Crikey!!

I never thought the day would come when i'd reach the home of the Crocodile Hunter. But on 16th December 2008, that day came. Crikey!!!!

Australia Zoo is located in Beerwah, Queensland, nearly 2 hours north of Gold Coast. But first, we had to endure a traffic jam on the highway (luckily they don't have tolls) :

The zoo is ingeniously located in a rather secluded part of Queensland, perfect for peaceful wildlife enclosures. The scenery was a welcome change after enduring the jam:

At last, we reached Australia Zoo. Steve Irwin may be gone, but his legacy is still strong and always present:

He was, and still is, an international icon for wildlife conservation, and his passion shows through in every aspect of the zoo he helped build from scratch:

1. For starters, unlike other zoos i've been to, there was no smell of animal faeces or urine. Everything was overwhelmingly clean and comfortable.

2. The animal shows are truly aimed at inspiring wildlife conservation, and feeling love for the animals. (nobody's putting their heads in the crocodile's mouth..what does that aim to prove anyway? That crocodiles are harmless predators?)

The huge, $8 million Crocoseum, venue for wildlife shows

3. The animals are so damn happy (well-fed, well cared for, etc.) I assume they're happy, because they respond actively. The snakes look like they're ready to strike..amazing =)

I love this zoo because its the first time i saw real live native Australian animals. Like cute, cuddly koalas and cute, cuddly kangaroos.

Yep, they're sleeping. Koalas sleep for 20 hours a day. Much like yours truly during the holidays.

And the object of Steve Irwin's passion: crocodiles.

Since i couldnt catch a photo with a croc without being lunch, i settled on a croc statue instead.