Trip to the Billabong

I’d like to spend some time sharing about a recent trip that we took with YWAM staff and students to the Billabong Wildlife Refuge, a relatively small zoo which keeps Australian indigenous animals.
We departed from the base after breakfast on a Sunday and drove our caravan of two packed vans and a bus a little south of Townsville by way of the coastal highway past the dump and raceway to the Refuge. It surprised me how quickly the views on either side of the highway turned to rural, rugged bush. Grassy brown, steep rolling hills similar to the Grapevine north of Visalia, CA. thick with gum and eucalyptus trees dipped down and rose again like the curves of the roller coasters at Magic Mountain trailing off into the distance. It was another sunny warm day but our brief winter was evident as the humidity was low and the temperature remained in the high 70’s.
Making our way through the visitor center gift shop, the entrance and exit to the Refuge, we descended the wooden ramp to the edge of a huge billabong (Aussie for ‘pond’). There was a main dirt path that we followed that wound around the circumference of the pond with various side paths that sprouted out from it leading to enclosures of birds, creeks filled with fish and turtles, and even a smaller pond fenced off to provide protection for/from two crocodiles! Many of the animals housed in these enclosures were brought here to rehab from assorted accidents and have become permanent residents. Among the most visible of these are the koalas. There must have been close to ten of these cute, fury critters we observed slowly munching away on eucalyptus leaves in their enclosures, there was even one which had a baby ‘bear-ly’ visible in its pouch.
For most of our visit there were a couple of Refuge staff members that toured our group around the facility showing us important sights and answering questions. The first stop that we made as a group was to a small amphitheater where the staff brought out some animals to show and talk about. First came the koalas, very cute, as I mentioned, but not real exciting to watch. Nevertheless, they are very interesting and fun to hold. Next, they brought out the wombats. These marsupials are quite large and look a little like the R.O.U.S.es of the Fire Swamp in the movie The Princess Bride. Unlike those rodents, these are pretty docile and have an interesting feature which was brought to our attention when the staff member turned the wombat around to show us its rear end and then proceeded to thump its tail-end strongly with the knuckles of his closed fist. This was a little surprising and is not something that you’d expect from a trained refuge staff member, but he was making an interesting point since with every blow you could see that it didn’t affect the wombat any more than if it was a tortoise having his shell knocked on. Indeed that is what the wombat has just under its skin, a strong shell-like shield of cartilage to fend off predators when it is digging its way into the ground to make a burrow.
After some more questions from the audience and a bunch of photos, we made our way to the crocodile pond where there was a nice, solid fence built to separate us from these prehistoric carnivores. One staff member placed himself on a small platform that jutted out over the water like a balcony while the other staff person entered the enclosure and managed the animals from the grass next to the water. Both were armed with a stick in one hand for protection and in the other a stick for feeding the crocs. The feeding stick had a line attached with parts of raw chicken meat to entice them out of the water and into view. This was a bit dangerous but the staff had it all under control.
Lastly, we made our way to another small meeting area where the staff brought out some of their more scaly inhabitants. A couple of long, thick snakes and a baby crocodile which, thankfully, had its jaws taped shut. Again, we were instructed about the animals, their habitat, diet, etc. but the fun part came when they lined us up and gave each of us a chance to hold them and get photos taken. Some of us were at ease, others really had to stir up some courage, and a few opted out. I was especially impressed by the courage displayed by Cameron, Sean, and Kay!
After a full stomach from a traditional Aussie lunch of snags (sausage), chips, and veggies we gathered our tired family up and piled into the vehicles, purchasing some souvenirs on the way out. All in all a wonderful day full of great sights, new information, and exciting encounters. We’re looking forward to our next visit since we were blessed with a smok’n deal on a family pass good for a year. So, for anyone who wants to make the long trip over for a visit, know that the Billabong will be on the list of attractions.