Nature World

 After getting up and preparing breakfast we headed out for our main activity for the day - Nature World.  This roadside attraction is a small zoo with several displays of  native animals but the main attraction is Tasmanian Devils.  They have feedings at 10, 12, and 2, so we settled on getting there in time for the 12 p.m. feeding.  

We had a few minutes to look around the park before the feeding, so we took the time to look at some of the other animals.  We were allowed into some of the pens and could hand fee the animals.  We saw emus, wallaby, wombats, ducks, and peacocks.  We also saw white wallaby but they were very shy and hid mostly under the trees.














It was time to head over to the Tasmanian Devils.  These little creatures have more jaw strength than any other animal their size.  The first couple of pens had sleeping ones, but then we arrived at the active boy pen.  They could be aggressive towards each other one minute and sitting beside each other peacefully the next.  The big excitement was when the zoo keeper brought in a dead possum for their lunch.  They were all tearing and eating it as if they hadn't eaten in awhile.  They don't really go for live animals but will eat every little bit of a dead one (fur, bones, etc.).  I see why they say to keep your hands out of their pins!












After this rather aggressive display we need a little love from some free roaming kangaroos.  They were quite relaxed with us walking up to them and offering food we had bought when we arrived.  They were even good when little kids came up to them.  One had a joey that was still nursing but a little too large to fit back in his sack.  







We finished with looking at some exotic birds of many colors, shapes and sizes.  They were mostly pets that had been surrendered to the zoo.  They can live very long lives and people need to consider that when taking them on.





On our way back we decided to stop at one of the many wineries along the way.  Freycinet was one that our friends remembered as being good so we stopped in for a tasting and a sampling of cheese.  The landscape surrounding the tasting room was picturesque with rolling hills covered in grape vines changing colors for the fall.  It was a pleasant way to spend a hour.




Tonight we went to a local hotel for a pop-up Indian restaurant.  The room was deeply rooted in the '60s with paneled walls, laminate tables, and posters from the period.  The food was quite tasty and appeared to be very popular among the locals.



Finally, we got out our camera equipment to take a picture of the stunning night sky.  The Milky Way was prominently  displayed overhead and we had a gum tree to help frame the photo.  A nice ending to a nice day.


Tomorrow: Relaxing

  

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