Crikey!

Day 145- We hit the road in the early afternoon, refuelled JP, stocked up on groceries then made our way to the Australia Zoo. Unfortunately we arrived too late in the afternoon and didn't want to waste the $60 each it would cost us to enter for a short visit. On our way to a rest stop for the night, we saw a GIANT pineapple on the side of the highway, so of course we pulled over to snap a photo.  

We made some corn, salad and beef sausage for dinner. It was fresh and light. 

We snuggled in for the night with a movie and the stars above us in the sky.

Day 146- We set up for a day at the zoo. We had water, snacks, sunscreen and bug spray. We also were lucky enough to visit the zoo on a very special day. Not only was Santa visiting the zoo but it was Roberts 12th birthday and he would be feeding the crocs at the noon crocodile show. Yes that's right, the famous Irwine family were at the zoo and after a childhood of watching Steve Irwine on the Crocodile Hunter, I couldn't believe I would get to see Terri, Bindi and Robert in person. 

First stop was a species of land turtle that grows to be the largest in the world. They live for around 150-200 years and they're definitely not in a rush to get anywhere. 

We took a walk through their Kangaroo sanctuary where we got up close and personal with the roos. Their fur is much softer than you'd expect and they are absolutely adorable, I sure wouldn't describe them as pesky rodents. 

This guy was sleepy. 

The koalas are always fun to see. They aren't part of the bear family but they sure do look like cuddly cozy bears. 

Mike got to pet one and he described his fur like that of a stuffed animal. Course and soft.

The best part of our day was definetely watching the croc feeding. We all screamed in fear when Santa got too close for comfort and I screamed for joy when the Irwines came out to say hello.

A stunning giant condor flew down to center stage as part of the show. Check out that wing span.

So great to see the Irwines continuing Steve's legacy. 

Below is a photo of Bindi feeding a croc. The croc is showing off its ability to "tail walk". This is a technique used to catch prey in trees or birds that fly too low. 

And no 12th birthday would be complete without feeding a croc, right Robert?

While Terri, Bindi and Robert addressed the crowd, Robert received a messge from the dinosaur museum in Drumheller. He has an incredible fascination with dinosaurs! Mike and I cheered after Terri mentioned the special message from Drumheller. She stopped and asked who cheered and Mike and I raised our hands. She spoke with us about where we were from and we were happy to explain we were from Alberta, very close to Drumheller. We were nervous to be talking in front of hundreds of people but what a thrill! I was star struck and my experience at the zoo couldn't have been better. 

After spending the whole day there, we drove to Bochow Park, a familiar camp site for the night. 

We were looking forward to settling into our next destination.