the $82 it cost for us both to get in. The Koala's were wonderful, the Roo's and Wallabies were idle and asleep as were most other things if you could see them. I'm sure they have empty cages in some of these zoo's with large amounts of plantation to hide the fact that there is nothing really there. The elephants live in area not much larger than my garden and as we went around, I remembered that I don't really like zoo's all that much. Everyone has raved about Sydney Zoo as a 'Must See' attraction but I'm not sure. Kath is even worse than me as she went to South Africa last year and saw a lot of these creatures in their natural habitat in the wild which is where they should be. I know there are conservation arguements but personally, it wouldn't bother me if I never a saw a zoo again. Having said that, the seals and sea lions put on a great show as did the birds of prey. Amazing what you can teach a wild creature in return for a morsel of food. Off my soapbox now!

Went back to Sydney by ferry then caught the Manly ferry for probably the last time as the forecast is good for tomorrow also and we hope to have a day chilling on the beach, something we haven't really done since we set off from the UK. We have had our money's worth from the 7 day pass we bought for the ferry as we have gone everywhere by that mode of transport. Pat in Canada likes the idea and said it was better than sitting in traffic jams, I quite agree.

We went back to the apartment to change for the evening and then went out to the Manly Grill for an excellent meal (steak) which left little change from £100...owch, but it is my birthday. We then walked along the beachfront and tried a new bar, Henry Afrika's. I must appear tight when complaining about prices but $9 (£5) for a bottle of Corona is a bit steep. Needless to say, it was their loss as they will only rip me off once so off we went. We finished the night in the Ocean Bar but upon leaving, there were no signs of any cars on the roads, let alone a taxi. Kath has not been good today on her legs and the last thing we needed was a 15 minute walk to the Wharf to find one.

Spoke to Lucy at home and all seems well with the new bathroom though it isn't finished yet. The tiler says it should be done tomorrow, hope so.

Lucy Hall should be having her baby today on my birthday and her's is on Kath's birthday, how spooky is that ? Don't forget to call her after me will you?....hope all goes well.

Hope you like the pics of the Koala's etc. Bye for now A & K