Hong Kong no Phooey TR (Apr 2012)! The Yee's have it....TR finish #1101, 07/09

[PrincessInOz]

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Spirits of the Sky


The Spirits of the Sky show is a bird show featuring parrots and birds of prey in flight. The show is held twice a day at noon and at 3.30 pm. We were told to catch the first show as when the temperature gets above 95 F, they cancel the show.

We made sure that we were at the Arena the requisite 10 minutes before the show commences. The sanctuary didn’t seem that busy that day; but we were all seeking shade.

We weren’t the only ones. Check out the empty chairs in the front….everyone was hanging round the back.

I have to thank Pea-n-me and my friends on the photo-board at this point in time for organising the photography scavenger hunts on the Disboard. Her lists are so diverse and the items are designed to help your understanding of your camera. And last year, she had an item called “bird in flight” on the summer list. I think the practise I got last year in shooting bird in flight helped me today.



Shooting at such shows is a lot easier than shooting in the wild. The birds are guaranteed to fly within the arena and are likely to be lower to the ground.

I started off with a slower shutter speed; because I like seeing ‘blur’ in the wings.

This is a sulphur crested cockatoo. Relatively common bird and can be found in the parks around Melbourne.

This is the Major Mitchell cockatoo. More common in the western part of Victoria.

Galah.

The birds of prey were up next and I decided to switch to a much faster shutter speed to freeze the action.

Barking Owl.

I think this was the Eagle.

More birds of prey.

The show goes for about 20 minutes or so. At the end, there is a ranger of aboriginal descent that comes on with a didgeridoo and his boomerang. He plays with both and then sets up 'shop' to see boomerangs. They do make a nice souvenir and all the kids scored one.

I do have pictures...but they seem relatively tame in comparison to the birds of prey.


By this stage, the day was getting ridiculously hot. A retreat into air conditioning was in order!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Great pictures! I love seeing all the animals. The wing spans can be so wide.I love the kangaroo's tail they are huge. Sorry it was so hot. I dont function well in the heat.

 

[skiingfast]

Isn't getting an Aussie kid a boomerang like me getting DS another baseball to add to his collection of them?

Great posts tomorrow after school I'm sharing the awesome "wild" life shots with DS.

 

[skier_pete]

OT - A Mini Victorian Getaway – Day 2 morning


Healesville Sanctuary

Zoos Victoria consists of 3 zoos and all 3 provide a different zoo experience:

• There is the Melbourne Zoo, which is the really traditional zoo and is located about 2 km out of the city center.
• The second zoo is Werribee Open Range Zoo. The zoo holds African animals and you can have the safari experience here if you want. The zoo is located about 20 minutes outside of the CBD.
• The third zoo is Healesville Sanctuary, an hour out of town. This facility provides you with experiences of the Australiana kind.

Our excursion for the morning was Healesville Sanctuary.
Specifically for Skier_Pete…if you are looking for a guaranteed close encounter with Australian animals, check out the website and look at the Wild Encounters at this zoo. There is an offering for Magic Moments, which will give you 10 minutes up close and personal with an Aussie animal. They cost $10 per person for the 10 minutes and you can do as many of these as you like.
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Thanks for the advice. Our Daughter loves zoos/aquariums and we will definitely hit a few while there. Since we will probably be in Melbourne 5-7 days, we would likely fit in one of the three. The idea of having animal encounters would definitely be a plus and would also be more interested in seeing the native species, and $10 each isn't bad either!

 

[zanzibar138]

Loved seeing your pics of the Sanctuary - that's where we're getting married! Even though we've been several times for meetings with the function coordinator, the only area I've seen is between the front entrance and the function room. I hope it's nice weather on the day so we can enjoy all the Sanctuary has to offer.

Is that pretty yellow bird a helmeted honeyeater?

And how cute that they have sprinklers for the koalas! You guys probably could have used a sprinkler of your own

Stephie - end of December/January/early February is generally the hottest time of the year for much of Australia. And yes, we have been known to get heatwaves over New Year.

 

[franandaj]

Loved the pictures, looks like a very amusing time!

Skier_pete, I just noticed your ticker, you are hitting DL on your way to OZ, How cool is that?????

Have a great time!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Great pictures! I love seeing all the animals. The wing spans can be so wide.I love the kangaroo's tail they are huge. Sorry it was so hot. I dont function well in the heat.

Living here, you get used to the hot.

Isn't getting an Aussie kid a boomerang like me getting DS another baseball to add to his collection of them?

Great posts tomorrow after school I'm sharing the awesome "wild" life shots with DS.

Actually, getting an Aussie kid a cricket bat or a footy (ball) would be like getting a US kid another baseball. We have an assortment of footy's; but would you believe...that's only DS' 2nd boomerang?

Thanks for the advice. Our Daughter loves zoos/aquariums and we will definitely hit a few while there. Since we will probably be in Melbourne 5-7 days, we would likely fit in one of the three. The idea of having animal encounters would definitely be a plus and would also be more interested in seeing the native species, and $10 each isn't bad either!

Loved seeing your pics of the Sanctuary - that's where we're getting married! Even though we've been several times for meetings with the function coordinator, the only area I've seen is between the front entrance and the function room. I hope it's nice weather on the day so we can enjoy all the Sanctuary has to offer.

Is that pretty yellow bird a helmeted honeyeater?

And how cute that they have sprinklers for the koalas! You guys probably could have used a sprinkler of your own

Stephie - end of December/January/early February is generally the hottest time of the year for much of Australia. And yes, we have been known to get heatwaves over New Year.

You're getting married at the sanctuary? How cool is that? It will be a great venue providing the weather is nice.

I'm not sure that that yellow bird is the honeyeater. I did see the honeyeaters in another enclosure; but they were flying too fast for me to take a picture and hiding behind bushes. But if you're sure, I'm happy to call it a helmeted honeyeater.

Loved the pictures, looks like a very amusing time!

Skier_pete, I just noticed your ticker, you are hitting DL on your way to OZ, How cool is that?????

Have a great time!

Aside from the heat, we had a great morning.

 

[queenie82]

Great mini trip reports...


I do NOT think NSW is ok year round though. I would avoid January and February. Jan is typically the hottest month (based on my memories no stats.) Feb second most likely.
This past December it rained I think 23 of 27 days...

Then as SOON as you head inland from Sydney the temps will RISE...
Just looking at the weather for the Sydney area. On the Coast will be say 27 C and the West (30-60mins away) will be 32 C. At the same time.

So the advice for Melbourne I would apply to Sydney as well.



As for the fireworks....
I just hope you get great ones at HKDL.

 

[stephielela]

I NEED to stop reading your mini trip updates. It's making me really want to plan a trip!! Unfortunately I do believe it's slightly outside my budget... but it's definitely on my bucket list!

 

[SCHBR'smom]

PiO, I've been ignoring your trip report. Of course, I'm sure you expect that from me.

 

[zanzibar138]

You're getting married at the sanctuary? How cool is that? It will be a great venue providing the weather is nice.

I'm not sure that that yellow bird is the honeyeater. I did see the honeyeaters in another enclosure; but they were flying too fast for me to take a picture and hiding behind bushes. But if you're sure, I'm happy to call it a helmeted honeyeater.

Lol! No not sure at all! I've yet to see one in real life even though the only place they still exist in the wild is about 10 mins from where we live. I volunteered there for a whole day once and still no sign of them... All I know is they've got yellow on them

 

[franandaj]

I have a boomerang. It hangs on my wall right underneath the Batleth.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Great mini trip reports...


I do NOT think NSW is ok year round though. I would avoid January and February. Jan is typically the hottest month (based on my memories no stats.) Feb second most likely.
This past December it rained I think 23 of 27 days...

Then as SOON as you head inland from Sydney the temps will RISE...
Just looking at the weather for the Sydney area. On the Coast will be say 27 C and the West (30-60mins away) will be 32 C. At the same time.

So the advice for Melbourne I would apply to Sydney as well.



As for the fireworks....
I just hope you get great ones at HKDL.

I hope I get great ones at HKDL too. With some of the early/children fireworks shots I got, I could well imagine a castle in the background. Here's hoping!

I NEED to stop reading your mini trip updates. It's making me really want to plan a trip!! Unfortunately I do believe it's slightly outside my budget... but it's definitely on my bucket list!

Steph - if you don't dream, it may never happen! As I said before, if you do make it, let me know.

PiO, I've been ignoring your trip report. Of course, I'm sure you expect that from me.

I've been expecting it of the ignorami.

Lol! No not sure at all! I've yet to see one in real life even though the only place they still exist in the wild is about 10 mins from where we live. I volunteered there for a whole day once and still no sign of them... All I know is they've got yellow on them

That's real close! There were a few at Healesville. I think they'd been housed together (with no other birds) in the hopes of starting a breeding program.

I have a boomerang. It hangs on my wall right underneath the Batleth.

What? No Staff Weapon??

And it seems logical to me. Afterall, where else would you hang a boomerang but underneath the Batleth?

Qa Pla!

 

[PrincessInOz]

OT - A Mini Victorian Getaway – The rest of Day 2 and 3, mostly food porn

The kids decided that a swim was in order so we headed back to the resort and spent most of the afternoon in the pool. Temperatures were definitely in the 100’s in the afternoon so none of the adults complained about their plan. I think that by this stage, we were all pretty much over the heat that we decided that enjoying the resort seemed to be the best bet for the rest of the mini-break.

So, completing the rest of this mini-TR will be a cinch!


What I had for lunch on Day 2

Healesville Sanctuary is all of a 5 – 10 minute drive away from the township of Healesville. Healesville is a much larger town than Yarra Glen; so we knew we would be able to find a place to eat there.

We managed to find some space for all of us in the bakery at Healesville. It’s not the old-fashioned kind of bakery but rather the modern sort that borders on the edges of a café. Lots of glass cabinets with cakes, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, salads and focaccias.

My order got mucked up. So by the time I sorted it out with the counter staff, most of the others had tucked in and I didn’t get food porn from the others. But this is what I ordered and eventually got….chicken pesto focaccia. Most of them ordered focaccias with different fillings.

DH and I decided to split a pastry. We chose the lemon tart.

Dinner at that Pub

Given how well non-dinner looked the night before, the adults all decided that we needed to go back to the Yarra Glen pub and sample the mains. This time, we made it into the main dining air-conditioned room. The outside of the pub:

DH ordered the rockling….

Some of the other adults chose the chicken and chorizo salad…

My dinner was the rib eye.

We tried to get jelly cups again; but there were only sufficient cups for the kids. Apparently some people had come in the night before and wiped out the jelly cups.


I did check out the menu at the Healesville Pub/Hotel and the menu was nowhere near as extensive as the Yarra Grand Pub.

Sure…there might be other places/restaurants around with better food; but the food we had was great, value for money (by Australian standards), reasonable serving size and the service had been good.

Having had both our dinners at this venue, I would recommend the place without hesitation.


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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)

Around the resort


For anyone wondering about the food at the resort, they do have a restaurant on site. Just be aware that food is pricey there.

DH and I decided that we needed a hot breakfast the next morning. There was plenty on offer and these plates may give you an indication of the selection.

NOTE: We passed on the pastries and the cereal. There was a reasonable selection there.



I did take a couple of walks around the resort at twilight or very early in the morning to avoid the heat. I thought I’d finish up this TR with what the landscape looks like where we stayed.

I started out at 5.20 am for this morning walk on Day 3. Hey – those birds were loud and given that I wasn’t going back to sleep, I might as well enjoy the morning!

Around the Yarra River.

Sunrise over one of the golf courses.

The thing about starting out so early is that I was guaranteed to catch wildlife.

Those are long-billed corellas in the foreground.

Sometimes, I really like the blur of feathers!

The golf course in the morning.

Spot the kangaroos….

…providing target practise.

We got our check-out extended to noon. And the kids pretty much spent the morning in the pool and playing some tennis.
The adults were still hot and cranky so we decided that an afternoon at my place was in order. Which is exactly what we did for the rest of the day; and I have to say that we were all relieved when the cool change came in late that afternoon. Sleep was in order for the night!




I hope you enjoyed the mini-TR as much as I enjoyed being on vacay with my friends and family!

 

[franandaj]

Looks like a very nice relaxing getaway. I wish I could convince Fran to go places where there is "nothing to do". Notice in all my trips we've only gone to one trip that wasn't Disneyland, WDW, Vegas, or somewhere else that we were out every day at museums. Just one-third the time it would be nice to hang out at the resort, chat with friends and enjoy the countryside.

Sounds wonderful!

 

[queenie82]

What a lovely end to the mini-TR.
Love the morning and twilight shots. Remind me why I love this country

So glad you still had a good getaway despite the heat. It was just as hot in the city so at least you had a pool to chill in and some relaxation

Thanks for sharing

 

[usnuzuloose]

It is a relaxing at a golf course. I remember the one in Arizona, I opended the curtain to see people playing. I love seeing Kangaroos instead of the deer. Food looks good too. We are on the train. Thanks for sharing.

 

[skiingfast]

I bet that is one crappy golf course.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Looks like a very nice relaxing getaway. I wish I could convince Fran to go places where there is "nothing to do". Notice in all my trips we've only gone to one trip that wasn't Disneyland, WDW, Vegas, or somewhere else that we were out every day at museums. Just one-third the time it would be nice to hang out at the resort, chat with friends and enjoy the countryside.

Sounds wonderful!

By my standards, it was a very relaxed vacay. But with the crowd I was with, it was fairly standard.

What a lovely end to the mini-TR.
Love the morning and twilight shots. Remind me why I love this country

So glad you still had a good getaway despite the heat. It was just as hot in the city so at least you had a pool to chill in and some relaxation

Thanks for sharing

It is a relaxing at a golf course. I remember the one in Arizona, I opended the curtain to see people playing. I love seeing Kangaroos instead of the deer. Food looks good too. We are on the train. Thanks for sharing.

Kangaroo on golf courses are pretty standard here. Deer would be really exotic.

I bet that is one crappy golf course.

No bet. I refrained from taking a picture of how crappy it was...now I wish I had so that I could share.