Caversham Wildlife Park

Monday seemed like a good day to visit the Caversham Wildlife Park in the Swan Valley. Located within a larger State park, Caversham is totally fenced in to keep predators out and residents in. It was neatly laid out in sections of various Australian birds, mammals and reptiles (not many reptiles, though). Many of the birds were in huge aviaries so you were right in there with them. A large area was open to stroll around with totally laid-back, tame kangaroos. You could pet them and feed them. You could also go in with the Koala bears and meet them up close and personal. They were also very laid back - mostly sleeping since they only eat eucalyptus leaves which are very low in energy. They sleep 18 hours a day and eat the rest of the time. They were quite adorable-looking and very soft to touch but somewhat lacking in personality. It was nice to be able to take pictures of them so close up.

There was the typical children's petting farm also with quite an assortment of goats, sheep, burros, llamas and even camel rides. The whole park was well designed and attractive with native plants and neat landscaping and walkways. It made for a pleasant afternoon. We certainly wouldn't be able to see these native animals so up close and personal.

Before visiting the park, we stopped at one of the wineries for lunch. We chose one called Oakover and it turned out to be a good choice. One of their lunch specials was a seafood risotto topped with 3 tempura battered shrimp and a tangy green salad. The flavors were fabulous and we chose a bottle of their white wine to go with it. Well, we didn't drink the whole bottle, of course, but took it home to enjoy later. John has to keep his wits about him when driving down here.