On Tuesday, February 8, we were at Bateman's Bay and we love this town. It is so clean and the folks are the best. We stopped at an outside café for fresh pancakes and Lynn proceeded to "act" like he was working .. (I wonder) .. I got his picture .. you be the judge! There is lots to do in this area: boat cruises, great fishing, lots of restaurants, shopping and the waterfront is knock out gorgeous!

We spent time at Birdland Animal Park. This was a place recommended to us by John and Alida Ockenden from Racecourse Beach Tourist Caravan Park and we shall share the sentiment. This is the wildlife park to top all! It is a perfect setting and the staff went out of their way to make everyone feel welcome and a part of the day's activity. At 10:30 am every day, the koalas are fed; as luck had it, we arrived at 10:25. We heard the announcement, which is done prior to each event and made our way to the specified area. Roger, one of the animal handlers, told us that there are about 400 varieties of gum (eucalyptus) trees and the koala eats only 20 of those. We watched as he placed fresh branches for them and told of their unique habits. We learned that a groggy eyed koala isn't "drunk" on the gum but has a usual lethargic lifestyle. They drink no water but get the fluid from the leaves. If a koala is seen drinking water, it is a sign, like a dog that eats grass, that it may be sick.

We wandered through the park and saw the kangaroos, wallabies, echidna, lizards, llamas, deer and many birds. Lynn was brave and took a turn as a snake handler .. NO, not me! It was a big one and black and was not beautiful like Roger tried to convince me. I suppose beauty in this case is definitely in the eyes of the beholder!