IMG_7350 Next it was time for the sheep dog show - here the dog tends the sheep all commanded by a few short whistle tweets IMG_7356 Of course, then it's time to shear a sheep, this one wasn't ready but the crowds were demanding wool! IMG_7368 That was fast! IMG_7372 Woll on top of a wooden roller system used to separate out the good wool from everything else IMG_7373 IMG_7374 The Wiggles appeal to all ages! IMG_7376 Stoic sheep IMG_7378 Time for a wallaby...or a kangaroo, I'm not sure which - I'd have to measure the feet to figure it out. Either way there was an area where these things hopped around free. Actually they just kinda lay around aimlessly waiting for people to bring them food. IMG_7383 IMG_7389 Sometimes they take initiative to find food IMG_7400 I was rather scared the kangaroo was going to punch me, but it was very well behaved IMG_7404 IMG_7405 A lot of kangaroos! IMG_7419 See how friendly koalas look... IMG_7426 IMG_7437 Koalas do need our help, there was a slogan "No Tree, No Me" I saw since koalas are very sensitive to clear cutting and need a lot of eucalyptus trees to survive, the removal of trees and insertion of roads fragments their habitat and also prevents a healthy diversity of breeding. There are estimates of anywhere from only 80,000 to 300,000 koalas left in the wild across the globe. There were mass cullings including 1919 when more than 1 million koalas were killed and their skins used to send packages (yikes!) and more than 600,000 killed in one month in 1927. See the Australian Koala Foundation for more info. IMG_7439 IMG_7453 This walking eucalyptus tree is just to refresh an area of the "trees" the koalas sit in during the day. They also only eat the best leaves at the tip of the branches and often avoid the lower areas of the branches. IMG_7445 Pretty bird...there's also general wildlife of various kinds in the sanctuary IMG_7452 On the way back we stopped back in Brisbane city to look around a bit more, a bridge over the Brisbane River IMG_7454 IMG_7460 I think this is the city hall IMG_7461 Good to remind people to lock their bicycles... IMG_7462 Muhahaha...my secret pod of destruction has been accepted as modern art by the foolish humans! IMG_7463 This symbol means everybody riding a bike should get off it and walk the rest of the way for their safety (I really don't know, it just looked funny) IMG_7464 So many rules... IMG_7466 Maybe there's a library floating in the sky IMG_7470_pano The same building that said "Brisbane City" IMG_7474 Makes you feel good when random buildings have signs outside that say "HAZCHEM" - I suppose it helps the fire department but it can be a bit unsettling... IMG_7475 Clever name for the store of the Museum of Brisbane - MoBstore IMG_7477 Back to the convenient Airtrain IMG_7478 Again an oil refinery near the airport...is that a common thing? IMG_7487 Flying into Sydney IMG_7489 Return to Features