Kuranda with the Folks

Mom feeding a wallaby

This week not only is one of the last weeks of classes but also I am lucky enough to spend some time with my parents who decided to visit Australia in honor of my mom's retirement.
Apart from spending some time in Cairns and on the Esplanade we all took a trip up to the village of Kuranda.

Dad becomes a parrot perch

Though slightly the epitome of a tourism town; by corralling my parents to the walkway through the Koala Gardens, Bird World, and the Butterfly Sanctuary we were able to have a lot of fun and avoid most of the interpretation and ROS analysis. Mom got an official Australian souvenir of her picture with a "cuddly" koala. The grey kangaroos weren't too active so we coerced the wallabies into posing for pictures.

Her hat is now a toy

Then there was the birds. They needed no encouragement as my parents boldly ignored signs asking hats, shiny objects, and other lose hanging objects to be put away. The birds saw everything from their glasses, hats, and backpacks as new toys and perches. 
We walked around a bit and had lunch. Unfortunately, I am feeling a bit under the weather so we called it quits there. They are headed up north for some days on the beach and in the rainforest. I really hope they get a chance to relax and have lots of fun; it's been ages since they have had a real vacation.

Aunt Nancy do you recognize this one?