Tuesday April 13, 2010 – Sunshine Coast

Not much is plan today. So much for getting better, woke up to rain. They say it should clear by the afternoon. A good day to relax.

Monday April 12, 2010 – Sunshine Coast

We have not done much over the last two days. Saturday we drove from Rockhampton to Mudjimba where we are staying a week. Yesterday we just relaxed and drove around the area.

On our return to the accommodation on Sunday there was a big black cloud over head. I rushed in and got our bathing suits and towels off the line in the back. Just in time, before the downpour started. It did not rain all that long but it was hard.

This morning we decided to go to the Australian Zoo. This is the Steve Irwin Zoo. We had a great time. We rented an electric scooter for me. I have been having a terrible time walking because of my heel. It made the zoo so much nicer for me. We arrived just in time to see the elephants being fed. People had a chance to feed them fruit. They sure knew what was coming. One hardly had time to get on the mat before the trunk was there looking for the food. These were Asian elephants. There were 2 larger once and one smaller.

After the elephant feeding we went off to see the Wildlife Warriors Show. It started with the elephants again, followed by snakes. A python was put into the water. We watched it spread out to its full length and swim very well. Just something else to worry about in the rivers of the north. There were a number of free flight birds let loose to fly over our heads. They were very noisy. Soon the star of the show came out, the crocodile. His name is Murray. We learned how fast they can come out of the water after food. They are not that fast on land because of their short legs. In the water in another matter altogether. They are quite fast and stealth. In muddy water you can hardly see them. They swim without making a ripple. Sometimes you can see their eyes above the water. Even things on low branches are not safe as the crocs can raise up on their tails to snatch food from above them. There were plenty of kangaroos, koalas, and wombats. The wombats were sleeping. We could see them through clear glass. There were tigers, crocs and snakes galore. There were lots of lizards running around the grounds. The area was very clean and there were lots of staff all around. The animals are well looked after. There had been a gentle rain off and on all afternoon. We were very glad that it was cloudy as it wasn't so hot.

After leaving the zoo we proceeded to see the Glass House Mountains. We went to the lookout. As it was cloudy the mountains took on an eerie look. It was beautiful. These mountains are ancient volcanic plugs.

The weather is scheduled to change tomorrow. It should get nicer again and maybe not so hot. We shall just have to wait and see.