Befriending koalas and kangaroos

Today we headed off to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary to see several animals native to Australia.
Today we headed off to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary on our coach bus. The sanctuary has a zoo-like structure, with many animals native to Australia, including many types of birds, snakes, lizards, platypus, koalas, and kangaroos.

A few of us got to hold the koalas and got pictures with the sleepy, cuddly creatures.

In a separate gated area, kangaroos roam free. We could buy food to feed them, and many of us did. I think we were all a bit surprised how sweet and friendly kangaroos are. They don’t fear people whatsoever, but most of all, I think they’re just excited that we have food for them.

Just a few other takeaways from our visit:

Wombats look suspiciously dead while sleeping.

Emus are surprisingly large and not at all soft; however, they are probably the only bird I've met that isn't bothered by human touch.

Wallabies look like oddly-colored, smaller kangaroos.

And Tasmanian devils are deceivingly cute, until another one comes nearby at which point they just start fighting viciously.

A sunny day at the Koala Sanctuary was a lot of fun, and it was fascinating to see all the animals native to Australia but still would be considered exotic to us.​