Melbourne Be Wildin’

Poised, as we are, on the brink of a picturesque safari, let’s get rollin’ with a pictorial riddle.

Spot the similarities in the pictures below.

-10 if you say there’s a marsupial in both pictures.(There is but no, that’s not the answer.)

-50 if you say they are examples of monochrome palettes.

+1000 if you say there’s a pot-o-roo in both pictures.

hehe.

Note: Before you throw a pot at the blogger, please take a breath and dwell on the knowledge gained. The mouse-like baby in the second picture is called a Potoroo. It’s a small marsupial which belongs to the kangaroo family!

Welcome to the wild side.

hehe.

When my trip to Melbourne made it out of the bucket list, the only thing occupying my thoughts was an excited voice saying “Kangaroos! Kangaroos!” on repeat, because Australia=Kangaroos(hehe).

So, after a 14 hour flight and losing 4.5 hours, my mum and I did the only logical thing and set off for Melbourne Zoo, all in a bid to lay our eyes on Australia’s vibrant wildlife.

Now, without further ado, let’s dust off the jet-lag and get wildin’.

hehe.

The Melbourne Zoo is one of the city’s most accessible destinations. As one can see on the map, there is something at the bottom called the ‘Rail Gate’ and this entrance is a one minute walk from the nearest tram stop. The Melbourne Zoo is a destination on the Route 58 tram, so all one has to do to get here is hop on to the tram from a stop along Route 58 going to West Coburg and jostle along till the zoo.

hehe.

Here’s a picture of my mum and me, hopping onto the tram. The Casino and Southbank stop was our starting point. One thing before I wrap up the transit, is a note that Melbourne Zoo does not come in the city’s free tram zone. All areas outside the free zone require passengers to tap on with a Myki card as soon as they board the tram. Myki cards are available at the airport or at any 7-eleven store and it is one of the travel necessities when in Melbourne.

Right, with that being said, Imma head to the first little wild baby that kickstarted our afternoon at the Melbourne Zoo.

Everyone, say hi to the pair of Collared Peccaries.

Their names are Polyp and Popo (as named by Ms Yours Truly, hehehehe).

Collared Peccaries are majorly found in parts of Mexico and in South America. Unlike European pigs with curved tusks, these piggy poos have a straight tusk. They identify each other by scent and they have a very strong identifying odour. They also use their sense of smell to mark territory.

The Peccaries reminded me of mini versions of Pumbaa from ‘The Lion King’, even though Pumbaa is a warthog:) Popo, the piggy in the second picture was having a gala time playing with that rolling barrel and it was one of the sweetest things ever.

The enclosures at the Melbourne Zoo are huge, so it is rather a stroke of luck to spot the animals. I loved trying to search for camouflaged or hidden wildlife and the sense of accomplishment on finding them was absolutely brilliant.

Up next, we have the zoo’s newest member, the Nyala named Nancy(probably):)

She’s a budding detective.

hehe.

A Nyala is a type of an African antelope and an absolutely beautiful animal. I love the white stripes, contrasting with the gold and it kind of reminds me of a white chocolate drizzle on golden icing, hehe.

Nyalas are shy babies so it was really lovely to get a glimpse of this one simply taking in the winter sun.

When I tripped on my feet,

I heard a voice from the skies laugh.

I looked up to groan at God’s ill-timed humour,

But I looked into the eyes of a chuckling giraffe.

Disclaimer: The poetess spewing verses is not responsible for bursting guts or a broken device screen.

hehe…..

Moving on from broken humour, Melbourne Zoo has a fantastic giraffe enclosure. There’s three giraffes in there and they are such graceful animals.

I hadn’t seen a giraffe before this and to say I was awed would be an understatement. Giraffes have always been a source of wonder and I absolutely loved how they conduct themselves.

Very demure, very mindful, very cutesy.

Until they start chasing each other.

hehe.

I actually did see one of the giraffes gallop at a high speed and my heart did stop for a bit. I was truly stumped at how an animal with such a height can run with such grace.

I(five foot six) can’t even walk without tripping on thin air.

hehe.

Melbourne Zoo has a giraffe-view cafe, just across the enclosure. We were lucky to get a seat with the giraffes at my back and I even got a giraffe-shaped cookie:)

Jammy wanted a close-up before saying good-bye!

hehe.

Now, Imma take you into the highlight of the zoo, namely the Australian Bush.

Be prepared to have your senses ensnared, your eyes goggling with adorable pleasure and your jaw dropping in wonder, for its time for….drumroll!!!!!

The Short Beaked Echidna.

The echidna was one of the animals that my mum really wanted to see because of its unique name and we were so, so lucky to get a glimpse of the spiky little baby because when we returned to see it for a second time, it was gone.

Echidnas are shy animals and as I said, one has to really have their stars aligned to get a glimpse of them. I was literally squealing in delight when I saw it and it even lifted its beak to say hello:)

The echidna at Melbourne Zoo shares its enclosure with the Potoroo at the beginning of the blog, so they are like besties:)

The echidna was one of our favourites and now, my mum wants to name one of my future kids ‘Echidna’.

It’s not the most topsy-turvy name I’ve heard for a kid.

hehe.

This one’s called Eepy, though. Because it’s a wee eepy baby, napping in the sun:)

Ok, before I move forward, none of these animals are actually babies. They are all grown adults but in my mind, animals are ALWAYS babies.

hehe.

I love how most of the animals in the Australian Bush believe that sleep is the solution to 99.9% of ones problems.

hehe.

Nestled in a cave, adjacent to the Echidna enclosure was this cuddly wombat pair, blissfully resting with short intervals of wakefulness to cuddle up more in the warm sand.

Wombats are such unique animals. I love how they look like a giant, fuzzy capsule and their eyes have an innocent and animated glint which can melt the hardest of hearts:)

Fun fact: A group of wombats is called a Wisdom.

I think ‘Wisdom of Wombats’ is a fun name for a hard rock band.

hehe.

Up next, we have the animal that everyone’s been waiting for.

Me.

hehe.

The bronze wallaby is simply a sculpture in my enclosure.

hehe.

All right, all right, here ya go.

Kangaroos, ladies and gentlemen, or shall I say, a court of kangaroos.

Like I said earlier, Australian animals believe in sleep solving 99.9% of ones problems but this one standing kangaroo believes in the 0.1% chance of grabbing your problem by its horns and looking it in the eye while being wide awake.

hehe.

I still need to pinch myself to believe that I saw an actual, hopping kangaroo. The marsupial has been a thing of fantasy, ever since I was little and I felt a deep sense of contentment to see so many roos, simply basking in all their glory.

I love how the kangaroo was posing for the camera. The second picture has a dashing pugilist pose that exudes a sense of dominance after exuding bunny-like adorableness in the first picture.

hehe.

When I saw a fully grown Dingo approach me, the first thing that came into my mind was, Puppy!

hehe.

Honestly, though, Dingoes are big doggies.

Dimsum here looks so strong but their eyes hold so much innocence:)

Growing up, I was heavily into Looney Tunes, so I was under the impression that Tasmanian Devils are big, devilish animals, moving in a tornado but when I saw this little baby, I couldn’t help but giggle at how small and cute a Tassie devil really is.

Its protruding teeth make it look like an adorable vampire and they are such shy creatures. I had a few seconds to take this picture, after which, the Tassie had scampered off into its enclosure.

I absolutely loved the Tassie but a sad fact is that they are quite critically endangered.

Australia is a land that belongs to the wild and it is really heartbreaking to see that the wildlife is endangered here. Melbourne Zoo has some brilliant conservation initiatives, for the Tassie devil and other animals, and I love when people can work together to make the planet a more harmonious place for the wild that has existed since before us.

Up next, we have the world’s cutest animal, the smiling little Quokka.

I was so excited when this wee thing scampered out of the bush and hopped about on the dry leaves.

I love how all Australian animals have a hoppy gait. They always have a spring in their step and I think that is a swell attitude.

hehe.

The Quokka at the Melbourne Zoo did not have much of an audience because it shares its enclosure with a koala and people were crowding to see the koala who was fast asleep. This blog is a not so gentle command for the readers to stop and see the Quokka who is called Queenie and deserves all the eyeballs because it is adorable.

I loved how chubby the quokka is, though:)

Up next, we have a fuzzy little marshmallow, namely the koala.

When I visited the zoo, the koala was blissfully in a world of dreams and my heart simply couldn’t contain itself at the cuteness of it all.

I mean, just look at it, it’s a real life tubby bear.

hehe.

Koalas sleep for 18 hours and while that sounds relaxing, it is not easy to be a koala.

Koalas live on gum trees and one tree has only one koala, except in the mating season and when the baby koala is in its first year of life.

They spend their entire lives on a single tree and they need to work on keeping balance because they cannot live outside of the tree.

Koalas also do not drink water and the gum leaves that they feed on is poisonous to almost all other animals so these little fuzzies are actually burly daredevils who really have a hard life.

Fact: Baby koalas are as big as ones little finger when they are born.

hehe.

Moving out of the Australian Bush, here’s a lemur, chilling on a fence. These babies have such a fashionable look and they are absolutely slaying in the black and white palette.

Lemurs have an affinity towards human snacks but human snacks aren’t really good for them, so while visiting these divas, it’s important to keep a close guard on any snacks and keep them away from the thieving fashionistas.

hehe.

Finally, Imma end the wildlife parade with a catwalk by a Sumatran Tiger.

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.

hehe.

At the end, Imma show you my souvenir haul from the zoo. The zoo has a fabulous gift shop and I had a big list of plushies that I wanted to get.

The first picture shows a lemur, a tassie devil, a bandicoot, a wombat, an echidna, a dingo, a small Tassie devil and a platypus. The second picture is my haul of magnets and key rings:)

I actually did see a platypus at the zoo but I don’t have a picture because it was swimming very fast and it was also eating.

I think it was on a mission to spy on Doofenshmirtz

What’s up Perry the Platypus?

Bonus points if you heard that in Doof’s voice, hehe.

#phineasandferb

This is a tote showing the Victorian Grasslands Earless Dragon. This baby was presumed extinct until 13 of them were found in 2023. The tote is a way to collect funds for conserving the dragon and increasing the number of them since they are so critically endangered.

I love it when creativity and conservation efforts come together to raise awareness about our fellow Earth dwellers:)

Finally, Imma end with a picture of my cat with the Bandicoot plushie.