Mogo Zoo

 

 Daddy’s takin’ us to the zoo tomorrow,

Zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow

Daddy’s takin’ us to the zoo tomorrow

And we can stay all day!

Chorus:

We’re goin’ to the zoo, zoo, zoo

How about you, you, you?

You can come too, too, too

We’re goin’ to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

See the elephant with the long trunk swingin’

Great big ears and a long trunk swingin’

Snuffin’ up peanuts with a long trunk swingin’

And we can stay all day!

See all the monkeys they’re scritch-scritch scratchin’

Jumpin’ around and scritch-scritch scratchin’

Hangin’ by the long-tail (huff huff huff)

And we can stay all day!

There’s a big black bear he’s a huff-puff-a-puffin’

His coat’s too heavy he’s  a huff-puff-a-puffin’
Don’t get too near the huff-puff-a-puffin’
Or you won’t stay all day!

Well the seals in the pool all honk-honk-honkin’ Catchin’ the fish and honk-honk-honkin’ Little tiny seals all honk-honk-honkin’ And we can stay all day! Well we stayed all day and I’m gettin’ sleepy Sittin’ in the car gettin’ sleep sleep sleepy Home already gettin’ sleep sleep sleepy ’cause we have stayed all day. We been to the zoo zoo zoo So have you you you You came too too too We been to the zoo zoo zoo. (Lyrics: Peter, Paul and Mary) *** What an unexpected surprise. Mogo Zoo on the south coast of New South Wales is quite a little gem. I reluctantly agreed to visit as one stop on our motoring itinerary mid-way along the Eurobodalla coast. I succumbed to the incessant and enthusiastic requests. Can we, can we, can we?   How could you not? It is larger than expected with an interesting and atypical selection of animals - the white lion, the cotton-top tamarin, the pygmy marmoset, the green iguana and the red panda to name a few.   All healthy, albeit slightly bored-looking, specimens. Perhaps wild animals also look somnolent in their native habitats, only we don't see the yawns, listless gazes and lolling about prone. Animals always look perkier in the wildlife programs on the telly. Mogo Zoo is pleasantly laid out with ample picnic places for the self-caterer (which we weren't on this occasion more's the pity). The grounds are well landscaped and beautifully maintained. They grow much of their own food in a sweet garden you can peer into from one of the walks at the rear of the grounds. The glass enclosures are spotless so you can see the animals without squinting through grime and cobwebs, or wishing you had a microfibre cloth in your pocket to give it a quick once-over, as I do. (Sad, but true.  I should be in tourism or hospitality.)      It took us two hours to meander through. We could have spent longer. Indeed, we could have left three members of the touring party there!

If you need a break from sun, surf and fishing while holidaying at Bateman's Bay, I would throughly recommend a half-day excursion to Mogo Zoo.  But take a picnic basket and stay for lunch.