It took koalas and kangaroos to cure our kids from jet lag.
Not that we gave them much choice.
We picked them up in Brisbane, Australia following their 15-hour flight from San Francisco.
The teenagers bounced off the plane–full of candy and snacks consumed on their trip over the Pacific Ocean.
Their aunt just asked for coffee.
We took them to the hotel, fed them lunch, and then headed out.
We had koalas and kangaroos to see–and they needed to stay awake until nightfall!
Lone Pine Sanctuary for Koalas and Kangaroos
They all napped in the car–once they got over being on the “wrong side of the road,” but roused when we arrived.
Once through the gate, we were all eyes.
There were so many strange birds and animals to see!
The colorful birds and their “calls” first reminded us we were on a new continent.
But what about the koalas and kangaroos?
They don’t live together.
We saw the koalas almost immediately.
Most of the time, they look like the photo: asleep.
For this reason, you can purchase a stuffed koala and stick it high in a corner of a room.
You’d pretty much have the same experience we had.
We learned they only eat a particular type of eucalyptus leaf. That’s their only food.
For that reason, they generally don’t have a lot of energy–except for eating more leaves.
We did see them come alive, briefly, to dine.
What about Kangaroos?
Lots of places have kangaroos. A friend in Perth took us to view them in a cemetery.
“Cemeteries and golf courses are the easiest places to find them,” she explained.
We found them lounging at the sanctuary in a large fenced-in area (the same was true at the Australia Zoo).
The girls could walk up to them, pet the lounging ‘roos, and even feed them.
The relaxed marsupials didn’t seem to care.
Other interesting animals in the park–other than Koalas and Kangaroos.
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is much smaller than the Australia Zoo.
It was an easy and fun visit to keep the girls up and moving and thus help them recover more quickly from jet lag.
As in any zoo far from home, this one boasted creatures we’d never seen before. Here are three more:
The final “animal,” or is it a marsupial?
We fell in love with a platypus.
Certainly not us!
All in all, our visit to see koalas and kangaroos–plus many other animals–at the Lone Pine Sanctuary helped our girls overcome their jet lag.
They returned to the hotel, ate dinner, and crashed for a full 12 hours.
The next day?
Off to the Australia zoo!
Tweetables
How we used koalas and kangaroos to cure jet lag. Click to Tweet
Lone Pine Sanctuary: a great Australian spot to see animals. Click to Tweet
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