Kute Koalas 20/03

P is up bright and early for a bike ride and I have a bit of a lie in although I am not managing to sleep properly anyway. We visit the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which also houses Tasmanian Devils, Roos, Wombats and other weird and wonderful animals. The koalas are lovely little things and you just wanted to pick them up and hug them to death. They are bone idle and sleep for 19 hours a day and don't do much else for the rest of it. It cracked me up that they had a 'retirement' section for the older bears (which of course,they are not) as it seemed to me that most of them were in retirement! I didn't have my photo taken with one because it was an extra £10 plus I didn't like the way they were being passed from pillar to post and they seemed a bit hacked off. I did manage to stroke one and that was good enough for me.

Kangaroos are peculiar things and have the strangest hind feet I have never seen. They have three sections to it, with one giant claw in the middle and their faces are a mixture of resembling a camel and a Labrador. The Wombats and Tassie Devils are the animals with attitude and you wouldn't want to mess with one in a dark alley. I have only a possum to see and that will complete my viewing of Oz's 'big five'.

Afterwards we head back into Brisbane and head out to a larney suburb for lunch via the City Cat ferry service, so I get to see a bit more of Brisbane including the Castlemaine Brewery.

Dad's friend from the Welsh valleys has been in touch and he lives in Malaney, one hour south west of Noosa and I will try and get to see them on my way down from Cairns next week. This may turn out as a blessing as the cyclone is really mucking up my plans at the moment.