The one where we take Roxie and Lulu to the zoo

On our maiden voyage with our dear Roxie {if you’re wondering if I’ve gone nuts, you can read here about how I like to name our cars}, we decided to head up north to Australia Zoo. We’ve got Roxie for six months and she’s been to the beach, to the shops and a little bit down the coast, but nothing like the adventure we were about to take her on.

We whacked the address into the nav-system, and headed 2.5 hours north to the town of Beerwah, home of Australia Zoo.

Traveling with kids is a fine art, if you want to be stress-free I’ve found. So we timed it perfectly so Luella would be awake for 30 minutes and then sleep the rest, and we brought enough things to entertain Lacey the whole trip. Except that lasted about 15.3 minutes and then she just asked a million questions, “How do you spell Australia? Do you like my song? I’m hungry! Are we there yet?”

I wore my pineapple t-shirt, because QUEENSLAND.

We passed by this mountain that looks like a gorilla, don’t you think?

Eventually we did make it all the way there. We didn’t beat the GPS ETA though. That’s something I quite like to do, safely of course.

I’ve been to Australia Zoo three times now, one of those times being before Steve Irwin passed away. I think it’s a beautiful zoo, with lots of good stuff happening behind the scenes. I feel like it’s lost a bit of it’s mojo though. Maybe it’s because there are no elephants anymore. I hear they have some due to arrive soon. I hope so.

Our first stop was the kangaroos. I thought Lulu was going to fall in love with them, instead as soon as she went near any of them they tried to scratch her. I think that relationship might need a little bit of nurturing over time. They loved Lacey though.

We handed the map to Lacey and let her choose how we did the zoo. We paid $2 for kangaroo food and fed them for a while, and then headed down to the Asia and Africa sections to explore a bit more. The thing I love about Australia Zoo is that even though the car park was packed, it doesn’t feel like it inside. It’s spread across so much land that it doesn’t feel cramped at all. No crowds for the win!

Just past the rhinos and around the corner from the giraffes is a little tent with refreshments, which we partook in a few. Although it’s only spring, I was feeling like it was summer. I swore that it must have been at least 40 degrees. OK, dramatic, but it felt hot {maybe because I had a small 10kg child attached to me. Yes, I think that might be it}. It was a top of 28. Enough reason to indulge in a slurpee, don’t you think?

Luella started to get restless so we decided to call it a day. Hubby grabbed the map and decided on a exit route which was via the aviary. If you’ve been reading this blog a while, you’ll know I don’t like birds. I’m scared of them. All those feathers and things. Hubby thinks it’s hilarious to see me scared, so he assured me it was the only way out. By this stage I was also suffering zoo-fatigue {where you’ve seen all the animals you need to see, but somehow ended up at the very bottom of the zoo and have to find your way back}, so it was through the birds for us.

There was no one around, it was peaceful. I made it through alive, despite a pigeon almost grazing my head and my heart jumping up out of my chest and into a nearby pond. We passed by a field that had 3 very fancy cars in it, some famous looking people and some very big bodyguards. I didn’t even try to be discreet. I craned my neck. I spied and tried to figure out who it was. It was this guy…

Justin Timberlake. See all those people in the reflection of this sunglasses? He has quite the entourage! Epic!

A visit to the zoo isn’t complete without a croc-sighting, so we snapped Fang 2 and his friend.

We exited through the gift shop {because like the aviary there was no way around it} acquiring a rather large stuffed owl on the way through, hopped in the car, cracked open the sunroof and headed home.

Roxie impressed me on her maiden voyage. I’m swiftly falling in love with this car. Go ahead, roll your eyes and make faces at how sad that seems, being in love with a car. But she’s got all the good things. She cooled my drink on the way home {the drink holders COOL YOUR DRINKS}, she let fresh air in, and she was so comfortable I almost nodded off as Shane drove us home {and for someone who never naps when the sun is up that’s almost a miracle}.

Next trip we’re heading to the bush, because you guys voted and the bush won. I wanted the beach or city to win, but you guys are putting me out of my comfort zone. I think I’ll thank you later!

What’s your favourite animal at the zoo? Elephants always win for me. You?