Nice kitty

I went to Melbourne on Saturday (this is backblipping) just for the day.  I flew down in the morning seeing the East coast drift past and then flying over our snowfields.  There seemed to be lots of snow too.  There is an easy transfer from the airport into Southern Cross station and from there I walked up to Federation Square and Hosier lane (If you are interested on the shots of the lane, they can be found here).  I then did a very touristy thing by going up to the skydeck on the Eureka tower to see Melbourne from the air.  After returning to ground it was a stroll along South bank and then out to the zoo. 

The zoo itself is nicely laid out and the plantings are fantastic.  There are some things Sydney Taronga does better and some things Melbourne does better.   I also admit that in general I would be happier if there weren't zoos but I do understand that there can be some benefits (just not really for the animals in my view)

The animal I absolutely fell in love with is this female Snow Leopard.  When I first arrived she was sleeping but I popped back in on my way out late in the afternoon on the recommendation of a keeper and she was quite active.  Just look at her padded paws, perfect for getting around in the snow and her long tail to help balance on those rocky cliffs.  She made the most cat like cry, what she was after I don't know, there is a male in another enclosure not far away and perhaps she was talking to him.  She was so cat like whereas the three male lions that they had out played like my Hamish and Poppy.  Very dog like.  Such powerful animals.

Well of course there were also the Orangutans, the Lemurs, the Meerkats and the fur seals and the Little penguins.

It was then back out to the airport and the flight back to Sydney.  I have to say I had a great day but was completely stuffed at the end of it all.  It wasn't the 23,000 steps but rather carrying around a full camera bag with three big lenses in it that did me in I am sure.

Anyhoo, I have put a few more up from the zoo in the extras.