Senest opdateret 25-09-00 22:09:32 (CEST)
[English version]
Dansk Paralympisk logo - Sydney 2000
Paralympiske Lege - Sydney 2000
18.-29. oktober, Sydney, Australien
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Aussie Fauna Sydney's critters are truly amazing. A colony of fuzzy, ring-tailed possums lives in Hyde Park, right in the centre of the city. In case you didn't know, impossibly cute possums have little pink noses and huge, round, dark eyes. Then there are the bats. Over at the Botanic Gardens, thousands of furry bats hang upside down (as bats do) from palm trees and fig trees. Garish rainbow lorikeets - lime-green, with orange, electric blue and red markings - flash past. Big sulphur-crested cockatoos perch on Paddington Town Hall. Australian white ibis stalk the parks and beaches, spiking rubbish on their long, curved beaks. And if you're lucky, or find yourself in one of Sydney's leafier suburbs, you might see a kookaburra - or hear it laughing at you. Down by the ocean, look out for humpback whales, or dolphins playing in the aquamarine water. And on walkways, watch your step: little skinks scuttle around everywhere, as soon as the days warm up. To view the full range of intriguing native wildlife, spend a day at one of the local zoos or parks. Picnic with kangaroos, cuddle koalas, ooh and aah at fuzzy native babies, or pose with a local python. Bicentennial Park P.O. Box 170, Concord West Ph. 9763-1844 Birds love this park: over 100 species thrive in the 60 hectares of estuarine wetlands, mangroves, saltmarsh, billabong and lake. The pink-eared duck - a snappy duck with a long shovel bill and zebra-striped sides - paddles happily; the regal royal spoonbill, a huge white bird, sweeps its long spatulate bill through the water, looking for food, and pelicans land in the water like feathered clowns. You can enjoy all this on the Wetlands Explorer Train or on a walking tour such as Breakfast with the Birds or On the Boardwalk explorer. Call ahead to check tour availability. Taronga Zoo Bradleys Head Rd, Mosman Ph. 9969-2777 This spectacular zoo, set on a series of slopes above Sydney Harbour, can be reached by ferry. The animals are in natural enclosures that simulate their environment. Koalas doze in leafy eucalyptus trees; bulky wombats forage around, digging tunnels. Daylight is reversed in the nocturnal house: here, bandicoots and bilbies scurry around at ground level while ring-tailed possums and sugar gliders play in the branches above. There's also a fantastic free-flight bird of prey show, set against Sydney Harbour. Blue Gum Farm Zoo Maxwell Ave, Milperra Ph. 9774-3981 Eight emus dash dramatically across the hills. They are behind an enclosure, as emus can be a bit dangerous. But the kangaroos and wallabies, all hand-raised, are friendly. Some have little joeys in their pouches, with head or feet sticking out (joeys aren't too fussy about how they jump into their mother's pouches). As well as native animals, there's an entire farm experience here. Featherdale Wildlife Park 217 Kildare Rd, Doonside Ph. 9622-1644 Kangaroos, wallabies and emus roam through the trees, separated from the visitor by a waist-high fence. Four echidnas are scrambling around on a little hilly area, digging for white ants and sleeping in hollow logs. Among the 2200 native animals here are koalas, a 4.5m crocodile, snakes and various other reptiles. The birds include kookaburras, tawny frogmouths, the massive wedge-tailed eagle, lesser sooty owls and grass owls. Royal National Park Princes Hwy, Sutherland Ph. 9542-0648 This vast and varied national park – all 15,080 hectares of it - is good for getting a look at some spectacular birds. Lyrebirds live near some of the picnic areas, and you can hear their superb repertoire of calls as they imitate every significant Australian bird, from the rolling crescendo laugh of the kookaburra to a flock of screeching parrots. Giant sulphur-crested cockatoos scream overhead, darters and herons patrol the river, and kookaburras peer at the picnicker from overhanging branches. Wirrimbirra Sanctuary Rememberance Drive, Bargo 2574 Ph. (02)4684-1112 Conservationist Thistle Stead fought to establish this eco-friendly 77-hectare wildlife sanctuary in the Southern Highlands, and aren't we glad she did: the Wirrimbirra Creek teems with native birdlife (honeyeaters, thornbills, cuckoo shrikes, bower and lyre birds); the surrounding bush is home to koalas, echidnas and wombats (walk quietly and you may spot them); and, if it's warm enough, skinks and snakes. Closer to home, there's a small native animal enclosure with some rare tamar wallabies. The odd bush tucker tour and, in season, frog, reptile, bug and mammal days, led by experts, make Wirrimbirrah something truly special. Gordon Bat Colony Literally tens of thousands of native grey-headed flying foxes spend their days in a gully in this north shore Sydney suburb: their spectacular dusk exit can be seen from various local vantage points. Madeleine Murray. |
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DHIF Paralympiske Lege - Atlanta 1996 Paralympiske Lege - gennem tiderne! |
