Koala Conservatory

by Kristin Allen

One of our Australian adventures since we arrived was a trip to the Koala Conservatory. To enter the Koala Conservatory we had to walk through the gift shop. We spent a few minutes browsing the overpriced merchandise with the kids begging for almost anything on the shelf. So we tried to quickly move on to the Koala’s. As we started on the path to see the Koala’s, we looked down to find Megan, in the stroller, holding a little stuffed Koala with a half eaten Australian flag. (Megan will eat just about anything she can get in her hands. Rob says she’s a goat.) Lauren was very worried about steeling the Koala. We were well on our way on the path and decided to pay for the Koala on our way out. I told Lauren to remind me to pay for it before we left. So we continued on our way. The conservatory had a platform built up in the trees so we were ale to see the koalas closer. The Koalas like to sit in the fork of a tree and sleep most of the day. They sleep for about 20-21 hours and spend the other 3-4 eating and playing. We were lucky to find the first Koala eating the leaves of the Eucalyptus tree and very close to the platform. It was really fun to see. We saw many others, but most of them were sleeping. Throughout the walk Lauren continued to remind me not to forget about paying for the stolen koala. On our way out, we returned to the gift shop and paid for the koala. A week later I was asked to teach the Young Women lesson on Avoiding Dishonesty. It was a good reminder to be honest in all we do and that often people are watching even if we are unaware.