From penguins to sharks, we saw almost every water creature that we could’ve missed on out Reef & Rainforest trip at the Melbourne Aquarium. The strange part was seeing penguins from the Antarctic even though there are penguins roaming Melbourne’s “backyard” so-to-speak. Also strange, was finally seeing the commonly served Barramundi fish before being caught & cooked… That fish is BIG! My favourite was probably sitting inside the large circular fish tank watching the sharks & sea creatures swim around us.

Funny moments: A little Asain girl mistaking me for her mommy. & a little curly haired 2-ish yr old boy taking a liking to me & joining me in pointing out different fish even though he spoke a completely different language. Still not sure where they were visiting from but he was literally running across the room to his mum, turning around & shouting hello to me through a crowd of people. What a cutie.

-Cory U

Right at the beginning of the zoo stands a monument of Steve Irwin & family. It’s crazy to think how long ago this was & that little Bindi isn’t so little anymore either. Besides the kookaburra & a few other birds, it was mostly reptiles to start.

Strange enough there were american alligators to hold. All the way to Australia & they have an animal I easily came across walking around Florida while I works at Walt Disney World. I mean, where’s the crocodiles to hold?! We did get to sit on a giant reproduction crocodile though; still can’t believe that’s life-size!

Had to grab the blurry photo of the Komodo dragon for family back home. (My mother’s a bit of a Matthew Broderick fan.) The Freshman, anyone?

The cutest was watching to tortoises eating breakie together.

NEXT UP: More animals

-Cory U

Sometimes I think I share more photos of Dana than of me… We both got to hold a baby Joey Wallaby before the end of our first day. Still can’t believe how much he wasn’t scared to be passed around by all of us; I think it helped that he was being fed. Again, too cute!

Next up: Something I did just for Brother Nick

-Cory U

I was so excited to spot this little Joey that my double dimples came out instantly. My left side is where it really shows though, so you miss out this time round. But look how cute this little guy is! It was tricky getting a good photo because Mama was hungry & baby was shy. Too cute!

Next up: Baby Wallaby! Are they also called Joeys?

-Cory U

Everybody meet my new favourite animal; The Wombat! I want to somehow bring one of these cute pudgy animals home as a pet. I can’t believe it’s taken this long to see a real one (there was that Statue on Swanston St). I’m in love & I want one… Maybe I’ll just crochet one!

Other than that there were also Aussie deers, creepy emus, & albino wallabies. I hadn’t thought that albino wallabies existed until we saw them hopping around.

Apparently these wallabies a really special breed & have been taken in by this place for their protection. Breeding two albino wallabies together can just cause a mess of illnesses & diseases which tend to happen in the wild. So they’ve been taken to be separated here to breed with others where the albino gene can be passed on through generations instead. (I’m learning a lot on this trip!)

Next up: A baby Joey!

-Cory U

I only JUST found out before coming here that there are actually penguins in Australia but I didn’t realize how close they’d be to where we were staying. Just a little west to us, the St. Kilda harbour is home to thousands of these cute little guys. They spend their days out feeding & in the evenings you can watch them come back to their homes in the rocks.

It’s cute watching these disoriented penguins search for their homes by waddling around the rocks & sometimes crossing your own path. The conservation of their homes comes with strict rules including the lighting of the entire pier in the evening. Penguins are very sensitive to white light & so taking flash photography will give you a good scolding. Only red lighting is allowed.

You can read a little more on these penguins HERE

-Cory U

Beautiful & unique looking bags. By Rich-in-Craft.

-Cory U

I may be without a voice & have a nice cold to deal with, but that just means I have more time to experiment!

“Finished a Teddy Bear Scarf today, my newest experiment to add to the bunch.” (Taken with Instagram)

-Cory U

Which Rudolph do you like best? #helpme #handmade #crafts (Taken with instagram)

Working on some new bunnies. Meet Fufu’s cousin, Fifi!

(Taken with Instagram)

-Cory U