Into the Lions den

Dubbo, Central NSW. Crap town, great zoo.

As far as the town goes, we arrived, Ed decided to fall asleep in our 197o's hotel/motel and I bravely took to the streets to discover the town. At 4pm most shops, cafes, everything were closed but I was lucky enough to be ogled by a group of 30 something men cruising up and down the main street in a Toyota Camry. Kinda says it all really, if the sight of a slightly bedraggled 30 something woman wandering up the street and having a look in the window of the local Sussan shop is the most exciting thing in town, it's a worry.

But the Western Plains Zoo is one massive and very cool place, looking as close to the African Savannah as a piece of the central part of NSW can be. Ed and I arrived early for a morning tour (6.30) where we got to check out some of the Rhinos up close, watched a very handsome young Gibbon do some acrobatics, listened to the Siamang Apes put on a rather operatic singing display and I got to feed a very well mannered Giraffe some carrot. She craned her huge head down to my level and then poked out her long blue tongue waiting for me to pop the carrot on the end, such good manners these Dubbo Giraffes.

Later, we got to feed a very ill mannered and cranky Lioness through the fence with a pair of barbeque tongs. Apart from the thrill of getting to see one of these huge cats incredibly close I thought it was going to rather tame. Until she put her ears back, curled her lips back, fixed me with her beady yellow eyes and let loose with a gut wrenching roar. I felt an instant connection across the centuries to my caveman ancestors who were probably faced with similar situations - oooooh scary!