It's a very smoky and grey day here in Melbourne. The fires in the surrounding forests have left city-dwellers with some heavy smoke to breathe. However, this is nothing compared to the fire devastation that has occured in Canberra. Many people have been left homeless.
We rented a car and drove out to Healesville Sanctuary, about an hour outside of town. Healesville is a place where rescued animals are rehabilitated and where rare species enter into a breeding program that will help perpetuate their species. It was the highlight of our trip to Australia because we got up close and personal with some of the most adorable animals on earth. Kangaroos and wallabies bounced by us or slept under a tree nearby, koalas nuzzled up against their trees and slept (we didn't catch them in any of their 15 minutes of daily activity), and we met a 60 lb. wombat named Velga who napped in the afternoon heat and didn't mind our hands petting her bum. The variety of birds at the sanctuary were impressive, and some had dayglo feathers whose colours I never before saw in nature.
We're going to head home to our little apartment now. We are staying a little ways out of town because we foolishly didn't plan our accomodation far enough in advance and if you didn't know, the Australian Open is on. Town is full. But that's okay, we're just a tram ride away and as a reward we have a full one-bedroom serviced apartment at a good rate.
Did you know Australians call papaya "paw-paw'? They're so quirky.
tothesea,
k~*