Oh my! I think the only time you will ever hear me say that the house is quiet with 5 children is straight after I've had 9 children in the house for 3 days. It's all relative, isn't it? My sister from interstate has been visiting with her 2 boys along with her partner and his 2 boys. So in total there were 8 Boys and 1 Girl ranging in age from 8 down to 3 months. Oh, and our gang includes 2 sets of identical twins. Look!
My boys are on the right and my sister's partner's boys on the left.
It was the most wonderful, crazy and fun weekend I've had in a long time. The cousins loved every minute of their time together, instantly picking up from where they left off a year ago when we left Sydney. There was very little sleep from anyone, including us adults who spent some lovely evenings catching up on old times until the wee hours of the morning. It was so nice to see them all.
To complete the Zoo experience, we took the Kids to Zoodoo, our local animal farm/mini Zoo. While Zoodoo is no Taronga Park Zoo in terms of size or diversity of animals, it promises to deliver a Zoo experience that you won't get anywhere else. It reminds me of a place you would find in the 80's before the cost of public liability insurance meant the end to a lot of slightly risky 'fun'. We take interstate visitors there all the time and they absolutely love it.
This is why...
You can pat all the animals.
The animals will sit on your head.
You can go into the animal enclosures and wander around freely with zero supervision from any Staff.
There is a really interesting mix of animals. Next to the Chickens there are some rare White African Lions. Of course!
The kids are encouraged to feed them.
Speaking of rare, you will find our very own endangered Tasmanian Devils, 95% of which have sadly died as a result of the awful Facial Tumour Disease. These ones are Tumour-free and have excellent climbing skills.
The Meercats are a new addition! Why not? Hello sweet face!
You will then be put into an open air "Safari" bus and accosted by Camels. They smell bad and will sneeze on your head.
You will then be chased by Emus and Ostriches
who will snatch the food from your hand and swallow the bag too (and hopefully not one of your kid's fingers!).
It's not for the faint-hearted. It's a Defense Lawyers nightmare. But it is so much fun!
Isn't it great that places like this still exist?
Isn't it great that places like this still exist?
Mel x
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| Who's a pretty Girl then? |
Well this looks like heaven - never mind for the kids I'd be in like a shot! Jane x
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing. I particularly love the first and last photos!
ReplyDeleteOh my! Wonderful!! That's it, I'm coming on a visit!!!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that such places still exist ... common sense in the ascendant again perhaps, instead of the compensation culture ... wouldn't it be lovely if that happened :)
What are the odds of two sets of identical twins who aren't blood relatives in the same family I wonder ?
Looks like a great day out although I am glad that is not my leg those devils are climbing.
ReplyDeleteThose sharp claws would be a little too close for comfort for some men but he didn't bat an eyelid :-)
DeleteYou just think of all those happy memories you've created for the children! What a fab, if somewhat crazy weekend! :) x
ReplyDeleteThat looks wonderful! So much more fun to mingle with the animals, pet and feed them - not too sure about feeding a lion though! Hope your daughter was ok surrounded by so many boys?!
ReplyDeleteShe was more than OK Jay - she's the eldest and I think she enjoys all the attention from the boys :-)
DeleteGreat photos. Love the one of the two sets of twins and is'nt that lion handsome?! I always wanted to have four boys. The zoo looks like so much fun! xo
ReplyDeleteLooks like everyone had heaps of FUN.
ReplyDeleteIf the kids realy get on well together, maybe a longer stay could be organised and a large caravan could be hired or borrowed so the guests can be a little independant but still close by, on your property.
Mostly the more kids together, the more they amuse themselves and get on well,hope you can do it all again soon and catch up with your sister.
The more the merrier, I agree! They entertained themselves and all got on so well together - it was just noisy and messy. Pity they couldn't stay longer but they drove all the way from NSW and did a bit of camping around Tassie too so time was pretty limited this time around. They all just slept on the floor in the bedroom so that was fine x
DeleteWhat a brilliant place! I want to go. My lot would love it. Love the lions next to the chickens. I'd never heard about the Tasmanian devils and their facial tumours. How sad.
ReplyDeleteLove the two sets of twins. Isn't that a coincidence. My tills would totally empathise with Eleanor, when its me, my sister and my cousin together, it's tills and 9 boys. She only really feels it when people inevitably point it out to her though!
Love to yo! Sarah xx
I know, it's so annoying when people say things like "Oh you poor thing, all those boys". Ahh! Actually, she loves her brothers and feels lucky to have such cool siblings to play with....x
DeleteIts great eleanor feels like that. For the most part so does tills. She would have loved a sister. Who knows though they might not have got on at all. People just don't think. She gets comments ALL the time. For a while she felt like a real victim! Not good xx
DeleteThis sounds like a lot of fun but totally hectic at the same time! I love a good zoo. I can't wait till Imogen is older so we can take her to a zoo. I would love to go to taronga. I've never been there.
ReplyDeleteThat's so many children! What special memories for them all. I hope that they can find a cure for the Devil tumour disease...was looking at the stuffed Thylacine at the TMAG yesterday and thinking how terrible it would be if the Devil joined it in the extinct display case. Fingers crossed. Rx
ReplyDeleteSo sad isn't it - I know they are working really hard on a cure. Let's hope it's found before it's too late. Oh, I can't wait to see the new TMAG!!! x
Deletei saw your girl wearing her sweater, SO cute! oh my oh my that is a LOT of kids, so fun and exciting. and i know exactly what you mean about it being all relative, my sister would come over with her 3, my best friend with her 4 and then my 5, wheee! when everyone went home it felt 'quiet'. :)
ReplyDeleteGosh. That's a lot of children! The zoo looks amazing - I've been to a few places like that in France, but I think the health and safety people are a bit more hardline here in the UK; such a shame!
ReplyDeleteI love places like this! They are so much more fun and less commercial than their big brothers and usually a shaving of the price which counts with five or eight kids in tow!
ReplyDeletegreat photos Mel! What a wonderful place..we visited Australia Zoo end of last year and we still talk about how amazing it was. Animals are just such extraordinary creatures!
ReplyDeleteLooks like great fun! All the pictures are great - but I especially LOVE the last one!
ReplyDeleteHave a gorgeous week!
Sarah x
That place looks like so much fun! But serously, 9 kids for three days?? You have my respect!
ReplyDeleteGillian x
a literal zoo!
ReplyDeleteA lovely family catch up. and a great idea of visiting the zoo.
ReplyDeletex
I've never been to zoodoo (Tasmanian native fail!)
ReplyDeleteThe emus would freak me out
(as would 9 children!!)
x
I do love a visit to the zoo. It looks like you've got a great mix of animals for the children to see. I can't remember what zoo we went to when we visited down your way but we were lucky enough to pat a Tassie devil which was pretty cool even for the adults. I have to say that emus scare me, if I see one I go in the opposite direction. Thanks for sharing you zoo visit with us. xx
ReplyDeleteOh I've been there! It's awesome! :)
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