Koalas & Kangaroos

I was considering Celeb's half-day excursion out of Melbourne (title above) which goes to Serendip and Yu Yang reserves (which have no admission charges) which suggests the $135 pp price is for transportation only!!

How could we do this independently?

How does Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary compare to the above sites for seeing kangaroos & koalas?

Or, should we visit the Taronga Zoo in Sydney instead?

Thanks!

Friends took us to healesville and it was great Saw all the Aus animals - quite along way out of town.Try the Sydney zoo I believe it is fabulous.

I was considering Celeb's half-day excursion out of Melbourne (title above) which goes to Serendip and Yu Yang reserves (which have no admission charges) which suggests the $135 pp price is for transportation only!! How could we do this independently? How does Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary compare to the above sites for seeing kangaroos & koalas? Or, should we visit the Taronga Zoo in Sydney instead? Thanks!

For our northern Ohio neighbors, I noticed that your cruise also makes a stop in Tasmania. There is a very good option there that we did with the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary with wombats, emus and the famed Tasmanian devil, plus plenty of Kangaroos and other birds and animals of interest. We only had a short time there that afternoon after doing Port Arthur in the morning on our private tour.

But, it was a “rich target zone” to see so many different creatures at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. This park is located nearby to Hobart, but still out in the “country”. The pictures below speak for themselves about these various animals. Need more info and/or any added questions?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 126,012 views for this posting.

How can you not love seeing the Koalas up close and personal? Unlike at Kangaroo Island, we did not see this one in the wild, but here we got closer. What a face? So, so super cute!!:

Here is a mother Kangaroo with the baby “Joey” in the pouch. We saw two different mothers carrying babies in their pouch.:

Here is Karen from our Central Ohio group finding a cute Kangaroo for feeding at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary with its location nearby to Hobart. And, surprise!!, this mother has an even more lovable baby in the pouch. This is getting really up close and personal.:

Here is one of the Tasmanian Devils with the unique identification stripe showing on its back. That stripe is like their fingerprint, different on each one, according to the park expert. Not a big creature. Didn’t get to see its teeth, but you have to admit that their names are a little scary. Don’t put your fingers too close to their teeth!:

Here is a little wombat. Did you think they look like this?:

For our northern Ohio neighbors, I noticed that your cruise also makes a stop in Tasmania. There is a very good option there that we did with the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary with wombats, emus and the famed Tasmanian devil, plus plenty of Kangaroos and other birds and animals of interest. We only had a short time there that afternoon after doing Port Arthur in the morning on our private tour.

 

But, it was a “rich target zone” to see so many different creatures at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. This park is located nearby to Hobart, but still out in the “country”. The pictures below speak for themselves about these various animals. Need more info and/or any added questions?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Reading your very helpful thread regarding your Solstice cruise, I booked Judy of EyeSeeTasmania based on your positive comments. We actually have 2 vans filled for our tour out of Hobart which includes Richmond, Bonorong and Mt. Field.

 

I had no idea we'd get to see koalas, kangaroos and other native wildlife in addition to the Devils!!

 

Thanks, Terry! We will enjoy!

Reading your very helpful thread regarding your Solstice cruise, I booked Judy of EyeSeeTasmania based on your positive comments. We actually have 2 vans filled for our tour out of Hobart which includes Richmond, Bonorong and Mt. Field. I had no idea we'd get to see koalas, kangaroos and other native wildlife in addition to the Devils!! Thanks, Terry! We will enjoy!

Great to hear that you going to visit Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and that Judy has been helpful. Extend my greetings to her!! For Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, it is not that large, but you will get see a nice range of different, interesting animals. Below are a few more of my "preview" visuals to help build your excitement.

If you or others have any added questions, just post on my live/blog and I will be happy to answer any info needs.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 126,119 views for this posting.

Here is a full view of an emu at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Next is Susan from our group getting ready to feed an emu, but becoming a little surprised by how aggressive this unique animal got by putting its head under the fence. Finally, a really close-up view of their heads. Susan thought they seemed fairly oily on the tops of their heads. Not all animals are cute and perfect in their looks!:

Here is a larger group of Kangaroos. Quite a wide range of ages and sizes. :

Here is our long-time friend, Dennis, with Janet’s help, taking a picture, up close and personal, of the Kangaroos at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary near Hobart. This center is fairly compact. You can see lots of interest in a fairly short period of time.:

Hmm, maybe I will ask Santa for a 30x zoom camera after all!

I think Serendip Sanctuary and the You Yangs are great but I live locally (my kids' school has a classroom at Serendip where they all spend a week each year and it's walking distance).

Serendip is great for seeing birdlife (including emus), kangaroos, wallabies, etc. Whether you will see koalas is a bit more hit and miss as it depends entirely on where in the large sanctuary they have decided to spend the day. If you're a birdwatcher I'd recommend Serendip without hesitation.

The You Yangs certainly has koalas (and feral rabbits and goats) but it's more a place you visit for the bushwalking and native scenery and views to Geelong and Melbourne.

You could organise a private tour to come down here but doing it on your own via public transport would be tricky. Vline train from Southern Cross to Lara is easy but then you'd need to get a taxi (there's no taxi rank at the station, you'd need to call one) to take you out of town to Serendip and the You Yangs. It would be luck of the draw if you got a helpful, friendly, interested driver or not.

If your priority is to see Aussie animals, I'd probably go for Healesville. If it's not your first visit, you want to see a bit more/different Australian countryside or you only want a half-day tour (as I imagine Healesville is a full day), then coming down this way would still be worthwhile.

Great Photos! Hmm, maybe I will ask Santa for a 30x zoom camera after all!

Sounds like a super great idea on asking your smart Santa for a new camera. Yes, digital technology keeps getting better and better. If it's been a number of years in buying a new camera, you'll be well-pleased with the advancement for pixel sizes, quality, etc.

BUT, make sure you have Santa deliver it early enough so that you can "practice" and get to know the camera well, feel confident and skilled for what all it can do, etc. Good luck for your adventure trip. When you get back, do a posting on my live/blog to update what you liked most, tips for others to consider, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 126,185 views for this posting.

Beautiful photos

Beautiful photos

Appreciate your super kind comments on these photos from Australia, etc. If you want to see some more current wildlife, nature, etc., visuals, check out the below link from our just completed Africa adventures. Let me know any questions on "down under", etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from my latest live/blog at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 11,622 views for this reporting and visual sharing that includes Cape Town, all along the South Africa coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Delta area.

Despite a major downpour at the Reserve, and very slippery conditions, I got to feed the kangaroos and pose for photos with a sleepy koala. The devils are fast little critters and difficult to get a still photo of them, so I suggest a video to catch the action!

Our hike to the waterfalls of Mt. Field Nat'l Park was before the rain came. Big caveat: our route was quite challenging for several in the group and led to one gentleman taking a tumble on slippery rock steps. Due to the diligent care of Judy to insure he was ok, we ran a little late so didn't have as much time in Richmond as I'd hoped.

Despite a major downpour at the Reserve, and very slippery conditions, I got to feed the kangaroos and pose for photos with a sleepy koala. The devils are fast little critters and difficult to get a still photo of them, so I suggest a video to catch the action!

 

Our hike to the waterfalls of Mt. Field Nat'l Park was before the rain came. Big caveat: our route was quite challenging for several in the group and led to one gentleman taking a tumble on slippery rock steps. Due to the diligent care of Judy to insure he was ok, we ran a little late so didn't have as much time in Richmond as I'd hoped.

Hi,

Glad you had a good trip and got to see a lot animals at Bonorong. Judy was for our group Mt. Field was challenged one person of our group felt near Russell Falls and required some attention at the park ranger too. It was a beautiful walk and probably would not take it if that challenging.

You did not miss much at Richmond it is a very small town and it did not take us about 15 min to see everything.

Australia/New Zealand are beautiful countries but so far from USA and made a trip down there very hard.

Mrs Gut said "What's the big deal about seeing 'Roos, Emus and Wombats" She sees them every day on the way to work, big mobs of Roos 100s at times.

But she is just showing off.

How could we do this independently?

 

How does Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary compare to the above sites for seeing kangaroos & koalas?

Looks like you have already been and gone, but to actually answer your question, getting to Serendip and the Yu Yang's independently would really require hiring a car, station pier is a bit out of town, so you would have to get a taxi or tram into the main part of Melbourne and pick up your car, OR , try and hire a GOGET car, if you booked far enough in advance you may get one within walking distance of station pier, there is a new one closeby.

Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary, is just that, its a zoo, but its a nice one in a country setting, you have a good chance of seeing the animals there , they are spread out in encloses and free range, Roos are notoriously lazy animals, they much prefer to sleep in the sun than interact with visitors , but some days you can get very lucky and get upclose and personal.

The Koalas can be seen and some days you can get lucky with them to.

Dont put anything edible close to the Tassie Devils. :eek:

The distance from Station pier to Healesville is about 70 km's so its a bit of a trip through the city traffic.

Back in the 1980's my girlfriend at the time lived about 400 meters from Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary and every night at about 5:00 pm they would feed the dingo's and their howls would echo throughout the valley, very eerie.

Pity I did not see your post earlier, as I may have been able to pick you up on the day and take you to the Melbourne Zoo for free, they have a good display of Aussie animals there, and does not take very long to get there by tram.

Any recent suggestion for a private tour to the Serendip sancturary and the You Yangs?

thanks