Featherdale! (again - but with new stuff!)

Loyal readers will know the zoo nearest and dearest to my heart is Featherdale - it's close to Sydney, not overly-crowded, and you can pet an entire menagerie of animals. My brother was staying with me in Sydney for a few months before moving on to Indonesia, so I wanted to be sure and take him along at some point as well to show him the sheer awesomeness that is Featherdale.

Brady gives a chunky wombat some love.

A golden pheasant perched in a tree..looking

very alert.

They had baby emus this time! They're patterned

differently to allow them to blend into the ground

until they get massive.

In addition to being adorable, they were also

quite inquisitive / wanted to eat my fingers.

Brady with the friendly local kookaburra.

I love Featherdale because they let you take

all the pictures you want for free. Taronga

charges $20 for pics. Boo.

Reenacting the infamous emu debacle

of 2001.

Uncanny, innit?

The dingo pups from my first visit are

growing up! But do they like ice cream

cones?

The answer is yes. Yes they do.

*crunch crunch crunch*

Male peacock, humbly keeping his goods on

the DL.

Quokka all up in yo' face.

Mmm...lunchtime.

No, really, I'm listening very intently to what

you're s-Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Peacock doing what peacocks to best -

peacocking.

Ooo...purdy.

Detail view of plumage.

A rather indignant-looking wedge-tailed

eagle. That beak is massive.

Dingoes are the ideal dog - they don't bark or

growl, and you just need to feed them hearts,

liver, and chicken feet.

Obligatory baby koala shot.

I'll be damned if some little Tasmanian Devil

is going to steal MY lunch...

Dingo gets some petting, but the other gets jealous.

Wrasslin' ensues. Note there is no barking or

growling.

Parents Stop By

A couple of months ago (yes, I'm a bit behind), my parents stopped over as part of a 'visit their sons in the southern hemisphere' tour. Shortly before coming down under, they had gone to visit my brother in Brazil, who - consequently - has been working at an orphanage deep in the jungle (literally), developing a nutritional plan, teaching English, and other such things.

I had a blast with them while they were here - they stayed at a hotel about a 5 minute walk from my place, so it was really easy to meet up with them. We packed in quite a few things while they were here.

The first weekend, we had a trip up to the Hunter Valley, one of Australia's major wine-growing regions. I had been there before, and it's just beautiful, so I wanted to take my parents up there as well. It was a gorgeous day, with a really strong wind, and just a great way to unwind. Did I mention that wine-tasting in Australia is free? As a result, you basically drive up from Sydney in the morning (under 2-hour drive), start tasting at 10:30 / 11, and just hit as many wineries as you can before 5 when most of them start closing. It's rarely very crowded, and the people are just incredibly personable.

One of the many spectacular views of the

Hunter Valley. This one is one of my favorites,

from the Audrey Wilkinson winery, one of the

oldest in the area.

Every time I go to the Hunter, I find more and more wine that I like. I'm not sure if it's that my palate adjusting to Aussie wines, or if I just happen to be stumbling upon more and more wineries that make great wine. Case in point - last time I came home with only 3 bottles; this time, I brought home six. The Hunter region is well-known for their Semillon varietal (a dry, fruity white wine). I've made a serious effort to try it each time I go, and just can't get myself to like it. I've found it just dies too quickly in the mouth. Fortunately there are dozens of different varietals grown in the Hunter, so we had options.

We fit in a couple of wineries before lunch, before making our way to The Verandah Restaurant. Like most places in the Hunter, it was in the middle of a beautiful green field surrounded by vines. We sat out on - you guessed it - the veranda, and enjoyed a series of tapas.

This was Hannah, one of the dogs running around

the property during lunch. Apparently she doesn't

like having her picture taken.

Mom sits under a tree with Hannah after playing

a bit of fetch.

We managed to stop by 4 or 5 more wineries after lunch, including one that specialized in Port and other fortified wines. I had never had much exposure to Port in the past, but I've found that I absolutely love it (probably thanks in part to my ridiculous sweet tooth).

With most of the wineries closing by 5:15 or so, we had some time to kill before dinner reservations at 6:30. We used the opportunity to cruise around some of the outer roads of the Hunter, as well as some of the inner ones that didn't really lead anywhere. That's when we discovered one of the many things that makes this amazing country unlike any other.

A large herd of at least a dozen kangaroos (which

is called a mob, a herd, or a troop) were sitting on

the side of the road. We slowed down and they

started hopping one by one across the street.

Here is another group sitting on the side of the road.

Just before dinner, we caught an amazing sunset.

This really is a beautiful place.

Dinner was at a place called Mojo's on Wilderness. It was small, intimate, and warm - really one of the best little restaurants I've found since moving here. Dinner was fantastic, and I actually didn't have room for dessert at the end (I know - I'll give you a moment to collect yourselves). At that point, I was very nearly rolling out the door. I made a mental note to come back, because the service was stellar, and the food was to die for (which would have happened, had I tried to cram down the caramelized pear tart tatin with ice cream and rum butterscotch sauce).

A few days later, we went out to dinner at a place over in Watsons Bay back in Sydney for dinner. The restaurant was called Doyle's, and they're famous for their seafood, specifically their fish and chips. It was a very lovely dinner, and I found out after I had finished my heaping portion that since I got through it all, I could actually have a half-serving of fish and chips for free. I had really wished they had mentioned this at the beginning so I could have paced myself. Dinner was delicious, though.

The harbor at Watsons Bay. So many parts of

Australia remind me of Italy.

The view of the Sydney skyline from Watsons

Bay, the last bay of the harbor before you hit

ocean.

I love it when you can see the moon

as the sun is setting.

Fajah, Majah, and me just before dinner. No,

that's not a corduroy jacket I'm wearing - why

do you ask?

Doyle's by night.

We fit in many more meals while they were there, as well as a fantastic classical concert at the opera house. I've found that I absolutely adore classical music since moving here (I liked it before, but the prevalence of it has escalated that like to lust).

Naturally, I had to show them Featherdale while they were here as well - the wildlife park that I frequent so often. Here are a few pictures from that little venture.

Wallabies are unflinchingly cruel. This one

beat me up and stole my ice cream.

No, this image does not need to be rotated. This

furry little guy was just having an exceptionally

lazy day.

The most sinister-looking koala you

will ever meet.

A close-up of a kookaburra - one of my

favorite birds here. This one was not

in a laughing mood. Even my jokes

did not get him to crack a smile.

Disapproving owl disapproves.

A wombat - roughly the size of an ottoman, and

exceedingly chunky, they are putty in your

hands if you scratch their backs.

A black-necked stork. These guys stand about

5 feet tall. This was the last photo taken before

my unfortunate demise.

Just kidding. Here's an albino peahen

who has my haircut.

I believe this is a black kite, a large bird of prey.

It was really a treat to have my parents visit - we had some great times, ate some fantastic food, and I'm quite glad they made the time to swing by.

Animals Galore!

Since arriving, I have been trying to find a weekend to go by Featherdale Wildlife Park. I had initially been dissuaded by my teammates who told me that a trip to Blacktown (where the park is located) would result in my imminent stabbing. Apparently it's only certain parts. So, in good spirits, I went with my teammate Anna on yet another trip to see animals (no, I don't get tired of this stuff).

As with the zoo trip, this visit was mainly pictorial. Let the critter-cuddling begin!

The entrance. Nothing says fun like a massive

Papier-mâché koala.

A baby koala! We were all a bit shocked when
the keeper took the baby off the mother's

back. He explained that it wasn't the real mother

and that the babies will latch on to anyone.

Vun...two...thrrree batty bats! Ah ah ah...

This little guy, a rainbow bee eater, had a

razor-sharp beak and some incredible coloring.

"Oh, hello! I'm a cassowary and I'll be your

guide for the day."

"Now, the Australian Wood Duck can primarily

be found in the Eastern and Western regions of

Australia..."

I caught me a chicken. Named 'im Fluffy.

This is a Tasmanian Devil. Vicious little beasties,

so much so that they can't be kept in the same

enclosure. A group of them can devour an entire

cow in 30 minutes or your devouring is free.

It was also feeding time for the dingoes. They

got tons of meat, hearts, and chicken legs. Yum.

And for the first time in person I got to see dingo

pups! They were playing with the food dish. I

imagine it will be quite some time before the zoo

notices one is missing...

This guy you've seen before - it's an echidna. I

did learn a new fun fact, however. A baby echidna

is called a puggle.

This guy was adorable. If you scratched his chest

just right, he would hug your hand. If this whole

Google business doesn't work out, I want to live in

a zoo. Actually, even if it does work out, I want to

live in a zoo.

A peacock in full bloom.

A peahen in white.

What happens when you combine the two?

Awkward...

This was totally the time for baby animals. This

little wallaby had a joey crammed into her pouch.

This happy little kangaroo was kind enough to

humor me with a hug.

Sidenote: koalas are fluffy.

Me looking tough with an equally tough-looking

kookaburra.

The animals here are very acclimatized to having

humans around, as evident by this kookaburra

who allowed me to pet him.

The staff does not limit the amount of food that

is fed to the kangaroos. What does that give you?

A lot of fat, lazy kangaroos. Ok, not really. I just

caught them at a bad time.

Can you spot all 4 owls? (OK, there are only 3 -

I just wanted to mess with you).

Little penguins, aptly named...little penguins.

The zoo is going to call me if they happen to find

any more of my teeth.

This guy was begging for a belly rub.

And then we played red hands for a while. His

claws gave him a distinct advantage.

I then switched to intimidation tactics. He just

mocked me.

This is a fat little wombat. I found a spot he

liked scratched behind his ear and he was putty

in my hands. After that, he followed me around

the edge of his enclosure until I pet him again.

After the zoo, Anna and I hit up Wagamama for

dinner. This was barramundi (one of the more

common fish here) in some sort of coconut curry.

Barramundi is a fishy-tasting fish, but overall this

was very tasty.

Fried bananas with ice cream for dessert.

So. Good.