We're going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo.

After we arrived in Melbourne yesterday, we were able to catch up with one of our friends, Dave, for lunch before moving on to Anth's brother's place where we are going to stay for a few days. The Welcome Mat was definitely out, and Nat and Woo Woo (Anth's Brother) really went all out. We also were greeted with Anth's sister and her kids who came over for the evening as well. 7 kids. 5 adults. The only one we haven't seen yet is Uncle Haircut (Phil), who we should see this weekend. Yes, there are stories behind all these names, but that's for another session.

Today, we had a trip to Melbourne Zoo. Anth, Jenny and I took all 7 kids, ranging in age from the baby through to the older girls Mel and Jess who are 11 and 12 respectively. Mel and Jess are really helpful given all the other kids, and with Aidan being somewhat of a handful. All the kids were really good. Probably the most annoying child of the day was me. I obviously didn't get enough sleep, and was dawdling behind for most of the day. There is a reason for this. The Melbourne Zoo is awesome.

We saw Gorillas, Elephants, Tigers, Lions, Snakes, Platypus, Bears, Seals and Penguins amongst others. We walked the full circumference of the zoo, at times carrying children on back, shoulders and hips. They have two new exhibits I haven't seen. There is the new Gorilla habitat, and the excellent Elephant Village where they have tried to make the habitats more natural for the animals. Unfortunately, most of the animals they have on display are endangered in their own normal environments, so we should be thankful for zoos that do this. I also managed to get up close to one of the Tigers, and I'm quite happy with this shot. We wandered around for about four hours, until the kids were worn out, I was worn out, and we were all ready to go.

Tomorrow, we head up to Deniliquin just beyond the New South Wales and Victorian border for some time with the grandparents!

Ciao for Now, Zoological Angry Dad.