Leaving the South Coast

Wednesday morning it was time to head home from Australia’s South Coast. But not before squeezing in another adventure (or two).😁 Our first stop for the day was In Batemans Bay, a one hour drive north of Narooma.

^{A three hour drive without stops.}

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Catch up on our coastal adventures here: Part One, Part Two and Part Three.

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With a population of about 16,000, Batemans Bay is the largest seaside community between the Australian cities Wollongong and Melbourne. Because of this, the town is a service and commercial hub of the coast. Compared to Narooma (our base for this trip to the coast), Batemans Bay is very built up with a small mall, national and international fast food chains, and people everywhere. The town is a popular spot for both retirees and holiday makers.

After the serenity of Narooma, Batemans Bay was a bit overwhelming. However, there was one attraction on our Batemans Bay list. Our destination for the morning was Birdland.

^{The main entrance.}

Birdland is a small animal park/zoo that houses birds (of course) and Australian wildlife. We had visited here in 2009 and had an enjoyable time, so wanted to return. Sadly, the park was way more run down than I remembered.

One positive thing, the facility does a lot of rescue and rehabilitation work. Their wedge tailed eagle was brought to the park and cared for after being injured (it had lost its ability to fly). All of the wombats in the park were also being cared for to later be released back into the wild.

Let’s have a peek at the animals we visited.

^{The park was filled with free roaming peacocks. They were all over and entered/exited all of the other exhibits at will.}

^{More cool birds, including a black cockatoo and kookaburra.}

^{Oh dear... deer!}

^{The emu... a human sized chicken that wants to murder you. 🤣😂🤣}

^{Kangaroos. Adults and babies!}

OK... so all of these animals are great. However, they were NOT the reason for our visit. Only one special marsupial brought us to Birdland.

The wonderful wombat.

^{Wombats are THE BEST}

Wombats are quadruped (walking on four feet) marsupials. Adults can get up to three feet long and weigh up to 75lbs. The animals live in deep burrows and are quite common throughout Australia. Though certain wombat subspecies are threatened.

Because wombats live in burrows they are often protected from the bush (forest) fires that rage throughout Australia in summers. Wombats in the wild can live up to 15 years. In captivity they live to about 20. One of the biggest threats to wombats is being struck by cars.

Which brings us to Adelaide the wombat.

^{Uncontrollable cuteness.}

Adelaide’s mother was hit by a car. At the time Adelaide was just a tiny joey, still inside her mother’s pouch. Whenever wombats or kangaroos are hit by cars people come along and check the pouches for joeys. Adelaide was rescued from the pouch and taken to Birdland where she was hand raised.

She is very tolerant of people.

^{Watch out dachshunds! Baby sister coming home from Australia! 😂🤣🤣}

When Adelaide gets more bitey, that will be the sign she is ready to be released into the wild. (Biting and general feistiness are a sign of sexual maturity and a desire to breed.) The staff will also wait for a rainy week. The rain encourages the growth of grasses wombats eat. This way Adelaide will have the maturity and the food to survive on her own.

^{We would happily take her home too!}

Birdland Staff will drive Adelaide (and the facility’s other wombat rescues) to a secluded and pristine spot in the bush. The spot is near a river and we were told plenty of other wombats live nearby. Wombats (even those raised by people) do well readjusting to life on their own.

Random Wombat Facts:

• Wombats have cubed shaped poop! They are slow digesters, so their fecal excrement lacks moisture. This, and the compression the food receives in their digestive tracts, creates cube shaped poop! 😂🤣
• Their pouches face backwards. The opening to a wombat’s pouch faces the animal’s rear. This keeps dirt out of the pouch while wombats dig.
• Wombats will defend their burrows to the death. Wombats are very docile creatures... until a fox or another predator tries to enter their burrow. In these instances, wombats will use their hind quarters thrusting all of their weight against invaders to crush them.
• Ancient wombats were GIGANTIC! Prior to the arrival of people to the Australia, diprotodons roamed the continent. Direct relatives to the modern wombat, these marsupials were bigger than cars!
  
  

The wombat... cute and fascinating.

With our goal achieved of seeing/holding a wombat, it was time to drive back to Canberra. Overall our adventure to the South Coast was excellent. Warm sun, beautiful views, cuddly animals... it doesn’t get any better. 😍

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All photos are my own. Taken on an iPhone 7, November 2019.

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