Koalas and Devils, oh my!

Wow! It's amazing what sleeping on a mattress can do for your attitude. I was up and ready to go at 7am. I showered and grabbed the train to Circular Quay, where I had a ticket for the Opera House tour at 9am. The tour was interesting, and the inside is magnificent. The interior is all wood, save the concrete slabs of the massive roof(s). The Orchestra Hall is gorgeous; all wood with a 10,000+ pipe organ as the backdrop. Apparently there are only 6 people in Australia, who can play this organ. The original design was supposed to take four years and 7 million dollars. It actually took 14 years and 102 million dollars. Do you know how they made up the difference in cost? A lottery. In 18 months they paid the thing off. I think we should have a national lotto to pay off the deficit. Anyway, the hour tour was a good use of time.

After the Opera House, I went to Featherdale Park, where I finally saw the elusive koala and Tasmanian devil. I took lots of pictures. There were also birds there, and now I'm convinced that I saw pied cormorants at the 12 Apostles, not penguins. Look them up and you can see how easily they can be confused (and my sister says there are no other penguins, other than fairy, in Australia).

I made it back to the hotel for a nap and dinner. It's an early night, as I leave for the airport at 5am for my 7am flight to Auckland. Australia has been bery, bery good to me!Read more