Can you see him? He's right there! Some mates and I went to Noosa State Park to check out just how much better the Sunshine Coast is compared to the Gold Coast. Honestly the whole trip was a bit of a gamble. Rain was forecast during the day, and although getting wet at the beach is kind of the point, spending the better part of a day sopping wet isn't always that much fun. Luck was on our side and the clouds parted long enough for us to enjoy some nice beach weather. Ta to my mate who was determined to check out the beach one last time before he returned to the land of the Japanese.
Getting back to my first koala sighting, we saw him hiking along a perfectly modern (interpret that paved) path to the beach. We saw this nice lady standing in the middle of the walkway staring up at a tree. Pretty leaves. Oooh. Aaah. Being human we stopped to see what she was seeing. She can't have all the fun. Without saying a word the message was conveyed. "There's a koala in these parts." As I'm typing this I am laughing to myself. On the way back we discussed how the park probably pays people to stop in the path and look up at the koala so the incoming people know where he is at. There are no signs or anything, and I'm sure they try to maintain some kind of balance of experiencing wildlife without overly obnoxious gawking.
Here's a closer view of the little guy:
To be honest, I'm not convinced it was an actual living koala. He hadn't moved an inch between the time we passed him on the way in and then a few hours later on the way out. My theory goes that the park put either a stuffed dead koala, or a stuffed animal koala in the tree to help park patrons feel more fulfilled for visiting. Either that, or the much sadder theory, the little guy died a few days ago but no one has noticed. Well, that's morbid. Let's just say that he was chill-axin' and couldn't be bothered to perform a song and dance routine for every Yankee bloke who passed by. Showtimes are at 7 and 9 don't you know? (Yes, it's early morning and I should be studying so cut me a break on the rusty humor.)
Apparently the park is well-known for it's koala population. At the entrance is a statue dedicated to a koala that was hit and killed by a car a few years back. How they got the car up the tree that far is beyond me. (Actually I just read the plaque which says Harrold died from a dog attack. Who knew that dogs climb trees too?)
After a wonderful day at the beach, we stopped to enjoy just one of the wonders of this place...
Australia is amazing.