Steve Irwin's Australian Zoo!

 Our first stop was the Australian zoo founded by Steve Irwin! Although it was pretty sad knowing that Steve Irwin was no longer around to continue working it was really neat to see everything that he had created. The zoo was massive and there was so much to see and do. First we lined up to feed the elephants. One of the workers placed fruit in my hand while I stood in front of the massive creature. I waited while the elephant’s huge trunk swept down to my hand, sucked the fruit off it just like a vacuum and placed the food its own mouth. The whole concept of how elephants eat is really cool. I guess there trunks are really just like human arms but without fingers. After feeding these guys we moved onto feeding and petting kangaroos! I know I have talked about kangaroos a lot before but regardless of how many times I see them I am still amazed. They are just different in comparison to any other American animal. These particular kangas were really relaxed and just laid there while we fed them. One of the moms was pregnant with a little joey in her pouch! We didn’t get to see the baby because it was still inside of her but knowing that she was pregnant was still pretty rewarding. After the kangaroos I finally got to hold a Koala! Just like all of the other times that I’ve seen them, it was adorable. We all got to take turns holding it. The koala wrapped its huge claws around each one of us and nuzzled its head into our chest. 

Last stop for us at the zoo was the Irwin Crocodile show! Usually Steve Irwin’s wife, Terri Irwin, does the show accompanied by some other Crocodile hunters. However, our group was especially lucky because it was Good Friday and their two children were off from school. So, we got to see the Crocodile show put on by not only Steve Irwin’s wife but also his two children, Bindi and Robert. It really brought everything even more to life. I was not expecting to be as amazed by this show as I was. The crocodiles were really, really cool. The hunters spent time teasing and playing tricks with the trained creatures and I have to admit it was a little scary. The crocodiles were huge and they take their food very seriously. I really enjoyed this part of the day especially because of the Steve Irwin aspect. He really invested in something he was passionate about and the Australian zoo exists because of his hard work. Although it was sad knowing he couldn’t be there to perform the show, it was really inspirational to see his entire family carry on the tradition. They are one brave group of people haha.

After the zoo we all climbed back onto the bus and headed towards our accommodations for the night. We were staying at a hostel in Hervey Bay equipped with a pool, welcome party and dinner. We spent the night beginning to meet everyone (including getting thrown into the pool a few times) but headed to bed early because of our 6:30 am wake up call the next morning.