On our second day in the Central Coast, we went to see the fascinating animals of the Australian Reptile Park and had some photos with koalas.
After a great day in Brisbane Water National Park yesterday, we woke up to a nice breakfast from our host Dan.
It was then time to meet up with the rest of our Australian family and make our way to the Australian Reptile Park.
Australian Reptile Park
The Australian Reptile Park is just off the M1 Pacific Motorway. Not too far from Dan’s house.
This zoo is home to the largest number of reptiles in Australia with around 50 different species on display.
Despite the name, the park also has Australian mammals such as kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, a wombat, echidnas and dingoes.
After buying our admission ticket we entered the park.
Lost World of Reptiles and Spider World
The first section we visited was the ‘Lost World of Reptiles’. The reptiles on display here are from different species across the world.
We saw crocodiles, alligators, turtles, lizards and snakes. I thought the most interesting reptile was the king cobra which I had never seen before.
Spider World unsurprisingly features creatures of the eight-legged variety. The displays featured facts about spiders in Australia and where you can find them. Including in an Australian dunny and in gardens of residential areas.
Feeding the kangaroos at Australian Reptile Park
Exiting Spider World we made our way to the centre of the park where kangaroos are free to move around.
Hayley and her little cousins were amazed that they could feed the kangaroos here. It was so funny to see the Kangaroos hopping around everywhere too.
Liam, Hayley’s youngest cousin, was also fascinated by the staff members dressed up as dinosaurs.
Here we met up with Hayley’s cousin Tim for the first time since 2011. Tim introduced us to his wife Gabriela and her bump. (Jesse was later born in February 2020).
Lunch for the alligators at Australian Wildlife Park
After eating our lunch it was time to watch the Australian Wildlife Park’s alligators eat theirs.
Quite a crowd of people turned up to watch the zoo keepers as they threw food to the hungry alligators.
There were much more alligators in the lake than I initially thought. When lunch was ‘served’ they all made their way from different directions for their feast.
Posing for photos with koalas
After walking around the nature trail to see varieties of colourful Australian birds, we made our way to the koalas.
Tim surprised us here by buying us a photo opportunity with the koalas. It also gave us an opportunity to feel their fur. We could not believe how soft they were.
Both the children with us loved seeing the koalas up close too.
Snake venom display
Before finishing up at the park we went to the display area. Here park staff showed-off a number of different reptiles, all while giving us facts about their habitat and diet.
Australian Wildlife Park is involved in snake and spider venom collection for use in the production of antivenom. This helps to save the lives of people who have been poisoned. One of the displays showed how the venom was collected and stored ready to go to a laboratory.
Family barbecue
We then made our way back to Tim and Gaby’s house for a barbecue with the family.
Amongst the delicious items Tim cooked up were a few of the unique sausages from Edwards Family Butchery in Woy Woy. These were sensational. It was all topped off with a delicious Australian pavlova with fruit.
Tim and Dan also showed us the menu of the sausages which were available from the butchers. Some exotic sausages were alpaca, emu with Worcestershire sauce and lime with chilli crocodile.
The family barbecue rounded off another great day in the Central Coast. Tomorrow Dan is taking us out on a boat trip to Lobster Beach.
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