Jenolan caves & Zoofari

Jenolan Caves
We headed off early to Jenolan to do a cave tour today. We had been told all of them were worth seeing and the brochure sure made each sound interesting so it was just a case of pick one that was at the time we could get there. There were three tours available, all taking an hour and a half and we chose the Orient cave.
The drive to Jenolan was windy and sometimes narrow and the air outside was freezing but the views were very pretty and you could certainly see why they were called the blue mountains. We were surprised to see that they close off the road we used for a period each day too. I’m glad we got through first!
The Orient Cave tour was fascinating and beautiful. How those crystals form in such pretty shapes; long strands, ribbons, domes etc., and of course the stalagmites, stalactites, and helectites (twisty shapes)? We were surprised how warm it was inside the caves after the cold air outside. Warm and humid of course, and there was quite a bit of stair climbing to do which was more strenuous than you might expect. Some fairly narrow bits too. I took lots of photos (surprise, surprise!). It was tricky because the ceiling is very high in the orient caves and to illuminate that high I needed to use my external flash but then it is so bright, you can lose the delicate lighting provided which is often shining through the transparent crystals.
We had quick lunch in Jenolan and then headed for Dubbo, checking our booking sheet for the Western Plains Zoo only to discover that we had to be there between 2 and 3 pm. No way would we make it by then so we had to call the zoo and tell them. We got there just before 5pm and had missed the first tour of the Zoofari experience which was upsetting. It has been a difficult and emotional couple of days trying to reorganize our itinerary to possibly get home again for a funeral and many phone calls to and from family. It did kind of preoccupy our thoughts!
Fortunately for us, the zoo staff offered to allow us to do the missed tour the next day if we would like which then presented another change of plan but we decided it would be worth it and made arrangements.
Western Plains Zoo
The zoo staff welcomed us to the Zoofari lodge, filled us in on procedures, gave us the menu so we could choose dinner for that night and showed us our cabin/tent. It was quite comfortable with a heated floor, bathroom, tea & coffee making facilities, fridge; everything you need really. Dinner was very nice. Three courses served at our own table; that is Giraffes, which is what our tent/cabin was called. After a very filling dinner we went on our night tour and saw the hippo, wombat, Galapagos tortoise, maned wolves, and cheetah. Who ever knew that Galapagos tortoises like being rubbed under the chin? Or that wombats like sweet potato but will chew your jacket sleeve if you leave it hanging over the edge of the enclosure? The tour guide, Helen, was fantastic. There were a lot of excited children on our bus but she managed them very well. I guess working with animals (and visitors) for so long has given her great skills in that area. After the tour all the families took their children off to bed and we had a leisurely cappuccino and chat to the guides, Helen and Greg. Then off to bed since we had to be read for our morning tour at 7.15am! A hearty cooked brekkie was at 8.30am after the tour.

The morning tour was great! We fed some currajong to a black rhino, fed a Bongo (no, not a little drum!), a pretty stripy kind of antelope, had a look at the Siamang (largest of the gibbons) on their island, and fed the giraffes. That was the best bit! I love giraffes and to be so close to them and actually let them take carrots out of your hand with their long tongue was just amazing!
After breakfast it was time to pack up and book out of Zoofari but we could spend the day at the zoo which we did.

After organizing our accommodation for that night in town, we got bikes to ride around (free as part of Zoofari) then went for a look around. We managed to catch a lot of the “African elephants talk and demo” which was incredible. The things those huge animals can do is very impressive. The elephants known as Yum Yum and Cuddles pushed over tree stumps, kicked soccer balls, pulled ropes etc. They are very good at following instructions. Next we went to see the Siamang again, knowing it was feeding time and they usually put on a good singing display. We were not disappointed! Mum and dad sang with vigour and baby got very excited and ran around, did somersaults, swung from ropes, climbed and generally showed off, often landing near or on dad to get his attention. It was hilarious! We finished our ride around then went to have some lunch before another brief look prior to our late afternoon make-up tour.

This tour was well worth staying for – we saw the elephants put away for the night, had a few things shown and explained to us by their keepers, saw the tiger put away also and try to get meat out of huge ball with holes in it much like a Kong that you might give your dog, watched the wild dogs get fed – what a noise they make! And finally, went to see the lions being fed. There were two lionesses and a lion. They were so beautiful and you can’t help comparing them to a domestic cat when they are waiting for their meat and then jump up to get it out of the tour guide’s tongs (no, you don’t use your hand with lions!). We were very close but at a safe distance of course. One of the main rules during Zoofari is that you must never be tempted to touch the animals. They are still wild animals and still very dangerous! We were so glad we stayed to do the tour we missed. It was a truly wonderful experience and I encourage anyone who loves zoos and/or wild animals to come to the Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo and spend a couple of days or do the Zoofari if you can because it is well worthwhile.
http://www.zoofari.com.au/bwWebsite/
We stayed another night in Dubbo and planned to head off in the morning to Narrandera via Parkes radio telescope and Grong Grong where we spent many a happy holiday at my aunt ‘s farm.