8 August - Crocodylus Park and Zoo

8 August 2016 - 182 152

Crocodylus Park and Zoo

Today was about wildlife, very much a day for Hayden.  We arrived at Crocodylus Park just after opening time and had a look around some of the crocodile exhibits. 
https://www.crocodyluspark.com.au/ At 10am we listened to a 45-minute talk on the saltwater crocodiles and watched them be fed.  This was designed to show the height and speed of their jump.  I was surprised at how “fake” the crocodiles appear when they are at rest, one could very easily mistake them for a statue or stuffed crocodile even after watching them for ten or fifteen minutes; they are incredibly still! After the talk, we each had the opportunity to hold a one-year-old saltwater crocodile.   Hayden enjoyed this talk so much we went back again for the 2pm version.

We looked at the different types of crocodiles from around the world, as well as their relatives, alligators.  We enjoyed watching a variety of monkeys be fed, they particularly like bread and fruit.  We had the privilege of seeing a pair of two-week old Marmoset monkeys with their mother, who was understandably protective.  We also saw several other varieties of monkey, lions, Bengal tigers, emus, ostriches, dingoes, kangaroos, meerkats, cassowaries, Timor ponies, and more.  I was surprised just how solid ostriches are, they are much larger than emus (I thought they would be of similar size) and appear much stronger.  While we were at Crocodylus Park we saw more than twenty military fighter planes fly overhead after taking off, and then come back later in group formations – probably practice for the flyover planned for Thursday.