Marsupials are Friends Too

Hello from the two of us and our newest furry friend!

Before leaving Canada, many people warned us about the danger of "falling in love" and never coming home. Well folks, it's happened... we're in love. In love with this wonderful country and all the marsupials it has to offer! Today we packed some snacks, hooked up a playlist and hopped in the car for our first Australian road trip. The destination: Ballarat, a town located an hour and a half from the city, best known for its history as a gold rush down in the 1850s. More specifically, we ventured out to Ballarat to visit the Ballarat Wildlife Park. The park is a privately owned tourist destination where visitors can interact with wildlife and learn more about the conservation and research efforts the park is involved in. We discovered that the wily Tasmanian Devil (pictured below) is one of the endangered species at the park and an example of their participation in breeding programs which is their main method of conservation.

Not only did we get to get our photos taken with both a sweet koala named Ella and a cuddly wombat named Georgie, but we also got to hold Georgie and meet both of her parents! It was a life changing experience and has since inspired us to adopt a wombat as a house pet. Interestingly, wombats have a two-inch thick plate made out of bone at the base of their backs that they use to defend against predators. If they encounter a threatening creature, they'll flatten their bodies onto the ground, wait for the predator to climb on top of them, and then forcefully thrust their rumps into the air. The impact is so powerful that it can fracture and break bones. This tactic is also used when wombats encounter vehicles. Often the mother will take the impact of a crash and lose her life but the babies in her pouch often live. We learned that if you find a marsupial on the side of the road or hit one it is important to check and see if anything in their pouches is still alive, as conservation authorities can usually artificially raise orphans. 

We also got up close and personal with our new friend Ella the koala. After some coaxing with eucalyptus and gum tree leaves she agreed to pose for a picture with us. We are happy to report that koalas are truly as soft, cuddly and wise up close as they appear to be from afar. What makes them so appealing? Maybe it’s because they sleep fourteen hours a day. Or maybe because the rest of their day consists of only resting, eating and four minutes of travelling. Either way, koalas seem to be living the dream. While koalas are not considered endangered yet, they face similar risks to their friends in wetlands and old growth forests across the world: urbanization and resulting habitat loss. Just a note from your friendly neighbourhood environmentalist and animal lover.

Another highlight of today was getting to feed and pet Australia’s most iconic animal – the kangaroo! True to their reputation they were inquisitive, friendly and somehow both energetic and lazy at the same time. With bags of kangaroo feed in hand we ventured out to meet the one hundred resident kangaroos that roam free in the park. They were happy to pose for selfies with us and even happier to have a snack from our hands. We are truly appreciative that the first kangaroos we got to meet were these soft, kind creatures and not kangaroos on the side of the road, which are unfortunately common once you get out of the city. We were even surprised with a rare glimpse of a joey peeking out of a pouch.

If you're enjoying our posts, feel free to leave us a comment on the webpage and tell us what you think about our adventures so far (scroll to the bottom of the page to view recent comments or comment yourself). We're also brainstorming interesting subjects or future posts and would love to write about experiences and subjects that you might interest you, so send some suggestions our way!

Most of us think of sunshine and beaches when we think of Australia, right!? Well it turns out they have rolling black clouds and fierce rainstorms every once in a while, too. We drove through five minutes of intense hail on the highway on our way home, but not before a "nourishing" stop at Macca's (that's Australian for McDonald's) to fuel our happily exhausted bodies. As much as we love the city of Melbourne, it was night to finally escape the concrete jungle and explore green landscape. We can't wait until the weather gets warmer so we can appreciate Australia's natural environment in all it's glory.

Most of us think of sunshine and beaches when we think of Australia, right!? Well it turns out they have rolling black clouds and fierce rainstorms every once in a while, too. We drove through five minutes of intense hail on the highway on our way home, but not before a nourishing stop at Macca’s (that’s Australia for McDonald’s) to fuel our happily exhausted bodies. As much as we love the city of Melbourne, it was nice to finally escape the concrete jungle and explore green landscape. We can’t wait until the weather gets warmer so we can appreciate Australia’s natural environment in all it's glory!

We've already agreed that this is just the beginning of many trips to wildlife parks around Australia and if you plan on visiting us, you better believe that you're moment to feed a hungry kangaroo or cuddle a sleepy wombat is coming.

Much love,

Linnea & Oshaen