Sea Level

We never got very far away from Sydney. Even bush walking in the Blue Mountains the city never felt that far away. But we had to get back. The car was due back in the morning, and we had to board the    Emerald Princess, that as we found out later had endured some rough seas, the remains of cyclone Debbie to get back to Sydney.

Our plan was to get to Blacktown spend the night and have time to visit Featherdale, the local zoo run under the pretense of a “Wildlife Park”

It was raining as we loaded the car. It was raining as we said good bye to our Hostess, and her dog at the Cedar Park lodge. And it rained all the way down to Blacktown.

It was raining at Featherdale, but the clever folks there just happened to have an abundant supply of rain ponchos for sale, that if you wanted you could buy one for just a couple of dollars, which I did if for no other reason than to make a fashion statement, because nothing quite says fashion like a clear rubbish sack, with a hood and the Featherdale logo printed on the back….

At the zoo as we walked aboot as the rain ran off my garbage sack with a hood and into my shoe. Next time I will get the optional boot gaiters.

Some of the kangaroos ran around with the humans, and if you wanted to you could purchase little cups filled with grass that the kangaroos would eat right out of the cup, or even from your hand.

In the koala exhibit you could pay a few dollars more and have your photo taken with a real koala as it hung from a fake tree eating leaves that were harvested out in actual koala habitat and trucked in daily. All the koalas were named with cute human name like Jeffrey, and Sam and Molly and Jan. Not a drop of blood was shed the entire time we visited the koalas, so they must not be one of the 300 or so things that can kill you here in Australia.

Back at the hotel we did laundry, packed and generally got ready for the run to the airport in the morning. The actual ride into town wasn’t went smoothly, the morning traffic was heavy but we kept moving all the way to the airport where it was backed up for just a bit.

The rental car people checked in the car, and turned us on to the shuttle that for less than a taxi would haul us and our bags to the cruise terminal. It was an interesting ride in a large vehicle as our driver negotiated narrow streets, and allies, dropping off the other passengers before taking us to the port.

Being elite cruisers we didn’t have to wait in line with the steerage passengers and were onboard before the kitchen crew even had lunch ready, and before long we were back on our way to Auckland.