Crikey! It's the Australia Zoo!!!

Waiting outside the gates to the 'Australia Zoo', Melissa and Colin stood not knowing what to expect.  Posters were hanging all around with pictures of the late Steve Irwin (aka 'The Crocodile Hunter'), his wife Terri and their daughter and international celebrity Bindi (who is all of nine years old).
 
Eventually the gates, not unlike the entrance to Charlie's Chocolate factory, allowed us to enter and we made our way into the zoo.  Our first animal sighting as we strolled around was of three lizards, sunning themselves in perfect symmetry on top of a rock.  This was amazing enough but as we began to take pictures, we noticed that directly behind them, were two giant tortoises lumbering ever so slowly to turn and face us.  All we could say was Crikey! But this sort of thing was quite the norm here.  Throughout the day we saw zoo attendants walking wombats (on a leash), feeding the animals (sometimes at great peril) and even wandering around with a python wrapped around their necks.  This was not all for show, for unlike the plastic palaces of Disney land, this was all very real - A working zoo presenting a strong conservation message to its visitors.
 
On to the main event:  the Crocodile feeding!  Colin remembered when this location used to be known as the Crocodile Hunter's Farm - filled with more crocs than you could eat err, or rather that could quite easily eat you.  At this point the specter of a larger than life Steve Irwin materialized on a video of a past TV show, hosted eloquently and rather precociously by little Bindi. Once the live show began there was a lot to see:  from the imposing Elephants, to the swooshing birds, to the silent, deadly and always hungry crocodiles.
 
We spent the morning and into the early afternoon wandering around the zoo.  We visited the tigers, koalas, kangaroos and emus (oh my!) and saw the memorial for Steve Irwin. What we would take from this place, apart from a silent awe of Crocodiles, was the message of conservation:  I wonder which of these amazing creatures will still be alive despite the constant threat of their extinction?
 
Next up:  Brisbane - our home away from home in Australia.