Rob Aker's Reserve

We had a relaxed day today with the added pleasure of having Ken at home. So after a leisurely breakfast, Ken took Sarah, Trev and I out to see if we could see Koalas in the wild. The family had gone to a koala festival earlier in the year which was a waste of time, however someone did point out that if they wanted to see Koalas try a local reserve. So we headed to Strathpine and wandered around the reserve. Koalas are difficult to spot as they look like a grey blob in grey trees and you have to keep looking up while walking! Obviously Eucalyptus trees are their favourite and that's where Ken spotted our first Koala - it did not want to look at us so we mainly saw its back, an ear or an odd paw. So we continued searching and looking at the other flora and fauna. on the way back to the car we too a different path and again spotted one but in a different tree. This one was easier to see and was happy to pose!! For our final sighting we had some help from a fellow spotter. This Koala was again in a eucalyptus tree but higher up. However it was happy to pose and then moved down the tree so we could clearly see how it moved!!
On the way back for lunch we made a quick stop at the 4th of Four lagoons in Sandgate - it is one that is often forgotten about or people are unsure where it is. Hana has seen kangaroos here as well, but we saw loads of colourful Dragonflies, a Spoonbill and a small Heron sunning itself. Ken pointed out later that seeing a spoonbill at this lagoon is quite rare and Sarah's photo of the bird has now been shared on the lagoon environment website!
After lunch I helped Finn make a model of Darth Vader's head and mask - really fiddly!Read more