After two weeks of sailing on the Royal Princess, my last disembarkation is in Sydney. My cruise is over, but not my adventure.
I caught a taxi to the Grace Hotel, stored my luggage, headed back to Circle Quay where I caught a ferry to Taronga Zoo.
Australian animals, including dingoes, koalas, kangaroos, sugar gliders, bandicoots, echidnas, Tasmanian devils, wallabies, emus, spinifex-hopping mice, wombats, quokka, and, most of all, platypus, have always fascinated me.
The ferry docked a short walk from the zoo's rear entrance. I could see many of the Australian animals as I strolled along. A lifelong dream since I was six and won a Walt Disney animal photo book has been to see a platypus. And this day, I was determined to find one.
I asked several zoo personnel where the platypus is housed. Finally, a young woman pointed me to the nocturnal house.
I walked past spinifex-hopping mice, potoroos, yellow-belied gliders, ghost bats, and bilbys. As fascinating as each animal was, I kept looking for the platypus. I was almost at the exit, thinking I had missed it, when I saw a little platypus swimming in a large water-filled home with its duck bill, beaver tail, and webbed feet. I stood for at least 20 minutes watching them swim, dive, and then surface again.
My life-long wish had become a reality. I spent most of the day at the zoo, taking in the beauty of the atmosphere, the animals, and the views of Sydney Harbor.
The next day, I took a tour of Sydney with six other people in a small van. We visited different neighborhoods, learned about the city's history, and visited where the Pacific Ocean meets Sydney Harbor, and Rose Bay Beach.
I had a wonderful time in Sydney and suggest anyone take a cruise to start and end in Sydney, where they can spend a few days exploring.
Princess Cruises offers several New Zealand and Australian adventures from two to 29 days. Click here for more information.
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