May 25, 2015

The day we got to touch ALL of the animals!

christinelouise Oceania, Travel Talk 2015, Australia, Billabong Sanctuary, crocodile, dingo, kangaroo, koala, townsville, wombat

Townsville, Australia: IT’S SO FLUFFY I’M GONNA DIE

After a bit of a drive, we arrive at Coral Coast Tourist Park. It’s quite a bit out of town – as all camping sites are – but the facilities are great. They have the longest, cleanest bathroom I have seen in a looong time. We decide to drive up to the Castle Hill lookout for sunset. Being the only vans driving up the hill, which is a very popular place for runners and hikers, is a bit embarrassing. We find a nice little area to sit and watch the sun go down.

We don’t dwell there too long though, and go back to the camp site for a great dinner of steak, cooked beans in garlic butter, salad and potatoes. Of course, goon is had with this feast. I eat till I’m ready to pass out, but end up staying up fairly late, discussing serious things like religion, gender identity, and fluffy animals. And people think I’m as dumb as I look!

The next day is pretty epic. We go to Billabong Sanctuary, where within minutes, I fulfill my week-long dream of holding a wombat. IT’S SO FLUFFY I’M GONNA DIE!

It’s quite big and heavy, with coarse fur, but I enjoy every second of holding it. In Australia, it seems that all animals, no matter how cute and fluffy they are, can kill you, but zoos will still let you cuddle them for the price of $18. Seems reasonable to me.

After that, Craig holds a koala, we feed kangaroos and turtles, we learn about snakes and crocodiles, see a koala baby, get followed around by ducks and geese wanting our kangaroo food, pet dingoes, hold a baby crocodile and have our necks pecked by a rainbow parrot. How epic does that sound?

 

On the way home, I promise Craig to play him some epic music, so I put on Bohemian Rhapsody, which we sing along to loudly. We are stuck in city traffic most of the time, so the car in the lane next to us overhears everything. I see the two women in the front seat looking at each other, laughing, but I am unaware of how much they are actually listening, until they start applauding out of the window – while driving. Now that’s epic!

We have lamb steaks with all the works from yesterday for dinner, with more goon. I am getting really sick and tired of just sitting around, drinking goon, especially since I’m usually really into some book that I just want to finish in silence. So off I go, to finish yet another book and fall asleep to the sound of nothing.

The next day, Sharon dyes my hair in the ladies’ bathroom, so for 20 minutes, I run around in my underwear with dark blue goo in my hair and aluminum foil trying to prevent the goo from getting everywhere. After a shower and a quick pack-up, we start driving again, stopping for lunch and a swing in Mission Beach, and Josephine Falls, a pretty waterfall that you’re not even allowed to get close to. That was it for Townsville, next stop: Cairns!