Steve Irwin's zoo! What a treat!
We had to tender in for over 30 minutes then got on a bus to the zoo. Our guide was fun, knowledgeable, and full of antecdotes about the area, the Irwins and the pride this region has in the zoo. ( Please refer to my FB page for pics as I'm having trouble downloading them on this site. I will friend anyone who requests it)
It was very hot and humid so we took our time walking around then headed to the Crocoseum for the "show". It's a very attractive four sided outdoor arena with a big screen at one end. In the middle is a winding waterway. After an indigenous welcome on the big screen some zoo personnel came out and introduced us to some really lovely trained birds. They performed tricks while flying in and among the audience. A couple of snakes were paraded around and then Scrappa, a huge crocodile, swam into the waterway and we were educated on why you don't swim in crocodile infested muddy waters. The crocs can hear your footsteps on the banks and they are attracted to splashing in the water. They're the most dangerous when they jump out of the water but very slow on land. Luckily the show was over before a big storm hit so we headed to the cafe for a lunch then back to board the bus.
The waterfront had some lovely shops so we took advantage then stopped for a quick dinner. (I had the most delicious scallops ever!) we could see a storm coming in over the water and decided to head for the tender. The last tender time was still an hour away but they were very anxious to get us on board bc this was going to be the last one. Apparently they were hunting down crew and telling them to hurry.
That boat ride back to the ship was one of the scariest ever! Lightning, solid rain, pitch black and very rough seas. White knuckle time!!
Our tender driver was fabulous and the docking crew literally "lifted" us onto the dock and into the ship.
We made sure to let the captain, and everyone else, know how grateful we were for the driver and the entire crew!! Pretty exciting day!
Stay tuned.
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