Kanga and Roo!!!!

We began our professional & cultural exchange program today. The morning started off with a chat from the Sergeant of Police at Diamond Creek Police Station. No, I wasn't in trouble for anything! He spoke about emergency response systems in place for the state of Victoria (the state in which Melbourne lies...pronounced Mel-bun ;) ). After a quick trip to the "Female Amenities" room (aka toilet), we were on our way to King Lake, an area that had been destroyed by wildfires in February 2009 (Australian summer). The climate and landscape are very similar to California so it's interesting to see the similar effects of the wildfires as well. The Californian trees that had grown there before are not growing back, but the native red gum trees are. Interesting to see how nature heals and restores balance to itself.

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We visited the Wilhaven Wildlife Shelter (http://www.wildhavenstandrews.com.au/) where we giddily pet a pair of 8-month-old joeys (baby kangaroos). So soft!

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The Shelter was burned to the ground and they are currently rebuilding their main house. Of the few items Alan & Stella (the owners of the shelter) were able to salvage from the charred weckage, they found silverware that Stella's mother had brought from England all melted together. It is estimated that it would take over 3,000 degrees F.

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The above photos were taken just after the fires. From top left going clockwise: an echidna (lke a porcupine), a lace monitor (giant lizard), and kangaroos. Few animals survived the fires. In spite of the traumatic events of Black Saturday back in '09, people are rebuilding and plants are growing back...it's a positive step, but this natural disaster has definitely made an impression on Australians and they are working hard to educate people and hopefully avoid so many casualties and losses of property in future fires.