kangaroos | fedOZsenko

Today I held a koala and fed a kangaroo. In other words, today I was a tourist in Australia.

This morning Chris and I bussed to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, 13km away from the downtown core. It was one of the most windy bus rides I have ever taken. Seeing the neighbourhoods, such as Indooroopilly, Too Wong, and Kenmore, was intriguing. I was most interested in which American brands prospered; KFC and Subway were everywhere. The houses ranged from riverside mansions to fixer-upper ranchers, much like around Vancouver.

Lone Pine is the first and largest koala sanctuary in the world, according to their entrance sign. Not only do they host koalas, but Lone Pine also boast a large number of kangaroos, wombats, birds of prey, reptiles, Tasmanian devils, dingos, and platypuses, not mention your run of the mill farm animals such as chickens and goats. Wild turkeys roamed everywhere, loudly making their nests to get attention. We wandered from enclosure to enclosure, oohing and aahing at the cuteness of the creatures down under.

Holding a koala was much like holding a large toddler, except it was furrier and much more still. I had the feeling that if I didn’t move, the koala I held, whose name was Teresa, would sleep on my chest for the next three days. It was delightful.

Feeding a kangaroo was much more pleasant than feeding a horse or a goat. Kangaroos can only chew so much food at a time as their mouths are small; like a combination between a dog’s and a donkey’s mouth. They spent most of their time lounging in the shade at the mercy of little children petting. It made me slightly upset that I can pet a kangaroo one hour and buy kangaroo meet in the super market the next. I guess they’re like pigs or cows that way. I wish (in vain) more people would eat less meat so that (wild) animals can enjoy longer and more pleasant lives.

After returning from Lone Pine, we spent the rest of our day cooking and enjoying a pasta dinner. Chris starts work tomorrow and I begin a week of 9-5pm solo time. Thankfully, there’s a lot Brisbane to explore.