whybother?

What an amazing trip we’ve had! It was a real pleasure to get away from it all and spend a few days together. No phones, no televisions, no disruptions. We headed west for around three hours, arriving at Dubbo in time for a counter lunch at the pub. Next, we hit the zoo, where we cruised around looking at the giraffes, the elephants, and what seemed like 100 different varieties of deer. After a quick coffee, it was time to check in!

We were met by a welcoming committee, who loaded our luggage into hand drawn carts, and led us to our tent. What a tent! Five star luxury all the way, with a queen size bed for us, and a nice comfy king single for the Mol. A heated ensuite completed the comfort factor: we were all set.

The tour guides split us into two groups: we were with two other families, and to our relief (and probably theirs), the seniors had their own bus. We headed out onto the ’savannah’, where we hand fed giraffes and witnessed the tiger feeding. We got up close and personal with Yum Yum and Cuddles, the elephants, then continued our tour. What an awesome time we had, seeing areas of the zoo that most people never see, and hearing the tour guide talk enthusiastically about his charges. Before we knew it, we headed back to the lodge to get ready for dinner.

We headed up to the ‘Main House’ to partake in the evening meal. I indulged myself with asparagus and goat’s cheese bruschetta (a dish I hope to make at home….it is SO easy, and would impress even the harshest critic!) to start, followed by the trout, then the apple and rhubarb crumble. Yum! Daz had the soup, the trout, and the bread and butter pudding, whilst Mollie enjoyed chicken schnitzel with chips and gravy, followed by ice cream with strawberry topping. We were very impressed with the standard of the food and the service.

Despite our full bellies, there was no time to rest: it was straight back on the bus for the evening tour. We went spotlighting, and were fortunate indeed to meet Mr Happy, the hippopotamus, so named as his personality is the exact opposite of happy! We continued our journey, visiting Suzy the wombat, Puggles the echidna (who likes to be patted….seriously!), and the galapagos tortoise. Truly magnificent creatures. As we returned to the lodge, we spotted a family of possums climbing a tree. Mum had bub on her back, closely followed by dad. Amazingly, the kids were absolutely delighted to witness this spectacle! All the incredible experiences they’d just had, and they were most impressed to see Poss!

After a quick nightcap, it was time for bed. We had to be up early the next day for the pre-breakfast tour!