Getting close to the wildlife - Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia - Half Lap, Part 7

Hi everyone, welcome to Part 7 of my half lap of Australia. Last week you might remember we arrived in Darwin, the capital city of Northern Territory in Australia's north, and explored some of Darwin's war history. 

 Darwin is a big city, but there are plenty of opportunities to see wildlife not far out of Darwin.  Here is a map to show you where we are heading to, the places circled.

 First off, the Territory Wildlife Park. 45 kilometres south of Darwin (the purple circle in the left of the map), this is a fabulous place to get close to wildlife, so I suggest arrive early and plan a full day excursion. (Opening times 9am - 5pm, entry fees, and concession rates, apply).  

 The park is spread over a large area, and if you get tired walking to the exhibits there is a free shuttle tram that runs continuously around the 4km circular route. There are various feature presentations and keeper talks. Some are included with your entry fee, whilst you can pay extra for other close up encounters. 

We opted for the morning Woodland Wallaby Muster, Buffalo Banter and the Flight Deck Nature Display, before exploring on our own.  And as it was "rather" hot, we decided to take the tram.

Here we are at the Wallaby feeding station. Judging by the languages being spoken around us this is very popular with overseas tourists. I think we were the only Aussies there.  You certainly can get close to the wallabies. Due to the dense bush in the Northern Territory they tend to be smaller wallabies, rather than the larger kangaroos. All females in this feeding enclosure.

Next up the buffalo feeding. They are given a small feed of hay and carrots to get them to come near the fence. Look at the size of the horns on those guys. 

Water buffalo are a major environmental disaster to the Northern Territory.
About 80 domesticated water buffalo were brought to the Northern Territory of Australia from Indonesia between 1825 and 1843 to provide draft animals and dairy products for early settlers living in isolated settlements there.

Before the buffaloes came to Australia there were no large or hooved animals in Australia. Their wallowing severely damages aquatic plants, and causes erosion making habitats uninhabitable for native wildlife, their swim channels cause salt water to come into the fresh water plains, nesting of birds and crocodiles is impacted, they spread weeds, eat vast amounts of vegetation, and also carry diseases which can infect domesticated cattle.


Despite eradication programs their numbers still increase. In 2008 the wild population was estimated to be 150,000. Sobering statistics.

Our next stop was the Flight Deck for a bird display which was excellent. Though a little difficult to get photos of the birds flying in and out. Very well trained! 
Clockwise from top left below you can see - emu, Barn owl, jabiru (black-necked stork), and a stone curlew.  Due to their colouring the stone curlews are difficult to see in their natural habitat.

Our next stop was the Nocturnal House. No photos in here I am sorry, due to the dim lights. But it was nice to get out of the sun. We had lunch in a shaded picnic area and then took the train to the Billabong, which was very shaded and peaceful with a couple of pelicans floating serenely along.

 
From here we walked across to the Monsoon Forest walk and the walk-through aviaries which fantastic. The monsoon forest walk starts with a movement activated mini demo of the monsoon complete with rain and thunder.  I wish I could show you the demonstration.

In the walk through aviaries there were lots of birds and identification panels, including one of the largest domed walk through aviaries in the southern hemisphere. 
In this aviary you walk up along a raised platform up through the trees. Truly wonderful and probably my favourite part of the park.  

 Here is a video in the aviary - you might have to turn up the sound to hear the birds

We were thrilled to see the Gouldian Finch. Australia's most colourful bird, they are endangered in the wild, so the location of wild colonies is protected.

Next up was the Aquarium, where you can see a big salt water crocodile. We thought it must be a model, and then it moved. You wouldn't want to come face to face with one of these guys in the wild. Being that close, even through glass, gave me the shivers.  This photo really doesn't give a true indication of its size. The many information panels had lots of information about the salt water estuarine crocodiles, which are very dangerous and will eat you. There is no swimming in the Northern Territory except in places which are designated free of crocodiles, though even then you need to be careful and be aware of signage. 

I loved these beautiful hangings at the bus stops - I think paper mache  

And this gorgeous tree orchid - Dendrobium dicuphum

On our way back to Darwin we had a cool refreshing swim at Berry Springs. No crocs here! 

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you have enjoyed our visit to the Territory Wildlife Park. I recommend it if you ever visit Darwin. 
More information here - Territory Wildlife Park

Next week I will take you on another wildlife experience at Corroboree Billabong east of Darwin where we go for a boat cruise to see wildlife, including crocodiles, in the wild!

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit

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