Days 17 & 18 - November 3 & 4, 2018 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 17 – November 3, 2018 – Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia City Skyline

It’s another “G’Day, Mate!”  Today it is all about koalas and kangaroos.

We’re up early and off the ship for a tour of a couple wildlife sanctuaries to meet Australia’s most iconic creatures.  First a few fun facts:

Australian Magpie

Koalas – Koalas are not bears, but are marsupials as are the Tasmanian Devils, Kangaroos and Wallabies. Gestation is about 34-35 days, after which the undeveloped embryo climbs up mum’s fur unassisted and latches onto her nipple for the next 4-6 months. After that the joey’s nourishment is both mum’s milk and later some eucalyptus leaves. At about a year, the youngster sets out on his/her own to mate.  It takes about 2 acres of land to sustain one koala, who will move from tree to tree about every 24 hours. The males have a dark, sticky patch on their chest, the scent used to mark their

territory. Normally slow moving and docile, males must find, mark and defend their own territories; so they may have to fight for it. Females want to mate only with the biggest, strongest males!    Their exclusive diet and source of water is the eucalyptus leaf which is very low in nutrients and high on toxins. But they move slowly and infrequently to conserve energy. Koalas have poor eye sight but their other senses are very keen; and when they sense trouble, they climb higher up the tree to hide. They live to about 14-15 years old and die generally because their molars have worn down so they can no longer chew the leaves.  A fascinating fact is that all koalas have their own fingerprint, so to speak; only it is the markings in the pink lining inside of their black noses. This makes it easy to identify each one for research without having to touch or tag the animal. The sad thing about the plight of the koala is that its population of these adorable creatures is in serious decline all across Australia due to the loss of habitat.

The Eastern Gray Kangaroo – I didn’t realize there are so many different types of Kangaroos. The Eastern Gray live in this area, as do some of the much smaller black colored swamp wallabies.  It is fascinating that at the same time a mum (notice how easily one slips into English/Aussie speak!) can be pregnant, plus have a joey in the pouch and also be nursing up to a year-old teen-age joey. Kangaroos are very family oriented; and when about 15 or more are together, it is called a mob of kangaroo. The family consists of one dominant male, several mums and joeys of various ages. Females will begin to mate at around age two; males at about 2 ½ years old. The Eastern Gray really prefer cool weather, so in the summer they will graze at night and find shelter in the shade of the woods during the warm day time; and the opposite is true in the winter. They have very large feet and a tail to support them when standing, which is generally when they feel threatened. When males are fighting for their harem, they will use their very strong tail to help support the legs while raising themselves up to their full six or seven feet. They can even rest back on the tail and kick the opponent with all four feet. Kangaroos are most efficient when running (actually hopping). They can achieve up to 45 mph for 10 minutes or so, but can run a marathon at about 20 mph! And they are capable of changing direction in a hop avoiding pursuers quickly. Kangaroos are actually the only mammals that have increased in number since the Europeans settled here, some saying there are two kangaroos to every person in Australia!

Emu

As we drive toward the sanctuaries, the land is flat, flat, flat, fertile grasslands. This particular area of the country is very dry, getting on average only 10 inches of rain a year; but there is water underground. Our first stop is at the large You Yangs Regional Park. Thousands of eucalyptus trees have been planted here to provide a habitat specifically for koalas to live in the wild, plus the underbrush has been removed so the koala can see any danger when moving from tree to tree.  A lot of research on the koala is also being done here.  We were fortunate to see one adult female, though she wasn’t about to move her head to look at us for a photo op!   

Cape Barren Goose

We then motored over to Serendip Sanctuary where there, too, many trees have been planted to provide a free natural habit for a few koalas, kangaroos and birds. Eucalyptus trees have a remarkable ability to live, even through fires. And if it becomes too dry, it will just drop a branch to the ground so there are fewer branches to feed! Research on endangered birds is done here at Serendip, as well as breeding them. We saw a couple emu in the field. It was fascinating to find out that the male emu will sit on the eggs for about 2 ½ months until hatched, never leaving the nest.  We also saw quite a few large Cape Barren Geese. They are one of the rarest in the world, have a wing span of 59-75 inches, rarely swims and eats by grazing.   And, of course there were the strikingly beautiful black and white Australian Magpies all over. After a nice morning tea and biscuits, we strolled through an open field where we spotted a couple kangaroo.  The male was wooing the female with cute antics; but, alas, to no avail!  Then we discovered a whole mob just at the edge of the field in the forested area.  We eeked closer and closer and observed many of them just laying around, some hopping away from us, some standing in a threatening position and some just wandering from area to area. 

I know this is a lot of information … but, hey, we’re half way around the world seeing these “foreign” animals in the wild … Unbelievably fascinating!

Once we got back to the ship, we walked along the beautiful beach area to Bay Street for some lunch. There were many sailboats in the bay – what a pretty sight! After fish and chips at a local pub, we returned to the ship and resumed our routine of cocktails with Cyril and devouring more scrumptious food for dinner. The other couples were fortunate to be able to take the same tour this afternoon, so it was fun to compare notes on what we saw and learned! They’re off to the Beatles show while we’re just chilling out tonight.  I’d have to say this has been a simply fabulous day. God is good.

Day 18 - November 4, 2018 – Our Last Day at Sea

It was a lazy, relaxing day at sea today as we head toward our disembarkation in Sydney.  After lunch we had a prayer service in Glenn and Trudy’s room because we were unable to attend Mass today.  And the afternoon was spent packing our luggage, since our bags needed to be outside our door prior to going to dinner.  Richard and Mary Jo did attend a talent show and the final show by Chris Watkins, the wonderful violinist we had seen earlier.

All of us with Cyril at Crooners

Rochelle preforming
his majic tricks!

So, for the last time, we enjoyed our routine of cocktails, then dinner.  Dinner was again scrumptious; and toward the end of dinner, the lights were turned down as the chefs and wait staff paraded around the dining room carrying dishes of baked Alaska with flaming candles on top.  And then, of course, we had baked Alaska for dessert … plus a small but delicious scoop of Kahlua and mascarpone ice cream!  M-m-m-m-m-good!  We have gotten to know our wait staff so well, it was a bit sad having to say good-bye. 

Glenn, Trudy, Bob and I meandered toward the Piazza for after-dinner drinks where an Australian band was playing Rolling Stone’s songs.  They were very enjoyable.  And now it is time for our last night on the cruise ship.  It truly has been a remarkable adventure ... We are indeed extremely Blessed!

With the great dining servers, Kebb and Rochelle