Day 38: Perth Zoo

We decided not to start our southern tour right away, but to have a 'day off' in Perth instead. Since the children have been a bit neglected in the past few days due to the many kilometers we have traveled, today they should have a great time: we're going to the zoo!

We start the day by playing with Lego and having breakfast. Our campsite's next tenants are already at the site at 9:30 a.m. (check-out time in Australia is 10 a.m.) and they ask us if it's okay for them to park their caravan next to our Maui. That's not a problem at all and Michi and the kids have a blast. The Australians are really skilled at parking their huge trailers. Even in this small, tight space, it's no problem at all.

We have about a 20-minute drive to the zoo. Nearby, there is a public parking lot where we can easily park our Maui. Parking for 1 hour costs 2.60 AUD. So we pay 14 AUD until 4:30 p.m. Admission to the zoo is 32 AUD for adults and 16 AUD for Samuel. The little ones are still free.

We spend a beautiful and relaxing day at the Perth Zoo. The facility is very nice - lots of green in the middle of the city. In the center of the park, there is a huge grassy area that many visitors use for picnicking. There are plenty of animals from all over the world to marvel at. If you want to see almost everything like us, you should plan at least 4-5 hours. We particularly enjoyed the 'Animals at Night' exhibit. Here, nocturnal zoo inhabitants like bats, desert jerboas... can be admired in the dark. We haven't seen anything like this before - a truly unique experience. Another highlight was Zoorassic. There is a dinosaur exhibition at the Perth Zoo until January 2019. Various prehistoric giants can be seen throughout the entire grounds. For many young children (including Sami who had great respect for T-Rex), it can be a bit scary because the dinosaurs move and make sounds. The children receive a dinosaur passport at the entrance and can stamp footprints in their passport for each dinosaur they discover.

Completely exhausted, we drive to the Perth Airport campground at 5 p.m., which we already know from our arrival in Perth over a month ago (back then, we rented a small cottage). All 3 kids fall asleep during the drive. We cook beef stir-fry with noodles. Since there is a family bathroom at the campground, we take the opportunity for the kids to swim in the bathtub today (including flooding).