Day 10 and I didn't see any elephants

What a fab day!!! Went to Taronga Zoo. It's just over the other side of the harbour via a 15 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay. Great place. After the disappointment of the Sydney Wildlife World the other day I was a bit wary but one of the English chaps here had said it was very good.

When you get off the ferry you're at the bottom of a hill, so there are buses to meet each ferry to take you up the hill to the main entrance! My usual confusion of a diagrammatic map and little pics of animal shapes just plonked on them set in quite early. Tried not to walk round in circles and just as I was starting to get the hang of it, they were closing one of the sections down. No explanation but police along with zookeepers, so it seemed serious. I'd already sussed that there were camera crews about but didn't know what was occurring. Carried on pootling about in various directions and altitudes. Not too many animals were hiding although of course a few were :o) It's hard to know whether to mention any creatures at all as there were so many. Well. There was a huge crocodile. And some teeny weeny birds. But no bug house as far I could tell. It was a really good day though. The zoo does superbly well to make most of the enclosures feel open and not cage-like. Plenty of open-air and trees and stuff. I took loads of photos but I've managed to leave the usb lead thingy upstairs and if I go up to get it someone will steal the pc! So perhaps I'll put some up later. Failing that, might manage it over the next few days when I'm in Melbourne.

Yes, moving on in the morning. Already finishing stage 1 of the journey. The train leaves at some daft time starting with a 7 (must check....). I get to Melbourne at 18.55 (funny how I can remember that) and Sarah, Paul's eldest daughter is coming to meet me. She's putting me up at her flat for the week. I liked Melbourne when I was here before so it'll be interesting to go back and see if I still feel the same about the place.

The odd couple from Blackpool left my room this morning and there seemed to be a new body slumbering in the bunk above mine when I got back from the zoo this evening. Shame I'm going to have sort out my rucsac before I go to bed.

Elephants? You ask about elephants? Oh yes. I didn't see any because they shut off part of the zoo as their new elephants, five in total, from Thailand were finally arriving. They had two others until recently but they've been retired to a big park somewhere. The new ones are part of a breeding programme. It seems there have been keepers from Taronga in Thailand with them for the last two years. Whether it took a long time to make friends or Thai bureaucracy, I don't know! Anyway, I didn't see them as they went straight into quarantine in their nice new house. I did hear one trumpeting though.

So, next stop Melbourne!

G'day :o))

PS I checked my bank account and a cheque for 26GBP has been cashed today.