Weather, Warringah Mall and elephant-watching

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We’ve been in Manly almost a week and have so got in to the pace of life by the beach.

The main thing that has caught not just us but the whole community out is the freaky weather at the moment. It is completely unpredictable and goes from hot and sunny 80 degrees one minute to really miserable cloudy rain, barely reaching 15 degrees the next – no exaggeration, the speed of change is frightening. When the sun goes behind a cloud, it’s as if someone has turned the heater off – the temperature plummets. The most surprised by all this is the Great British rugby league side who are based just down the road and came here specifically for some hot weather acclimatisation!

Woopie - bath time!
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That said, we’ve had a fantastic time exploring the area, lounging on the beach watching the surf lessons,  Australian Idol on TV, people-watching and paying a visit to Warringah Mall, the local (large – 300 shops!) shopping area. As luck (?) would have it, the bus that goes all the way there stops right outside our flat. Oh joy.  And last Sunday, we met up for brunch with an old friend called Harriet who used to be my boss at Haines in New Zealand and has now been based in Sydney for 7 years.  

Was that you?
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We’ve also enjoyed simply living in our own space for a while, doing our own catering for the first time since we left the UK and giving our clothes a good freshen-up! And I’ve found a most acceptable extra dry sparkling wine for the princely sum of $3.97 (£1.65) a bottle, so I’m happy, but Jackie’s still getting odd looks from the man in the bottle shop due to the fact that she keeps buying New Zealand wines. Doh! Should be interesting when we go to the Aussie wineries next week …

I don't cuddle whinging poms.
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This week’s highlight, though, was our visit to Taronga, Sydney’s famous zoo. To get there from Manly, we had to get a catamaran back to Circular Quay (central Sydney) and then a 7 minute ferry to the zoo. It was either that or 2 buses through lots of suburbs which seemed far too difficult – not to mention not as much fun. So, we caught some rays (not to mention sprays!) on the way there and arrived by about 10am.

Now, it is no secret that Jackie is uber-keen to have her photograph taken cuddling a koala, so she wasn’t over-pleased to see the notice as we entered saying that you can pose beside the animal for a $20 photo but you’re not allowed to touch him. Toys were thrown and dummies were spat out, and peace was only restored on the promise of a visit to a koala sanctuary in a few days time where you can cuddle the b***** things.

If you want the pepper, you'll have to arm-wrestle me for it ...
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(Slight aside, but I think it’s entirely possible that koala bears are simply a marketing gimmick by the Aussie tourist people. I’m not sure they’re real. They look cute but they don’t move. Ever. As the Monty Python parrot sketch would have said, the only reason they don’t fall off their branches is because somebody has nailed them there).

Anyway, great thing about the Zoo is its location with the Sydney skyline as a backdrop, and many of the enclosures are designed with this in mind. That said, we did feel that some of the exhibits seemed a bit average, relying on the wow factor of where they were, rather than the quality of the habitat or animals themselves. Indeed, ironically, the kangaroos and wallabies are better at Marwell Zoo near Winchester than here! However, this could of course be being a little harsh – we have been spoiled recently given that the last Zoo we visited was San Diego, which is probably one of the best in the world.

Oh look, we're all mucky. Back to the bath!
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Sydney Zoo does house about four or five animals absolutely brilliantly. And the best of all were the five new Asian elephants that only arrived out of their quarantine a week ago. They were working on the streets of Bangkok and begging for food until selected to be taken here. The enclosure is huge with a deep pool and all sorts of things to keep them amused, and doesn’t it show in their manner. They are clearly having the time of their lives! When we got there, they were all playing in the water – mostly submerged – and then they all dashed out to a big pile of earth, threw it all over their backs with their trunks and dashed back in to the water as if it was a race! Next, the keepers arrived with provisions which lead to all sorts of jostling for position. Indeed, one got sat on by two others to impede his progress!

Have you seen my marmalade sandwich?
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We also enjoyed watching the comings and goings of the Zoo’s family of gorillas at feeding time (raw green peppers, cabbages, leeks … nice), watched over by the largest silverback we’d ever seen. Scary! And it was nice to see brown bears so close up, and the enormous area dedicated to the chimps.

Lastly, we were treated to a talk by the one of the giraffe keepers about his role and were introduced to each of the animals in turn. Again, the design of the enclosure meant that it was possible for this to happen close up – see the pic.

Yup - guess what he did next!
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Oh,needless to say, half way through our visit, the heavens darkened and what began as a hot and sunny morning became a torrential downpour just after lunch, cheering up again just in time for the return trip.

We’ve spent a lot of time planning the next few stages of our adenture and can now boast that we’re looking forward to a trip to the Blue Mountains tomorrow, an ogling session at the weekend at the all-female national beach volleyball championships, and an early morning balloon ride in the Hunter Valley, so watch this space…

Oh, and a trip to find a cuddleable koala that’s got a pulse.