Crikey! I'm going to get a lobotomy soon. It's the only way to stop saying Crikey! Believe me, it's best.

The Australia Zoo bills itself as the #1 tourist attraction in all Australia. That's a tall order, but they deliver value for money. And they are big on cool experiences, even for the Aussies in attendance.

There's no missing who owns the joint. Steve's plastered all over the place, holding crocs, cuddling tigers or being hung by snakes. There are all manner of goods available w/Steve, his wife and even his tiny daughter (you remember the one ...) on it. All are holding crocs. All. Crocs rule! The brand is safe.

Crocodile Hunter and Tiger Shark (includes Remora!)

So, we were here on an overcast, mostly stormy day-before-Australia-Day day with very light crowds. Even with the downpours, it was a great way to see everything without the usual mob (and I don't mean the group noun for kangaroos!)

In fact, Steve himself was here! We encountered him early on when he rode up on a motorbike and took a small baby for a high-speed ride around the park in the rain. I am not making this up.

Where to begin!? The animals are very accessible. For example, the kangaroos have a habitat that people wander through, feeding them at every turn. They are quite extraordinary creatures. Very expressive and with a body mechanics you can't turn away from. We saw many females with joeys in pouch, and one with a joey peering out, taking in the world. All these females were quite tame and loved to eat food out of people's hands.

I saw two females take turn sniffing at each other's buldging pouches. I asked the ranger-person about this and she allowed as how that was unique in her experience. She had seen it too and was amazed. Females generally do not allow any other animal near their pregnant pouches. Just then, as if on cue, the two kangaroos being discussed threw their arms around each other. Perhaps they were having fun at our expense?

The Koalas were adorable, of course. Stoned out little yodas with tree branch wedgies. The word Koala comes from the aboriginal and means "no drink". Indeed these little teddy bears never drink. Ever. Their diet gives them sufficient moisture, but little energy, hence the 20+ hours of naptime each day.

We managed to see the Tasmanian Devils for about a minute before buckets of rain drove us to cover. They are omnivorous little beasties with poor eyesight and sharp teeth. The introduction of dingoes to the mainland drove them out of business there. Tasmania is their only home now.

The dingoes weren't all that exciting. Just dogs really. We also missed out on the wombats, although not out of boredom. There were elephants, emus, camels, birds of prey and venomous snakes too. Our heads were spinning by the end and we had to vacate.

I must make special enthusiastic mention of the Cassowary. It is a well-established theorem nowadays that dinosaurs evolved into birds. This was controversial, tho, until not too long ago. One look at a Cassowary is all it would take to convince anyone of the truth of the proposition. They are feathered dinoraptors. The ones we saw were buddhist. They were constantly walking counter-clockwise around trees.

We sat through a show in the Crocoseum. It was a croc show, hosted by the Crocodile Hunter himself! Mostly, though, it was his wife having fun at his expense. It was the usual baiting and dodging of a large crocodile. Ho hum. Steve managed not to be et yet again.

Crickey!