Going to the Prom again?

Wilsons Promontory National Park, commonly referred to as "The Prom," was our destination this past weekend. We took some hikes (even found one with stroller access to give us a break from being Whit's personal sherpa) and got up-close and personal with some Aussie celebrity animals. When we went on safari in Tanzania, we were fortunate enough to see the "Big Five" - lion, leopard, elephant, water buffalo, and rhino. Now in Australia, we think we have seen what we call the "Big Four" - koala, kangaroo, wombat, and echinda. Of course I realize that list is completely made up, and conveniently equals the number of native animals that we have seen so far, but let's just go with it for now (you can bet it will conveniently grow if we see more).

On our stroll through the Lilly Pilly Gully, we came upon this wonderful old tree that had been carved out by a fire. Here you have your standard "we can fit in a tree" shot. Good, now that's out of the way.

Then off to Squeaky Beach, so named because the sand squeaks when you walk on it. Pretty cool, actually.

The low boulders were covered with these beautiful bluish purplish clams that bake during low tide and enjoy the sea water during high tide.

As we have ventured into the bush in the past several weeks, we have seen warning crossing signs for koalas, kangaroos, and wombats. I have always joked that I think I would possibly wet my pants if a kangaroo pranced across the road like a deer back home. Anyway, we finally saw the best sign yet; stop wasting time and money with multiple signs, just make it clear that there are a whole lot of animals here, and you may hit any of them if you go too fast. Apparently, hitting a wombat is like hitting a boulder, and we saw a couple of dead ones along the road. They look like ROUS from the Princess Bride (I'm not gonna give you that one. If you don't know the Princess Bride, stop reading right now and go rent it.)

Drum roll, please......................................finally some ROOS! And a whole lot of them. We were fortunate to come upon a mob during dinner. And I don't say that because one was sporting a tommy gun - a group of kangaroos is called a mob. Now we're all a little bit smarter today, aren't we?

Kangaroo AND wombat - magical indeed.

I just loved this shot of the little girl and roo looking at one another as the sun was setting. Not anyone we know, just a sweet moment.