We took an excursion today into the mountains outside of the city. It was called Trains, Wine and Wildlife. We actually started with the wildlife. We went to Healesville Sanctuary. It was zoo but a very special one in that its focus was more to prevent animals from becoming extinct and to heal ailing animals. But of course we were more interested in seeing the animals we hear about as being from down under.
Koalas are definitely the cutest. But we learned they sleep 18 hours per day on average. So even though we saw quite a few, all but one was sound asleep like this one. They sleep in the most awkward positions and precariously sitting on branches.
Of course the kangaroo had to be our next area. They weren’t as numerous as I would have thought being in Australia. I guess they aren’t in danger of becoming extinct nor were they hurt and being brought back to health. So I didn’t get any great photos. But when they did move it was very fast. I wasn’t always at the ready with the camera.
The wallaby is sort of a small relative of the kangaroo. It stands on the 2 hind legs and has a strong tail as a third point of contact. But these little creatures hid in the grasses in the cage. So they were not generally visible. They would be pretty sneaky to see in the wild like if you were camping. They would steal food before you could do anything about it.
Just look at those piercing eyes. He was ready to attack I do believe. This was the fierce Tasmanian Devil. I couldn’t get him to open his mouth when I had the camera ready. His fangs look extremely sharp. But we were told they really don’t attack other animals very often. They like to eat leftovers from other animal kills. Sort of a furry vulture. By they way, this area had sign calling it the Devil’s Sanctuary. Sort of scary, don’t you think?
Okay, I need help. This bird stands like a flamingo on one leg. But this thing was gray with a long beak. There was no sign and it really wasn’t in a cage. It seemed to be a natural visitor to the area. It had to be 3 feet tall.
From the Sanctuary we went to a vineyard. We sampled their wines and had lunch. I had the roasted chicken. Kathy had local salmon. Both were good and paired with their wine. Unfortunately we found their wine to not be very bold. Even the Pinot Noir looked more like a blush than a bold red wine. Always fun to try another country’s wine styles.
And then we got on the Puffing Billy train. Originally this railway was constructed in 1900 to carry people and cargo to the people living in the very hilly area. There were few roads at that time. The roads came in and then there was a landslide covering the tracks in 1953. So the railway was basically no longer needed. But a group of local volunteers decided it was too important. It has been operating since 1953 as a volunteer only event funded only by paying customers. Our train was packed. The Viking excursion group was over 100 people and we only made up about a third of the passengers. It is very well known and appreciated. They actually have a couple of dining cars that can be used. So at times they have 3 hour excursions where they serve lunch in the dining cars. We only had a 30 minute ride with a stop in between. If I lived in the area I am certain I would be one of the volunteers. It looked like great fun.
Back to the ship which took about 1 1/2 hours on the bus. The traffic once we got near to Melbourne was complete gridlock. Leaving the city was worse than entering but not by much. By the way we did pass by the cricket pitch. For those who don’t understand cricket, the pitch is the field. The stands at this pitch seat over 100,000. And a proper cricket test match with another country is a 5 day event. That is a lot of paying customers. And a good percentage of cricket matches end in a draw.
Back onboard it was almost time for dinner. Once again Viking served lamb from the carving station. I have been able to eat lamb 10 times so far. I never pass it by. And I had Greek moussaka with it which is an eggplant casserole. A perfect combination.
Johnson's Travel 