Today Freya drove us to the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, about 45 minutes from North Sydney. It was a little smaller than Taronga Zoo but known for its hands on petting of the animals - perfect for tourists who have a love of furry friends (like me!) but also great for children, there were actually quite a few school trips when we were there.
We began with looking at the platypuses and then onto the alligators who had a massive enclosure to roam around in.
We then ventured to spider world where there were live red backs, funnel webs and a selection of giant tarantulas which made my skin crawl! The park is actually low on funnel web spiders to milk and make life saving anti venom which they produce at the farm to send to hospitals. So please, if you do find a funnel web and you're in Australia - pop it in a container (ensure there are holes in the lid so it can breathe and it has a bit of dirt to hide in) and take it down to the Australian Reptile Park!
Following spider world we thought we would head to something cuter - there is a little picnic area in the centre of the park where the kangaroos can roam free and you can pet them. They were so friendly and a bit lazy too! I think they knew they were adorable so were happy to laze in the sun and be stroked - I was actually surprised how soft their fur was!
I literally could have petted them all day! We headed around the rest of the park and saw a variety of exotic birds, Tasmanian devils, dingos, wallabies, wombats, a giant tortoise and even Elvis the alligator - we were lucky enough to see the keepers move Elvis to clean his enclosure which was quite an experience to see the aggression of these wild beasts!
Throughout the day there were various talks about the animals which were interesting and informative to watch and at 3pm we were lucky to hold some of the animals. It was about $20 a photo or 4 for $60 - I of course took full advantage and opted for all 4 - a python, a baby alligator and 2 koala pictures. It was amazing, definitely worth doing!!
After another busy day we were starving so lucky Dan had booked us a table at a special place for dinner! We headed for a couple of drinks at the Opera House and watched the sun set behind the bridge.
After a couple of drinks we ventured to Cafe Sydney, an amazing restaurant with terrace overlooking the harbour. On entering there was a glass floor looking onto a mini model of the City which was fun!
The food was amazing! We had beef waygu and a goats cheese tart for starters followed by Beef Tenderloin. Mmmmmm! When it got a little chilly the staff provided blankets to keep warm - cosy!
Lexie
xxx
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