The great wombat disaster...
Today was our first full day in Australia. For many months now we've been planning on going to the Healesville Sanctuary for their "Pat the Wombat" program. I tried to reserve the tickets so early they wouldn't even talk to me and said "contact us again in October you crazy obsessive person..."
But, I got our tickets.
http://www.zoo.org.au/healesville
This morning I woke up very early. (3:30. But, I had gone to sleep about 8. I only get so much sleep a day. I go to bed early, I get up early...)
Watching the weather for the day on the news didn't look good.
Flash flood warnings. High wind warnings. Major storm warnings.
And, the rain was close.
I also looked up the closest market. As soon as it opened (7), I walked over there and picked up the things I was told were required.
Once we had our breakfast of toast with Vegemite and Tim Tams, we set off.
The Yarra Valley is very nice and we had a nice drive out through it to Healesville.
The sanctuary was easy to find. Since we had prepaid tickets, we went right in.
They have a lot of very cool animals quite close to folks to see.
In many cases there are fenced in areas that you walk into. If the animal is interested, they come over to you. If not, you stay on the path and look at them.
Most weren't very interested in us.
Despite that, we could still get pretty close.
They also had some very interesting sculpture throughout the park.
But, we were there to see the wombat.
I worried that maybe we wouldn't get to see one in the cage.
But, I didn't realize that sleeping right under the railing...
Yep, a snoozing wombat right below us.
I always leave extra time for things. So, we were still about half an hour before "Pat the Wombat time". So, we waited.
And, then went over to the enclosure where they were getting a wombat ready.
Yes, it had fallen asleep in the gateway to the enclosure. Trying to get it to move got it to roll over so the woman could scratch it's belly.
She ended up having to lift the 15kg wombat to get it out of the way.
But, as you might have notices, I titled this "The Great Wombat Disaster", not "a good time with a wombat".
Just as she was about to let us in her radio crackled to life.
"We're closing the park due to dangerous winds. Evacuate all guests." It said.
Evacuation sirens began to wail.
"But, it is only 5 minutes to Wombat Time," I said.
"It is unsafe for you to remain in the park," she said. "You must leave."
And, away went the wombat.
It was windy.
Great big trees were swaying back and forth.
Dust was blowing around.
I often talk about how I bring rain wherever I go. I also bring wind. I just don't think about that much. Rain often gets people's attention. Wind? Not so much.
Last year when we were in Wales, they closed Conwy Castle due to the wind.
http://fbhjr.livejournal.com/1050246.html
And, we almost didn't get to fly home because of the very bad wind storm.
http://fbhjr.livejournal.com/1051852.html
I'm just more used to wind and don't think about it.
I am the one who has been known to say "It is only a class 2 hurricane, why are you worried?"
I have, after all, had a somewhat strange relationship with the wind for almost half a century now.
http://fbhjr.livejournal.com/88703.html
So, everyone had to leave. At once. There were thousands of people there.
At the gate they were giving people two options:
1. Tickets to come back some other time
2. A number to call for a refund.
I asked about the Wombat program and was told I'd have to call about that.
We thought about doing something else in that area, but figured that it would all have the same problem.
So, we drove back to Melbourne.
So, my wife and I decided to go to the observation tower the "Eureka Sky Deck" which is the highest observation platform in the Southern Hemisphere.
https://www.eurekaskydeck.com.au
Yes. That's right. The hazardous winds were so dangerous that they prevented us from patting an animal at ground level. So, what did my wife and I do? Go to the tallest place available in this half of the world.
I told you. Wind doesn't bother me. Even when it probably should...
And, they were letting folks up the tower. Just pay your fee and up you go.
It's a nice view.
We found a restaurant right at the bottom of the tower that was nice enough and had dinner.
Then we went and walked along the river for a bit.
We saw something swimming in the river. It was a sea lion.
That was pretty cool.
Then, back to our apartment where we watched the sun get lower and big cruise ships leave.
(Actually it is after 8:30 and the sun hasn't set yet. It is great to be in summer. I hear it is snowing at home...)
All in all a good day.
I am sad about being so close to the wombat and not getting to pat it. One good lunge and I could have managed it. (I lunge well for an old fat guy...)
But, that wouldn't have gotten me tickets to go back in. I'd have been kicked out for good.
And, the did rescheduled Wombat Patting for us. Now we'll do it Sunday afternoon.
That messes things up a bit with meeting my wife's friends, but we'll do dinner with them instead of lunch.
Hopefully by then the wind will have died down.