Yesterday was our copper wedding anniversary (49th) which if nothing else shows that we have staying power! We have been saving all of our pennies (coppers?) as we are building a house and need to buy furniture, drapes, blinds etc that will suit. As a result we decided not to spend much but still wanted to celebrate. We had not gone to the Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary for decades (despite being friends of the zoo) so we headed off for the hours drive through the hills and rain forests which was very relaxing. We had an hour before lunch so we set of to find some of our “must sees”. The “Spirits of the Sky” display was on in about 40 minutes time so we had a leisurely walk in that direction.

Out first display was the grey kangaroos which we see almost every day opposite us in our park so that was a bit ho hum. In fact we have had so much vehicle panel damage over the years although they are on our national coat of arms I consider them a pest!

Next was the Brolga and one of the hundreds of Ibis that scavenge in the sanctuary.

William Barak

We then walked along the Wurundjeri Cultural trail.

Healesville Sanctuary is one of Australia’s most-loved tourist attractions and the best place in Victoria to interact with native wildlife. The not-for-profit organisation is committed to fighting wildlife extinction. It’s also situated next to heritage-listed, Coranderrk. The Sanctuary wanted to pay tribute to William Barak (1824-1903), the last traditional elder of the Wurundjeri clan and influential spokesman for Aboriginal social justice. Until his death he was the acknowledged leader at Coranderrk as a liaison between the Government and the indigenous population. He dedicated his life to working tirelessly for his people, and was a highly respected man and leader to both Indigenous groups and European settlers. Gillie and Marc created a life-sized bronze sculpture that honours Barak as the brave and dignified link between different groups of people, unifying the Victorian community.

There were also heritage trees that had”canoe scars” where the bark had been cut by first nations people for river transport and fishing. The trees were always cut in such a way that the tree would survive despite the large cut.

I only took this one photo as I was so entranced, but you can get a feel for the Spirit of the Sky presentation by clicking here. This is a must see and was absolutely amazing to see fierce wedge-tailed eagles, falcons and owls, as well as colourful parrots as they swoop around the arena and show off their skills.

The show begins with the indigenous creation story of Bunjil – as you listen a Black Kyte glides around the flight arena seemingly just of its own accord! The bird trainer or ‘falconer’ enters the arena and you realise the Kyte is well trained to show off it’s flying and raptor skills. It is amazing to see so close. The opening sets the scene for the rest of the ‘show’. Watch mesmerised by a Black Breasted Buzzard hopping around the grass and smash an emu egg open with a rock, we loved the majestic Alvey, demonstrating her amazing fishing skills as she dives from great heights into the Flight Arena pond to scoop out her whiting.

Alvey is an Osprey, sometimes known as the Sea Hawk or Fish Eagle. She’s a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey and is the very last one featured in the 2.30pm Spirits of the Sky presentation. Why? Because she always flies off to enjoy her catch somewhere secret, returning home when she’s ready.

With the Spirits of the Sky display over we headed off for a lunch of a lamb greek salad with pita bread on the side (a kind of extra large deconstructed souvlaki) which was well worth the AU$18.00.

Next there were a few other exhibits that we wanted to see.

The Tree Kangaroo, native to Papua and New Guinea highlands but can also be seen in Australia rain forests. He was so cute and cuddly. Maree wanted to take him home.

The echidna reminded us of the one we had in Heathcote that ranged over the whole property.

I have a 28mm first nations hunting game where two tribes try to gain the most food. Australia did have dinosaurs but also large mega fauna that were mammals. Here is a life size one that I have tamed!

The Megalania the ancestor of our goanna was also a fierce predator shown here at full size.

This cuddly little fellow gets a bad rap because of his better known cousin:

The Tasmanian Devils were facing extinction due to a cancer disease but these ones are fit and healthy.

Of course you cannot go to an Australia wildlife sanctuary without seeing some of these.

We had run out of energy before we reached the parrot display but the bush-like setting meant that we had plenty of opportunities to see them in their habitat. Here they are stealing the wombat food!

We had a pleasant drive home through the rain forests and went out to dinner before retiring for the night!