zoo days

There was movement at the station, for the word had got around that Melbourne Zoo was now free for kids.

Not sure how it helps those of us with a membership, but if you are thinking of going to the zoo these holidays I say, get your lunch packed and go. And this is not a sponsored review or PR encouraged posts.

When we lived in the mouse house our membership to Melbourne Zoo was pretty much just our ticket to go and play in a giant backyard. We went there often, sometimes just for 45 minutes to let Popps have a run around on the lawns.

Mr H and Popps know that place so well they could easily be tour guides.

Immy, not so much. She hasn't had to be taken so often. We have a bigger yard, a bigger house, more space. So in a way she has missed out a bit on trudging around the zoo and some time with her Dad one on one, as he is usually the one taking them.

This week Mr H has some time off, he dropped Popps at Kinder and headed off to the zoo with Immy.

She had the best time, she wandered around deciding where they would head to. She climbed everything possible and sat for as long as she needed to watch each animal. At bed time she asked me if I like the stripey tigers, the gorillas or the dinosaurs the best. I am not exactly sure which ones were the dinosaurs.

The Orangutan enclosure is wonderful, most days they are up the top and will really interact with people. Some days the zoo staff are there and we have made play things for them including hiding sultanas in pine cones or adding two sultanas to a bag of shredded wood shavings.

Here is Immy connecting with one of the younger ones, playing hand games between the glass.

The butterfly house is also wonderful, this butterfly crawled all the way up her dress, under her arm to her face, before she was screaming get it off! It is warm in there, and a good spot to sit and warm up in winter. Wearing bright clothes seems to help attract the butterflies to you.

Melbourne Zoo has also had two baby elephants born there in the last year or so, we have been along to see them as soon as they were on show and they are amazing. You can get pretty close, but I am not sure if sitting with your legs over the fence is encouraged too much, in this shot they are not too close, but there are other sections where you are much closer to some of the larger and older elephants.

Melbourne Zoo really has changed a lot over the last few years. The seal enclosure is also pretty fantastic and I have no idea why but all small kids are like magnets to the Meerkats. The glass fronted enclosure allows them to see straight in and watch every movement.

If you haven't already, check it out.