Good Morning Vietnam (GMV): Darwin (Territory Wildlife Park)

Sunday 29 December 2013

Darwin (Territory Wildlife Park)

Having read the reviews at Tripadvisor, we decided to give TWP a visit. We wanted to catch the first show at 9am but couldn't wake up on time. This is the low season and we were like the first visitors at the park on that day (about 9am then). It was only later in the morning that we saw more visitors. The advantage in visiting such places during the low season is that you have almost the whole park to yourself literally. There is no need to fight with the crowds, to jostle for a good view ... it was a very good feeling indeed. According to one ranger, this is the wet season so the park's coming alive with lots of green, unlike the dry season when there's more brown than green.

The entrance fee is A$26/adult. I was flipping though some tourist magazine and found a 10% discount voucher. Happy! The ticketing counter is co-located with the giftshop and a small cafe. 400 hectares is huge indeed and you're in for a day of exercise if you choose to walk. Fortunately for us, there's a free tram service ... thank goodness. We missed the 9am Tuckertime@Billabong and started with the Nocturnal House - it was dark inside as they tried to simulate night-time in there. It was interesting and I wished we had more time to examine the exhibits but it was time to move on to the Oolloo Sandbar for the feeding of the barramundis and whiprays at 10.10am. This was the most interesting station for me as I got to feed the whiprays. As I said earlier, visiting during the low season has its advantages.There will probably be too many volunteers for the feeding during the high tourist season but for us, it was a breeze. The ranger even had to coax for volunteers. It was terrifying for some to see a huge whipray "flying" through the water towards them (Think "Jaws" and you get the picture less the music!!). Someone fell into the water out of excitement and fear!! Actually it's the bait that the rays are aiming for. Me ... I had fun - the rays sort of sucked the fish from your hand. You need to put your hand and the bait under it as the mouth is located below. The whiprays felt rough on the top but silky smooth at the bottom. We also had a go at trying to get the archer fishes to shoot the worms off our hands. Again, everyone could have a go at it as there were only 10 odd visitors there.

Next up was showtime at the Flight Deck - Top End Birds of Prey (11am) - where we got to see various birds of prey up close. Very entertaining and informative show. I must say that the rangers at TWP are very professional and knowledgeable. There was some time to kill before the next presentation at the Walk-through Aviary. So we visited the Aquarium and the Wetlands Walk. We also walked through the Monsoon Forest Walk where we saw lots of flying foxes roosting in the trees. The presentation at the Aviary was mild compared with the other 2 shows but I loved the free-flying birds and had one helluva time snapping away. Have a look at the birds here. The sky became downcast and it looked like the normal afternoon showers will start soon. We decided to call it a day and made our way back, thus missing a few attractions. It poured just as we drove out of the carpark.

Berry Springs is right next to TWP but it was closed for swimming and it was raining too. We just took an obligatory scan of the park - nothing to see from the car park - and that was it. A pity.

It would be good to set aside a whole day for TWP if one intends to explore all that they have to show.