Strathalbyn, SA
Strathalbyn, SA
Visited Monarto Zoological Park, the open range facility of the Adelaide Zoo, which houses the major part of the collection of African and Asian ungulates including Scimitar-horned Oryx, Barbary Sheep, Adax, Ostrich, Blackbuck, Nilgai, Chital Deer, Giraffe, Eland, and Takhi, Przewalski's horse.
The animals here are breeding, the latest addition being a two day old giraffe
In addition to the on-exhibit collection, the Zoo, in association with the NPWS, runs a breeding facitity for endangered native animals including Yellow-footed Rockwallaby, Greater Sticknest Rat, Bilby, and Eastern Barred Bandicoot. .
The only way to see the zoo is by free guided bus tour and we were surprised to have the same guide we had had at Adelaide Zoo last Thursday.
In the afternoon she took us on a four kilometre walk through the bushland in the high part of the zoo which was most interesting and demonstrated, once again, that South Australia has flora which change over very small distances.
We encountered a lizard which seemed to be a dragon of some sort but which remains unidentified.
Leaving the Zoo, we went to Hahndorf, a great disappointment after the rave reviews that place has had. We found it to be entirely commercial and uniformly tacky. If there ever was any interesting historical sites they have now been entirely submerged in the kitsch.
On to Strathalbyn for the night.