Day 51 of 138. After leaving Sidney we had a nice sea day traveling up the east coast of Australia – relaxing by day, we had a great dinner with friends in the Chef’s Table and woke to being in the port of Mooloolaba which is north of Brisbane about 50 miles, and the port is a beautiful harbor, busy and and bustling with many nice yachts – reminded me of Fort Lauderdale! Mooloolaba is the entry way to Australia’s most iconic experience – the Australian Zoo which was established by the late Steve Irwin and is now entrusted in Bindi Irwin and the wildlife warriors organization.
It was a 35 minute drive to the zoo and we had about 3 hours to stroll the 100 acres of grounds to see the animals in natural habitats. Above all, this was a Viking Cruise included excursion and we would have been happy to pay the admission.
The variety of animals were outstanding and the fact that you can have an up close encounter with a Koala Bears and kangaroos (actually petting them!) – you even get to see Bindi’s Dancing with the Stars trophy and her winning outfit from the finals on display.
The time granted was perfect for us to see the entire park and might have been a stretch for slow walkers, but by far an awesome experience and we can’t wait to go again.
Back at the marina, prior to boarding our tender, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then a 30 minute tender ride which included some big waves and side to side boat rocking!
Next stop Whitsunday Islands as we enter the the Great Barrier Reef!
