Just call me Dundee, Kangaroo Dundee...

The last couple weekend have been jam packed with my favorite things....ANIMALS! A couple of cool animal encounters were had...The Sydney fish market, Taronga Zoo in Sydney, and Oakvale Farm near Newcastle and Andrew's parent's house. 

Seafood Lunch

Monster...I mean, lobster

We went to the fish market the day after Anzac day with Andrew's boss, Gene, whom had invited us over for a seafood lunch and also to the markets. The markets were bustling with people, as it was Saturday morning, and there were even tour buses there! The market opens daily at 7 am after the fishermen bring in their catches around 4 am and auction them at the dock. Then the fish, crustaceans, and shelled creatures are put in huge displays cases, filleted, shucked, washed, etc. The market had a faint smell of fish but it wasn't over powering, as most of the fish is kept on ice. The crabs and lobsters were kept alive and some were gigantic (we saw as a worker put one on the floor and it was bigger than her foot!) and there were also regular sized ones in bins. Gene bought us quite a seafood feast and his wife (from Vanuatu) showed us how to correctly cut sashimi (aka raw delicious fish). We feasted on sashimi chunks, thin sashimi with cilantro, mussels baked in a white wine & tomato sauce, fresh oysters, squid and prawns (shrimp) on the BBQ, and fresh salad and bread. Overall the day was fantastic and being able to see the colors of the ocean and taste the "fruit of the sea" made for a delightful day. 

The following Saturday I finally got my wish to go to the Sydney zoo, Taronga. A couple of hiccups getting there, rain in the morning and a flat tire on the vespa, but we arrived near the bridge and opera house just after noon before taking a ferry ride to the zoo. The zoo itself is situated on a large hill and once arriving at the bottom, we took a cable car to the top, catching little glimpses of animals on our ascent. At the top we chose to walk one way which led us to an "Australian Walkabout" section of animals, spiders, farmyard animals, a seal show, penguins, elephants, a varied collection of birds, and a few other animals on the way down. By the time we got to the bottom we decided to call it a day and come back another day to examine the other side of the zoo. 

Birdcage alley

Once arriving back in the city we decided to take some time strolling around. Even though I had done this by myself a few days already, it was nice to have Andrew along as well. He first took me to a cool little alley way that is called the birdcage alley. Basically, there are numerous birdcages hanging from wires above this alley, which is off the beaten path a little and was therefore empty at one point in our stop. Andrew has a fancy camera so we stopped here for some pictures for a while. There were also cafes in the alley, but being the weekend, they were all closed so we got some cool shots there. 

St Andrew's Cathedral

From there I took him to one of my favorite places in the city, St Andrew's Cathedral, right in the heart of the city. The cathedral is 129 feet tall, and has a chilling gothic design. There are no pictures allowed inside but it is open for tours at all times, minus service times. You can also pay a little extra and tour the crypts but they weren't open when we were there. The walls are adorned with beautiful stained glass and there are multiple alters and prayer sections. I would be curious to see a service there since there are so many seats there are television randomly spaced so you can see what's going in the center. 

Zebra costume/puppet

Extreme Gelato! 

The next day also involved some animals, as we saw the Lion King. We started off by getting really dressed up and going out for a delicious dinner of dumplings in the city and walking to the show. It was good, but not quite what we expected. We went with Andrew's sister Jenny and her husband Muzz, who thought it was going to be like a dance recital (I think he was pleasantly surprised!) but the show consisted of a mix of puppet-like costumes, extreme make-up and a really cool stage. The talent was outstanding, but as an avid Lion King VHS fan from the 90s, the script was the exact same, plus a few songs. Overall it was an enjoyable evening and we ended it with "extreme gelato" which was made right in front of you with liquid nitrogen and served with crazy flavors. Andrew got a rose creme brule and I got a nutella gelato topped with rice krispies, dipped in chocolate, served with a waffle cone sheet and a chocolate ganache syringe. Gelato was average but the experience was cool (literally and figuratively). 

My "Goat Friend"

Finally, last weekend we went to Raymond Terrace to visit Andrew's parents and on Saturday we went to a little place called Oakvale Farm. For anyone from "Up North" who has been to Jim Peck's in Minocqua, this was similar...There was a farmyard with goats, chickens, etc running around, as well as some Australian wildlife and big barnyard animals in cages. You could buy food with your admission price and be bombarded by cute little animals all day! 

Cassowary and babies...Dino looking eh?

One of the interesting Aussie animals that I haven't previously mentioned in the Cassowary. These are big flightless birds, third largest after the ostrich and emu, and have a rich blue color near their heads and big dinosaur-like feet. They typically eat fruits and roots, but for defense they have a talon that can disembowel a human! They are becoming extinct here due to loss of habitat, getting hit by cars, and attacked by dogs. It's estimated that only 20-25% of the entire population is left as of 2006. They look pretty scary though, have to admit. 

Related to rabbits maybe?

7th Heaven

Finally, the best part of Oakvale was the hands-on experiences to be had. You could take the bought food and feed long-horn cattle, mini horses, alpaca, camels, llamas, donkeys, etc. and FINALLY once reaching the very back of the park there was a large sunny grassy spot packed with kangaroos that would gingerly approach you and take food out of your hand! They had absolutely no fear and would even bounce around following you for more food! 

Sleepy little fellas!

Coming in for a sneak attack!

As if feeding, petting, and hanging out with kangas wasn't cool enough, the place also let you bottle feed goats and calves, milk a cow, and pet koalas! The koalas really lived up to their sleepy nature and were sleeping mostly while petting but it was a great experience for an animal lover like me!  Truly a fabulous day!

This brought us up to Mother's day and we went out for a nice family breakfast and then over to Andrew's brother Steve's house to see his puppy. After all of this animal loving, I am a very happy girl!

Little Benson...Steve's puppy