Arrival and Moonlit Sanctuary

We first set foot in Australia at about 8 in the morning. From there on it was go-go-go! We got on our stagecoach and took a lovely tour of Melbourne. We saw Cook’s Cottage, the oldest building in all of Australia. We also looked at the Melbourne Train Station, another very old structure. It was a demonstration of Melbourne’s special culture: the train station in 1800s style across the street from Federation Square, the most modern building I’ve ever seen. We also learned a bit about modern Australian culture when we had the chance to sample Australian junk food. By far, Timtams (a chocolate biscuit with fluffy chocolate crème covered in chocolate) won the vote as Australia’s best junk food.
Then it was on to the Moonlit Sanctuary. First we had a quick lunch, then we moved on to the really fun part. Our task was to clean up Rita the wombat’s enclosure. Wombats love to dig holes, so we had to put dirt in all the holes she had dug and level the ground out so that Rita would be able to keep digging. We also planted branches in the enclosure for her to gnaw on. Next we got to feed wallabies. Wallabies look like small kangaroos, but they are much more shy. We then moved on to the squirrel gliders and checked the pouches. None of the gliders had young in their pouches, but it was still a learning experience.
After dinner, our first real meal in Australia, we got to take a Moonlit Tour at Moonlit Sanctuary. We saw nocturnal animals in action, including a koala, some bettongs (small white marsupials), and a tawny frog mouth owl. We learned that over 60% of all of Australia’s mammals are marsupials, and all of Australia’s mammals are nocturnal.
Our first day was a day of education. We learned about subjects on both ends of the spectrum: we got a firsthand look at culture on our tour, and we did a lot of biology at the Moonlit Sanctuary. The amazing thing about our trip is the hands-on education. I had a great time!