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Brisbane is the capital of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populated city in Australia and Oceania. Today we were assigned to escort two different excursions, so we went off in different directions at different times.
Russell went on a five-hour “Brisbane & Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary” excursion. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a 44-acre reserve that houses 80 different species of Australian animals. It is the oldest and largest koala sanctuary of its kind in the world, home to more than 100 koalas.
In Australia, koalas have their own union. They are only allowed to “work” (i.e. interact with tourists) 30 minutes a day, three days in a row. Outside of this, they sleep 20 hours a day. As a result, Russell was not able to hold a koala, but he got a photo with one.
Russell also wandered around the reserve watching visitors feed the kangaroos. (The kangaroos are so used to people, they just lay around and wait to be fed.) He tried viewing a wombat, but they are nocturnal and hide in their burrows during the day. He did get to see a platypus, but it swam too fast to get its photo taken.
Gail went on an all-day, eight-hour “Tamborine Mountain Experience” excursion. Mount Tamborine (originally called Tambourine Mountain) is a scenic area outside of Brisbane. (“Tamborine” does not refer to the musical instrument – it is from an Aboriginal word for “wild lime.”)
After a bus ride up a winding mountain road, Gail’s group took a guided nature walk through the forest, visiting a waterfall and sweeping panoramic views. They had lunch and a wine tasting at a local winery, and got to pet the resident alpacas.
Our great day continued back aboard ship, where we had dinner with both of the current onboard entertainment acts. Tom Ward is an extraordinary Tasmanian guitarist whom we have sailed with twice before. His guitar was hand-made by his father, and Tom is able to make it sound like an entire orchestra.
Phil and Philippa Cass are Australian magicians and comedians, whom we have sailed with once before. Phil is considered the funniest magician in Australia, and has been featured on numerous television programs over the years. Philippa began as his assistant years ago, and is now his wife.
We were invited by Phil to celebrate Philippa’s birthday tomorrow, and we had a terrific five-course dinner of “California Cuisine” in the Chef’s Table specialty restaurant. We had such a great time, we completely missed the evening event of “Dancing Under the Stars.”
