Sydney Holiday 2011 - Day 4 (Taronga Zoo)

Thursday 7th July

We had planned to do our trip to Taronga Zoo...  everything was worked out... parking at Hurstville Station - Train into the City.... Ferry to Taronga....  Cable car to top of the zoo..... and then spend the entire day working our way to the bottom....

We were on track, kids were up and ready to leave the cabin at 8:15am.... we nearly got to Hurstville before we realised that we'd left the pram back at the cabin...  and it wasn't worth NOT having the pram with us - so we went back to get it.... then we took off again... figuring we'd be better off getting a train from Rockdale - we headed there.... but no parking... so then Rob decided to just drive into the city and we'd park there....  

We arrived in the city just before 10am....  and got to pay lovely city prices for parking.....  that was a bit of a shock.... they don't charge anywhere near that to park in Gladstone... oh, hold on...  they charge nothing to park in Gladstone... (except at the airport....  but who wants to spend 2hrs there??)

Anyway, we met up with Bic and Jeremy at the Ferry and headed over....  I thought the Ferry ride would be a lot longer but it was all over and done with in about 10mins....

Blake & Jeremy

Rob & Jade up the front of the ferry

Jeremy & Blake patting the Lizard

Bic patting the snake...

Blake patting the snake...

There is a koala up the tree... (the boys were interested for as long as it took to walk along the platform and back out of the exhibition)

Komodo Dragon and a Jade

I'm guessing this is how she figures she'd ride one...

Of course I couldn't get the kids all looking up and smiling nicely together....

Nope....

Blake giving Jeremy a hug

Jeremy, Blake & Jade all walking over the top of the huge metal Anaconda

Blake went up to Bic and said "I hold your hand???" - so he happily walked off with her...

Bic & Jeremy checking out the giant sandstone Platypus

We got to the Tasmanian Devil exhibit and Blake yells out "ooh look, a mouse!!!!!"

(mice are clearly BIG in Queensland!)

We went to the Kids Zone....  Blake stuck his finger through the wire to pat the Rabbit - and then couldn't get it back out... I was a bit concerned that we were going to have to go and ask someone for help to get it out - but i managed to pull it out... and he complained about a sore finger for a few minutes afterwards...

The boys loved the snake on the saddle....  as it was moving around it was making the saddle sway on the wires holding it up...

The view...

Isn't he just the cutest???

Cuddles for Blake

Jeremy loved the giant koala in the shop

Cuddles for the Koala

Jeremy & Bic

Awwww.... :)

"This penguin is trying to choke me!!!!!!"

In the shop was a huge window to the seal tank... the boys were fascinated with the seal....

The seal was fascinated with the boys....

Turns out it was looking at their sticks...

The stick moved, the seals focus moved...

Of course this then got the attention of other visitors (and Zoo Staff), so we thought we'd test the theory... and got the boys to move to the other end of the window....

the seal moved down with them...

When Rob and Jade met us in the shop - Jade was running side to side along the window... and the seal was chasing her and her stick...

The one Zoo worker was asking us to get Jade to stop the seal in certain spots so that she could get photos...  

Waiting for the ferry - with ice-creams

Heading back to the city.... Jade loved the Ferry

a tired little Jeremy....

One of the few Jade posed photos for the day..... she was happy to have her picture taken with the Opera House....

((Video))

Jade playing with the seal.....

(I've got 2 more videos on my phone - but will have to upload them to YouTube later)