The Australia Zoo and one hell of a picnic spot
After getting straight into work at Rickies one thing we quickly noticed was our conflicting hours, I have never done shift work. I found it difficult to get used to not knowing what days I was going to working until the week before and working nights was another thing to get used too. Along with Elke working conflicting days we were unable to spend much time together, so the first chance we got a few days of together we made the most of it. I have always had an interest in wildlife so the Australia zoo was high on my list of things to do while we were on the Sunshine Coast.
We made the short drive to the Australia zoo and got there nice and early to make the most of our day. I did not really know what to expect as I have been going to the well renowned Melbourne zoo since I was a child. I wasn’t sure if it was going to contain mainly Australian animals or a broader variety which I was hoping for. Not that I do not enjoy our wildlife but growing up in the country I have dealt with kangaroos, wombats and other native animals all my life and it does not massively interest me. I was happy to see that not only did they have all our iconic native wildlife but a wide variety of more exotic natives and even international species. Granted the majority of people coming to this zoo are city slickers or international tourists all of which don’t see kangaroos and other natives in the wild. We had an awesome day exploring the zoo and taking time to appreciate all the animals and all the work the crew at Australia zoo put into conservation and protecting our wildlife.
We were lucky enough too see a tiger show were the trainers show cased the training and personalities of one of there tigers. We were also lucky enough to see the free roaming lemurs being fed on bindis island, one of the curious lemurs even tried to climb into the lens hood of my camera whilst I was taking photos of them. The staff at the zoo were awesome too all very knowledgeable, kind and willing to talk and explain things it made the experience even more enjoyable. I would highly recommend going to this zoo it opened my eyes and really got me interested in shooting more wildlife.
After an incredible day at the Australia zoo I had a surprise for Elke. I did a lot of research a few phone calls and a donation, but I got permission to have a picnic at one of the most incredible locations I have seen in my life. An absolutely awe inspiring view as the light changed and set over the glasshouse mountains. It is views like this that make inspire me to shoot landscapes I just cannot get enough of it.
