Driving our boring, white, hire car from Hervey Bay to Brisbane feels a little sedate after the joys of Miss Piggy – although the lack of stares from other road users is a definite plus! It’s a 4 hour drive to the city. En route, we stop at Maleny Mountain Cafe for a bite to eat and a walk. Beautiful location overlooking the Glasshouse Mountains.
I spent four days in Daintree looking for pythons and drew a blank. Ironic then, that we find a decent-sized Carpet Python just outside the café after we finish lunch. Seemingly pythons are like buses, and we find another one on the rainforest trail a few minutes later. The forest also has a healthy community of wallabies that spy on us as we walk. Amazing how much wildlife there is on just this one short trail.
After our pit stop, we make our way to the Airbnb, which is a short walk from Story Bridge and the city. The skyline is pretty cool, and the newly established Howard Smith Wharf reminds me of Borough – lively bars and restaurants with a shabby chic vibe.
Our first full day sees us explore Brisbane on foot via a nice circular route. Jenn is particularly taken with the place. On balance I think I prefer Perth, but it’s a close call.
The following day we visit Paradise Country, having pre-booked a Koala experience. I’ve wanted to see a Koala since I was a child, prompted by the postcards I received from my grandfather. Our experience starts with a talk from one of the keepers, whilst we enjoy breakfast. She is accompanied by a male koala who munches away happily on eucalyptus leaves. There is a lot of development in Queensland, and as a consequence, koalas are under threat from loss of habitat. However, Paradise Country’, and other’s breeding programme is helping the populations to fight back.
He is a beautiful specimen, and we have the opportunity to get up close and personal when his keeper walks him round our tables. There is strict legislation in Queensland regarding koala handling. No single animal can be handled for longer than 30 minutes a day, with mandatory rest days. In practice, the legislation feels like a well considered compromise. Not something you get to say about the law very often!
Interesting talk and we certainly learn a fair bit. Turns out koalas are not quite as cute as they look from a distance. Young koalas can’t digest raw eucalyptus, and so eat pap exclusively. This is pretty much as gross as it sounds. Look it up. 😉
We are also told about koala mating habits. Interestingly (or at least I find it interesting) scientists are still struggling to understand the koala’s ability to create a sound that is more appropriate to an animal the size of an elephant! It shouldn’t be possible given the koala’s modest vocal chords… have a read here if interested.
After breakfast we have the park to ourselves before it officially opens to the public. Gives us a chance to wander around and look at the resident emus, kangaroos, dingo puppies, and other koala bears. I get to stroke a kangaroo. Ironically, its fur is far softer than the koalas. Not what I was expecting.
All of this however is really just foreplay. What I’ve really been looking forward to is holding a koala!
When the time comes it’s a fleeting experience. The keeper places the koala in my hands while a photographer stands by waiting to capture the moment. I only hold the bear for a few seconds, but it is long enough to realise the koala doesn’t like me and is surprisingly smelly! I’m not sorry to hand him back to the keeper. So many of my koala illusions shattered in one day! Nevertheless, a fun way to get up close with Australian wildlife and more intimate than a traditional zoo.
The following day we drive just over an hour to Boonah in the Scenic Rim. We are staying on a working farm. Lovely countryside and remote.
We visit Lake Moorgera before hiking up Mount Mitchell – all 3,832 ft of it. The clouds start to thicken as we are about halfway up. By the time we are nearly at the top, we hear the first clap of thunder. It was bright blue skies when we left, so we didn’t bring waterproofs with us. Doh! Fortunately, nothing more than light drizzle and although it’s a tad hazy at the top, the view is still worth the climb.
Our final day in Brisbane sees us visit Mount French. Whilst I am the first to admit that I enjoyed my time at Paradise Country – my preference is always to see wild animals in their natural environment. We are treated to a wallaby with an inquisitive Joey. Mum seems surprisingly nonplussed by our presence and the baby is just super cute!
After a final night back in Brisbane, it is the end of our time, for now, in Australia. We’ve been in Oz for the best part of 6 weeks. It has far exceeded my expectations. The wildlife and landscape have been incredible and each of our stops has felt very different from the one before. We’ve not been eaten by sharks, stung by jellyfish, carried out to sea by a rip current, or otherwise fallen victim to the flora, fauna, or natural hazards of the island. In addition, far from the surly reception I’d been led to expect, the people here have been as friendly as any place I can remember.
We are spending the next month or so in the South Pacific (where it is tipping it down by all accounts). By the time we return to Australia for our second stint, it will be spring, and we will be travelling in the south. I already can’t wait to return!
My Koala illusions shattered as well!
A few weeks ago, I looked out of the kitchen window and saw a wallaby. I kid you not. It stayed around the farm for three weeks then moved on. Apparently it has escaped from somewhere. It seemed quite happy.