The third day of our trip was scheduled to be in the valleys and outskirts of Perth; an adventurous day with the wild and nature.
It was about 30-40 minutes of drive from Scarborough beach before we reach the famous and highly recommended Caversham Wildlife Park
We were really early, as you can observe from the condition of the car park. We were one of the first to arrive at the park.
At the main entrance to the park
The entrance fees: AUD$22 for adults, Concession AUD$17, Student AUD$15, Children aged 3-14 AUD$9.50
The wildlife park is the most prominent in Western Australia and it started as a family business and remains a private and close-knit affair. Today the park is home to more than 200 species of wildlife and a staggering number of more than 2,000 animals around.
The park was designed in a very unique and easy to navigate way for visitors to experience wildlife from near and even include close encounter sessions with the lovable creatures of the wild.
Most of the animals were allowed free roaming around the park or in cages, with enclosure or netting to maintain them within the park.
Visitors were reminded by the signboards to be considerate and gentle to the animals, and there should never be provoking of the animals.
It was pretty much like a zoo, an aviary, a safari, a park, and even a farm all rolled into one!~
This is one of my very own first up close and personal experience with the wildlife, and I must say it was rather exciting for someone who had lived in the city all her life =P
Some of the unique wildlife found only in Australia
Kangaroos
These are really tame animals, and they were just friendly.
There were poo everywhere when you enter into the enclosure as well, but I chuckled when the rangers in the park told everyone, "Don't worry about the poo, you're in a farm today, there's going to be poo everywhere!"
Wallaby
Black Swan
This is like the main mascot or the pride of Perth, with most of the places named after these beautiful creatures.
Quokka, which can only be found on Rottnest Island
There is also a Meet the Wombat Session
Meet Harry the Wombat, a 12-year old wombat in the park.
Molly's Farm, where we get the opportunity to experience the real farm life with those farm animals which I have read so much about from the books since I was a kid.
Domestic animals
Guinea pigs
Rabbits
Little chicks
A pig which just had its bath
Goats
Donkey
There were also shows scheduled during the day; to demonstrate the process of sheep/wool shearing, cow milking, whip cracking, etc.
We were just in time for the shearing and also the cracking of the whip show.
The cracking of a whip is not as simple as it looks, but I salute the Kenyan guy for giving it a go at the cracking~
Close up with the farm animals
Camel
The ever proud and mighty peacock
Dingo
Emu
Another pride of Australia; the koalas
Koalas are in hybernation mode most of the time; in fact, they spend 20 hours sleeping and only four hours awake!
Most of the koalas we saw were curled up tight in the branches of the eucalyptus trees which they feed upon as well.
They are inactive most of the time, and it was hard to see much activity around here.
It must be lucky day though, as one of the koalas which just woke up from her deep slumber decided to walk around and acted up in front of us.
Karen the koala, as the ranger called her, was unusually active and it was really rare.
The koala started walking towards the enclosure door and sat in front of it, blocking the visitors from entering the area.
The ranger was telling us to take a few steps back when the koala takes steps towards us as we have to beware of the sharp claws they have.
The koala gained a lot of attention from everyone, and even her trainer/handler could not manage to draw her away from the entrance. Even her food, eucalyptus leaves did not entice her one bit.
The ranger had to call for help eventually, and I overheard him reporting her as a rather "rude and acting up koala"
*Laughs*
A Close up shot of the cute and adorable Koala before she was finally convinced to leave the scene.
As we were about to leave the park, we spotted the habitat of Harry the Wombat
He was back in his den, sleeping soundly until his next meeting session.
Tasmanian devil which was sleeping, therefore, I did not manage to see the animal closely.
It was with a heavy heart I left this wildlife park which left me with nothing short of wonderful and amazing memories which had touched me deeply.
It was truly a valuable experience to know the wild from close and to appreciate these living creations of God.
I truly recommend this place to anyone who visits Western Australia, trust me, I promise that it is a totally unforgettable and enjoyable experience of a lifetime!~
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