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Crikey! That’s A Lot of Croc Part 2 of 3

G’day mates! How ya going?

My favourite part of this zoo was the chance to touch and interact with a lot more animals than usual. The Australia Zoo showcases certain animals on a schedule and you can get the chance to hold them and take a picture with them, at a designated area or at their home… for a price! But even with the hefty price, you still get plenty of opportunity to get up close with the animals for free. Booyah!

Vroom, vroom! The hunt is on.

And leave it to Jordan to get a little saucy in the back. The croc is amused!

We have great respect for Mr. Steve Irwin for being an amazing entertainer and wildlife warrior.

Jason does his part in supporting Australia Zoo Conversation Projects. I did my part by watching shiny change roll into the bank hole.

The croc is appropriately contained within two sets of fences so if you really want to endanger yourself with bodily harm, then climb twice, as if the first fence wasn’t enough of a deterrent.

Look very closely. The croc is a naturally camouflaged predator.

And he’s got friends!

This piggy was so adorable, he was also very tiny.

So adorable!

And we can never have enough Koalas!

Look! Koala joey peeking within mama koala hug. Amazeballs!

The little grey fluff on the left is the joey (baby koala).

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It’s a dingo! Which only reminds of Elaine, “Maybe the Dingo ate your baby.”.

Now that’s a reptile we can get close to without fear of losing a limb!

This one is not a turkey.

It’s great to learn about the animals too, from the information displays and the friendly keepers willing to explain more about the animals.

It’s time for lunch because Jason is getting crankypants!

But if you get the special kiddie box, you can’t help but be happy! Right Jordan?

We still have so much more to share, like a trip through the gift shop where we touch absolutely everything like kids on a sugar high, Jordan gets into a mishap with the Bullroarer, and I get to feed an elephant!

So stay tuned for the final instalment of our trip to the Australia Zoo. Sprinkle hearts!

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Let’s Go To The Australia Zoo, Part 1 of 3

G’day mates! How ya going?

Joining us on our adventure to the Australia Zoo, is our friend Jordan. He’s certainly a high-energy bundle of fun which is great for a full day at the zoo. It’s definitely a pleasure to adventure with more people, I highly recommend it.

The Australia Zoo is home of the late great crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin. The Irwin family officially opened the Beerwah Reptile Park in 1970. Back then, the park consisted of four acres, a few species of wildlife and a small caravan – which the Irwin’s called home. His legacy continues with his family celebrating 40 years of operation.

Oh yeah, whenever you’re going to visit an amusement park or anywhere special, you should check online for any promotions they may have to really take advantage of discounts and freebies. Another friend of Jordan, had tipped us off that by joining the Australia Zoo email newsletter, we’d get 50% off our admission fee so Jason and Jordan went to work on their iPod and iPad to quickly sign us up. This took forever because their registration process wasn’t that simple, we had to wait for the confirmation/welcome email AND THEN proceed with actually buying the ticket online! It was a tedious process because it had to be done for each person. Meanwhile, I was getting really impatient so I charmed the young man at the admissions booth to see if he could do anything for us. It worked!! I managed to score a ‘buy one, get one free’ special for Jason and I (since Jordan already completed his purchase on his shiny new iPad).

Let’s get this adventure started, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover!

It’s just a baby croc. It’s probably a good idea that the mama croc isn’t anywhere close because she might not like her baby getting petted by so many people.

A komodo dragon, sunning himself.

These parasite plants were very interesting. They just seem to stick along the bark and flourish. What are they?

If you’ve been to a few zoos, you’ll know notice that in this one, they put effort into the displays and environments of the animals. They also try to change it up to give the animals a variety and a sense of discovery which I really like a lot.


This Aldabra Giant Tortoise was huge! I wish I could have given you a sense of proportion but if I were to guesstimate, it was almost the size of a loveseat. I was overcome with a great urge to hop over the barrier and have a ride on the turtle.

Great friends make giant stone crocodiles extra fun!

Who’s next?

Well, there’s more to see in our next instalment of the Australia Zoo, so stay tuned. Sprinkle hearts!

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Garra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship Circuit 2010

G’day mates! How ya going?

A friend of ours was participating in the Queensland Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu League Championship Curcuit 2010, on June 19, 2010 at Nerang PCYC, Gold Coast, and we came along to show our support. Our friend participated as part of the Garra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy. “It is the only full time Traditional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Brisbane to have a world class Brazilian Black Belt as an instructor.”

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We had to get up pretty early to get all the way down to Nerang for the competition but we were up to it; Jason’s a big fan of the UFC and other manly things. And I’m always up for new adventures and a spot of contained violence.

Once we arrived at the Nerang PCYC, there were crowds of athletes just warming up for their next match. The tension and anticipation were palpable. Many of the matches did not disappoint as the athletes showed finesse and impressive technique. Some matches were equally balanced as the two opponents battled for points and control. In some matches,  opponents were quickly dispatched with lightning fast submissions. As the day went on, the crowd of fighters thinned but the quality of the matches became more intense.

We sat down at the front to watch our friend in his first fight and after a struggle for control, he was able to lock a triangle choke (please insert proper name) to win the match. Jason had the camera set up floor-level to catch all of Nic’s matches.

As fighters continued to win their matches, the frequency of bouts became more steady. It was insane to see one guy pretty much fight non-stop and still win with submissions, his stamina was incredible.

There were also a couple of lady matches. I would have liked to have seen more lady matches but this just might be one of those sports that don’t really draw in the ladies.

Our friend Nic came by to watch a match with us between bouts.

Altogether, it was a great day to support a friend and watch a few guys wrestle.  It certainly wasn’t anything like UFC but I think I might have grown a chest hair or two from being surrounded by testosterone.

Until the next submission, sprinkle hearts!

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