Koalas and Kangaroos, Take Two

Gipsy Point was an amazing place to stay. We awoke to a cacophony of birds. They were difficult to match to their audibles, but we saw some magpies (much prettier than in the US), lorikeets, galahs, and others. We decided to take a walk and check out all the noises but only made it about 50 feet before we were greeted by four kangaroos. We spent a fair amount of time with them before we moved on, only to run into a couple more. I wish I knew more about birds because we came across a wide variety of them, as we walked along.

On our return, we said hello to the kangaroos who were still hanging out by the lodge. We packed up quietly, so as not to disturb them. As we drove away, I was extra cautious about wildlife on the road. We saw wombats, echidnas, and possums splayed out along side the roadway on our way to Paynesville, so they can be a real hazard.

We stopped in Bruthen for lunch. We found the Blue Bee Cafe inviting, so we stepped in to read the menu. The special of the today was chicken schnitzel with gravy and chips. Although Thanksgiving is a day away in the US, it’s Thursday here, so chicken, gravy, and potatoes sounded perfect. What we got was a little different than we imagined. I thought there might be some separation but the fries on the bottom were covered by cheese, which were supporting the cut schnitzel, which was all drown in a thick, brown gravy. It was a rich, delicious lunch but I thought I might fall asleep for the final leg of our drive. Luckily, they sold strong coffee, too.

We came to Paynesville specifically to visit Raymond Island. Back in the 1950’s, about 30 koalas were moved to the island to increase their number. The conversation effort succeeded and now there are about 200 koalas on the island. The island is reached by a five minute ferry ride. We walked off the ferry, which delivered us to the beginning of the “koala trail.” The island has little commercial business and is populated by modest, residential homes. The marked trail leads down different streets and up to a nature path. We did the bonus nature walk that takes you out to the ocean, but it was less exciting as the koala trail. We initially walked a couple of blocks before Kim pointed out a koala sleeping about 12 feet up in a gum tree. He woke briefly to take a look at us, then immediately fell back asleep. We’ve been told by several people that eucalyptus leaves, their main diet, is intoxicating. It’s no wonder they sleep about 20 hours a day. We saw a few other koalas, but they were abundant, when we got to the junction of the nature trail and the koala trail. Trees were dotted with them. We could have stayed there all day just watching them sleep. They are adorable. They are adept at finding the perfect combination of limbs to support them, as they sleep. Some were situated, so they hugged they tree while they slumbered. On our way back to the ferry, we ran into a koala that was actively eating and moving along the branch to find leaves to munch on. At first he caught our attention because he was hanging upside down like a monkey, Once he righted himself, he moved along the tree branch effortlessly.

After leaving Raymond Island, we stopped for some food and returned to our place. Outside, the Southern Cross was visible low in the sky, just off the horizon. A perfect end to a perfect day.Leggi altro