Walkabout Creek

Just up the hill from where we were staying was the entrance to a National Park - D'Aguilar National Park.  This was easily within walking distance but as Toby the Golden Retriever thought that any walking involved him and dogs are not allowed in the national parks we took the car.  A five minute walk required us to drive nearly three and a half kilometres but we couldn't disappoint Toby!

There is a visitors centre at this part of the park which is called Walkabout Creek.  The park is 36,400 hectare of eucalypt forest and rainforest and is the closed national park to a state capital city in Australia.

A wildlife centre has been built (along with the customary cafe) and various reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish and mammals are on how.  There is a nocturnal wildlife in a night house and also a walk through aviary.  It is one of the few wildlife displays with platypus on display.  We were able to watch them swimming around and playing in the water but as the display is in the dark it was virtually impossible to get a photo, and they are just so quick at swimming around.

We were not at the centre for a ranger feeding time - instead we timed it when we could have joined a wedding party.  The ceremony was held in a unique and secluded (but not so secluded as we could easily watch from within the wildlife centre) on a platform out over the lagoon in the rainforest.

Of course there were the customary kangaroos feeding and jumping around.

The park is a popular venue for school trips and families and in additional to the wildlife centre there are picnic facilities, BBQ's and many tracks with walks of varying lengths.  It is certainly a great resource to have on the edge of the city.