Koalas, Camels, and the Southern Cross

Truthfully, the last time I smiled as much as this, was our wedding day I’m sure.

We were pleased to get out of the city and eager to see what the rest of the limited amount of country we are able to see in our short time here, had to offer and have not been disappointed.

A little snooze on the back seat and we were already arriving at Port Stephens, first stop the Koala Sanctuary. I knew these animals were adorable, but was not prepared for exactly how cute, or to hear o
f the limited number remaining in existence, something like 130,000 are left, that is all. Mainly at the hands of urbanization, as despite their natural habitat being developed, they long to remain in their area, many suffering extensive injuries through wildfires and collisions with vehicles. Not to mention, they can be fatally scared simply by a feral dog’s continuous bark up close. Although each of the koalas we met, were recovering from injury described in relative detail through a descriptive signage thoughtfully detailed to tug at heart strings in a bid to encourage sanctuary donations I am sure, I tried to remember they were now over their terrible experience and in a happy place, being lovingly cared for and nursed back to health.

After leaving the sanctuary, we headed to check in at our airbnb, where we hoped to add Ellis as a guest to our room. Unfortunately, not possible, so he had to head out to purchase a hammock that he is currently suspending between two trees on Birubi Beach living his best life overnight (a common occurrence).

Next stop was the sunset camel ride through the surf at Birubi in Anna Bay. On arrival at the beach, I was entirely overwhelmed at the beauty of the beach and the sand dunes (the largest moving dunes in the southern hemisphere), so much so, I actually thought that if I believed in heaven, it would look a lot like this utterly inexplicable natural beauty that no words can do justice. Only to be topped off by a collection (herd??) of camels, waiting to be ridden in the sunset surf. On chatting to the family running the tourist attraction for the past 20 years, they managed to allay my animal welfare concerns by explaining how well treated the camels were and how PETA had been in contact recently to use their ranch and service as an example of good practice.

Australian camels were introduced into the country many years ago and are upsetting the natural ecosystem apparently, and as result are being brutally culled at an alarming rate (watch YouTube BBC documentary for full details of atrocities). Not these camels, they are well cared for and very affectionate.

As we rode the camels through the dunes and into the surf as the sun set, I smiled and smiled while wondering at the natural beauty surrounding us, it was spectacular and an hour of my life I will never ever forget, the joy it brought me was genuinely emotionally overwhelming in a very positive way.

After leaving the camels, we headed out to supper, only to return to the same beach a few hours later to admire the stars in a non light-polluted environment. Although I returned to the warmth of the vehicle (leaving Ellis and Wade discussing the universe using the stargazer app introduced to Wade by Neil a couple of days ago and the length of time man has really been on earth), I struggled to verbalize to myself the gratefulness I felt for all I have been graced with.

What a stupendous day. I will upload pics in a few hours, just waiting for my phone to charge.Read more