Bateau Bay, NSW

What a big day!  Kelly has planned a day at the Australian Reptile Park for the family.  This place is a Central Coast institution - that I've never been to.  When we moved to the coast I was too old to go with school excursions.  So after moving to Bateau Bay in 1987 my first trip is also a first for Amy and the boys.  And this is only 40 minutes from where I grew up.

What Kelly arranged was to have a park ranger show us some of the animals and give us a guided tour around the park.  We got out of the cars and a downpour started.  I couldn't believe weather may ruin this day.  We ran for the shelter of the park's entrance.  Got inside and sorted out our meeting place with the ranger, stepped outside and the rain was gone.  Happily, we didn't see any more rain until the drive home.

We start off at the picnic tables and the ranger brings over some animals for us to handle.  Lucy, Max and the boys love it, and show no fear as they hold a blue-tongue lizard, some sort of dragon, a skink and a snake.  The kids are great with the animals and love all that's going on.

B&L and a Blue-Tongue Lizard

 Me & a dragon

  Leland, Lucy & Barrett hold a snake

After then having a tawny frogmouth perch on our arms and stuffing pine cones with fruit to fed to some birds, we went for a walk around the park.  The kids got to pat a kangaroo, which roam freely around the park.  We went into a lorikeet cage to leave the pine cones.  Leland got bit by a bird here and had all sorts of trouble recovering.  We then went into the koala enclosure and patted a koala.  Again this is a first for me - very un-Australian of me to not ave touched a koala before.  When we went back to the picnic tables, our ranger bought over a wombat for us to hold.  We were then on our own to explore.  We didn't last much longer as the kids tired out.  But needless to say the day was a blast.  The kids could barely contain themselves, and the adults weren't far behind.  What a great day!

  Barrett & Lucy meet kangaroos

With a koala

Mom & the boys hold a wombat

The Australian Reptile Park