Oh yeah, I went there… Krazie with a K. That’s how neat it was to get up close and personal with that OTHER Australian marsupial: the koala.

I am thrilled to be visiting the Blue Mountains today, a scenic landscape area west of Sydney. My day tour with Great Sights includes visits to several attractions along the way.

Our first stop at Featherdale Wildlife Park is AWESOME and by the time I leave I’m wondering how the rest of the day will live up to it.

Aviary creatures are on display near the museum’s entrance. Shout-out to the bird-lovers in my family! (There are many.)

This little creature is totally calm when the zookeeper places him in my arms. He weighs next to nothing and his scales feel like wicker.

I’m not at all surprised to see a sleepy koala dozing in this tree. A eucalyptus diet will do that do you.

But I am shocked to see this other koala on the move. They sleep for 20-22 hours a day, so I happen to be at the right time and place when this guy change branches. Sure enough, once he settles into his new tree, he doesn’t move the rest of the time we’re there.

He swings seconds after I snap this photo.

This koala munches away on eucalyptus leaves. He’s a hungry dude (or lady).

What’s special about Featherdale Wildlife Park is they allow visitors to pose with koalas for free. Most other zoos I’ve visited in Australia charge extra for this photo op (around $15).

It’s a Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat! These creatures rock. I love their stubby little legs and portly bodies that hang low to the ground. I want to pick it up and rock it in my arms like a baby.

The ubiquitous ‘roos.

I walk by an empty-looking pen as this little guy slithers out of the rocks. In .2 seconds my lens cap is off and I shoot a photo.

Well hello there, Mr. Crocodile… or Ms. Alligator. I don’t recall this creature’s taxonomy and definitely don’t remember its gender.

PENGUINS!! And this time I can take photos of them!

This crazy-looking bird is a Southern Cassowary. That bone protruding from the top of its head will easily crack your windshield should you encounter one on the road. They also have enormously strong claws that can disembowel humans in one swipe. They’re found in Queensland and (spoiler alert) I’ll see one in the wild on the day I go skydiving in a few weeks.

Here’s a peacock:

And an albino peacock…?!

Our day trip has barely begun and I’m already thrilled with what we’ve seen. Tomorrow I’ll recap the rest of our time in the Blue Mountains and a handful of other fun places we stop along the way.

Many thanks to Great Sights for sponsoring my day trip to the Blue Mountains, which included this stop at Featherdale Wildlife Park. Opinions are my own.