November 2022 – Three ways to combine wine and wildlife in Australia’s wine regions

137 Responses

1. Koalas because they are so iconic and look so cute (though probably aren’t)

   1. Definitely the koala as it’s the cutest animal and would be cool to meet it in person 😀 🐨

2. Now that is a difficult decision as there are so many wonderful animals from the cuddly Koala to Kanga with Roo and not forgetting wombats, possums and the Tasmanian devil … But what I really would like to see is the Duck Billed Platypus. They are such weird looking animals and I remember learning about them in Zoology 50 years ago as an example of a egg laying mammal. I’ve been intrigued by them ever since.

3. A kangaroo – but not just any kangaroo, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. Growing up in the sixties and seventies, the TV programme featuring Sonny and his crime-fighting best friend, gave me a weekly glimpse into a totally different way of life and animals I’d never seen in Yorkshire! Having written this, I now realise that for the rest of the day I am going to be singing:
   ‘Skippy, Skippy,
   Skippy the bush kangaroo
   Skippy, Skippy
   Skippy, our friend ever true’.

4. a duckbilled platypus even the name is so amazing to see one alive and swimming would be amazing.

5. Koala
   Remember having a toy koala as a child

6. I would love to see koalas, they’re so cute and at danger.

7. This would be a great prize as it’s my bday very soon!

8. A kangaroo. I think it’s amazing how they carry their young.

9. I’d love to see the quokkas, because they’re even cuter than koalas

10. I’d love to see kangaroos in their home environment as they are such an iconic part of Australia.

11. A contrite Cobber

12. Koalas as they remind me of a bear I had 70 years ago & now we both move at the same pace.

13. I want to see a koala up a tree living free in the wild preferably munching on a eucalyptus leaf with a baby clinging to its front or back and a kangaroo hopping past. What could be better than that?

14. The koala bears are so cute and lovable. It would bring so much joy to see them.

15. Flying fox….great to see at sunset before a lovely glass of wine! What could be better?

16. wombat as it is so different from anything we have in the UK.

17. I’d love to meet a Koala Bear😊 I never did when I was there 22years ago☹️ they are beautiful bears and would love to hold one and have my photograph taken!

18. I think a Koala Bear as they look so cute.

19. I would love to see koalas in their natural habitat as they are so cuddly looking and seem to look after their young so well.

20. Has to be a crocodile – would love to see these ancient creatures.

21. I think a wombat would be my animal of choice since seeing one cuddling a lady on TV, I was hooked on the cute creatures though would like to see them in their own habitat and the only chance is to travel to Oz which I doubt I’ll ever do now but I could dream through the bottom of a wine glass!

22. A salt water crocodile as I need a new pair of shoes.

23. Koala for me. They are adorable. Saw so much about them during the bush fires.

24. Definitely a koala, they need protection and support to survive and thrive.
    A wonderful unique animal.

25. Seeing all the native birds in the wild would be a dream come true.

26. Koalas because they are so adorably cute.

27. Aren’t koalas one of the most representative animals of Australia, apart from kangaroos of course? Cuddlesome, incorporating the image of the eucalyptus tree, suffering from wildfires and floods, but coming back into the fold. No, the original, intriguing Duck Billed Platypus takes number one spot here!

28. During a visit to Tasmania I would like to see a Thylacine (Commonly known as a Tasmanian Tiger or a Tasmanian Wolf) – but since they are extinct I would settle for a Tasmanian Devil, the largest carnivorous marsupial after the extinction of the Thylacine.

29. I’d love to see a Salt water croc as it’s the next best thing to a dinosaur

30. I choose the Koala because I was so moved to see these beautiful creatures cling on to life after their terrible suffering in the recent fires

31. The one I most want to see is the Moloch horridus or Thorny Devil. It looks fierce, like a dragon, with spikey skin to deter predators. It is named after the Caananite god Moloch – a horrible king who drank the blood of human sacrifice. This tiny wee lizard has some amazing characteristics, such as camouflage, ( change colour to blend into their surrounds, appearing mostly grey, red, orange or yellow) and they have a “false head” on their shoulders (useful when being attacked by enemy). Far more interesting than my home-loving kitty cat!

32. I would like to be able to see the nocturnal Tasmanian Devil. Sadly these wonderful and unique species are on the verge of extinction. I would consider myself very fortunate to see these amazing creatures and hope they will grow in number.

33. Rather boring, but it has got to be the koala.

34. It has got to be the koala. They were on television a lot whilst growing up and I learnt so much about them. They are so peaceful and like most animals, don’t have a bad bone in their body. Seeing their plight during wildfires breaks my heart. They have got to preserved.

35. Koalas as I have the small cuddly one my brother brought me back years ago and I would love to see them for myself, amongst many other things in Australia while I am there, thank you. (I don’t think they like wine though!)

36. I’ve always loved Koalas for as long as I can remember but have yet to see one in the flesh. I long to hold one and cuddle it though I’ve been told they are quite hard and rough and not as cuddly as they look.

37. Koala – because it’s a –
    Kind
    Of
    Animal
    Ladies
    Adore !!

38. a koala

39. I just love the Mistletoebird. They are so cute and so colourful. When I see a robin, it reminds of the Mistletoebird.

40. This wine sounds delicious, the taste of Australia.

41. Koalas are cool but can be a bit temperamental

42. Well, that’s a tough one. Australia has so many animals that I’d love to see from the cassowary to the koala, but there’s a bird I’ve wanted to see and hear ever since I saw Maggie Fitzgibbon on stage in London way, way back in the 60s. She sang a song then about the laughing Kookaburra and although I know the bird doesn’t actually laugh, I tried to find it, but without success, on my visits downunder. So, yes, let me see and hear the Kookaburra and remember the late, very talented Maggie Fitzgibbon, who brightened up the London stage in the days when we had to rely on USA productions while we waited for our own musical talent to burst forth and blossom.

43. Would love to see koalas.

44. I’d love to see a wombat, mainly because I don’t know what they look like.

45. I’d love to see an orange bellied parrot, they are really rare in Australia and on the list of endangered species.
    It would be just fabulous to have my paints on hand and capture the vibrancy of this beautiful cresture

46. A wombat, fell in love with wombats watching a children’s TV show years ago. That was a puppet called Willie, would love to see a real one finally!

47. A little Numbat,..no not a Wombat but a Numbat.
    A dainty creature with a cute pointy nose, short hair with tiger like stripes and a short tail that swings as it walks. I’ve seen them occasionaly on wildlife programmes and find them fascinating . I’d love to see how smooth that beautiful hair is and give one a cuddle

48. Would be an awesome experience to witness kangaroos in their native habitat very aweinspiring unbelievable experience to share also with friend or family

49. For this I had to stop a
    And think about it proper
    Cos what I’d really like to see
    I wanna see a Quokka.
    They really are amazing creatures
    With some rather peculiar features
    I wanna get up close to see them smile
    The happiest animal in the world by a mile.

50. I’d like to see a big, red kangaroo! So Aussie! So different! These animals epitomise the indigenous, Australian, wildlife to me.

51. Thankfully I spent some time in Australia nearly 30 years ago and saw lots of native animals including kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, snakes, red back spiders and kookaburra. The one scary one I didn’t get a chance to see was the Cassowary.

52. Koala.

53. Koalas as they are so sweet

54. I’d love to see a Numbat with their lovely striped bodies!

55. I would love to see an enormous flock of budgerigars – it must be such a wonderful colourful sight, as they fly in to drink at a pool or trough, with that iconic, atmospheric twittering.

56. Simple a Kookaburra, only in Australia could you have a bird such as this. There so very special 🙂

57. It’s got to be the laughing Kookaburra – who doesn’t the recall the song we learnt at school?

    “Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree ….”

58. I would love to meet a koala bear, because as an only child aged about 6, after dad had died, Mum used to go visit her friend, who had 2 daughters, the youngest of which, aged about 8, used to read me stories from her book called Kandie, who was a Koala. Eventually she even gave me the book because I loved the Koala named Kandie so much. I have not ever met a real kandie and it would mean so much if I could. Thankyou for listening.

59. Meerkat and lemurs, mostly because I’m fascinated by how they would actually look and behave when I’m up close. I find small hairy animals so cute.

60. Would really love to see and hear the beautiful Kookaburras in their native land.

61. Cuddle with a koala, a kangaroo in the wild would be amazing X

62. I would love to cuddle a koala!

63. Koala of course

64. I would love to see some cuddly koala bears in their natural setting.

65. We’d very much like to see koalas in the wild, having seen them in zoos in England and in Sydney. A lot of work went into saving them from the forest fires and we’d love to see and find out more about how that on-going work has been able to restore them to natural habitats.

66. I’d love the opportunity to cuddle a Koala!

67. Cuckaboro sitting in an old gum tree! To remind me of my girl guide songs!

68. I would like to meet a Kangaroo cos I’ve never met a Kangaroo before!

69. I love robins. To see scarlet robins in their natural habitat would be wonderful. A British Christmas card icon any time of the year. Love it.

70. I would love to see many native aussie animals in their native homeland including the koala which I recall treasuring, as a youngster, a lovely koala brooch which someone bought me as a present. It felt like my adopted pet.

71. A kangaroo. Having toured Australia during our ‘Round the World’ adventure 20 years ago we saw many kangaroos from the comfort of our coach so the opportunity to get up close would be amazing.

72. Its got to be Kangaroos

73. my future husband!

74. AS Australia has some of the most poisonous snakes in the world I would love to see some as I have a love hate relationship with snakes. Hopefully not in the wild, it would have to be at Steve Irwins zoo near Brisbane.

75. I would love to see Koala bears. Wonder if they look as appealing in real life.

76. I’d love to see a kookaburra – as in the song!

77. A QUOKKA ….so cute and they smile 😀 Related to a wallaby/kangaroo…. Would love to see them in their natural habitat in Australia! ( Even the name is great & one of the best Scrabble words too ! ) What’s not to love ???

78. I’d love to see a Platypus – such and amazing amalgam of an animal – got to be seen to be believed

79. It’s just got to be the Koala! The photos and videos of injured Koalas during the firestorms earlier this year must resonate with anyone who watched them; I’m glad the rescuers efforts were rewarded with so many saved.

80. Love koalas but would love to see all the different parrots and parakeets of Australia

81. I would love to see a koala 🐨 up close as they are soooo cute.

82. Quokka is an animal I would be interested to see, it is not widely known.

83. A koala please- so adorable

84. Hard to choose but I think my favourite would be the duck-billed platypus. I was given a toy one 50+ years ago by a family friend who visited Australia and am fascinated by them.

85. The koalas as they were almost wiped out in manynplace during all the fires. Also my goddaughter and her hubbynand 3 children live near Melbourne so we could combine it was th visiting them as I have only seen them twice in 8 years when they visited the uk.

86. I would love to cuddle a Koala

87. Would love to see a koala in its natural habitat but would also like to see a duck-billed platypus. I have a pen& ink drawing of one, given to me by a local artist, on my travels in Tasmania over 30 years ago

88. A Koala Bear because it’s in danger of extinction.

89. A kangaroo since they are so iconic for Australia. They look so cute but can be really agressive if you get too close especially when they got young ones to protect so would just have to observe from a distance 🙂

90. I would love to see a nice bouncy kangaroo and maybe see a Joey as well

91. There are many wonderful animals in Australia, but I would love to see a Koala because they are such beautiful animals, very cuddly and affectionate.

92. Duck billed platypus because it is one of the few Aussie animals I have not seen as a living animal

93. Kangaroo every time, very graceful and they look so proud when they are hopping around. Skippy was one of my favourite programmes when I was a little girl and it’s something that stays with you forever.

94. Koalas – There is less than 60,000 Koalas remaining in Australia today and it could be as low as 33,000. So I would love to see them before they disappear completely

95. It has to be the duck-billed platypus doesn’t it? A creature so strange, alien and unique to Australia that I would happily cross half the world to observe its plashy progress through the creeks and billabongs of the land of Oz.

96. I’d love to see a koala as my auntie who emigrated to Australia in 1970 sent me a toy koala for my 9th birthday in 1971 and it seemed such a strange looking ‘bear’.

97. I remember seeing a boxing kangaroo in a circus when I was young, fighting challengers from the audience, but would love to see one in its natural surroundings. Koalas also fascinate me as they look so cuddly.

98. I’d love to see a wombat because they look so cuddly. That would be really special.

99. Koalas. I have held one in captivity but would love to see them in their true habitat

100. Koalas in their natural habitat. Very difficult to spot apparently!

101. I know my choice is a bit obvious, a cliché if you like, but the Aussie animal I would most like to see in its native habitat is the koala, which is neither cuddly nor a bear. Their natural habitat is fast disappearing due to the loss of their food source – eucalyptus trees – so I would like to see some in what is left of their native homeland before the only ones remaining are those in zoos.

102. I would love to see a Koala Bear..it was heartbreaking to hear how many died in bush fires and it must have been horrendous for the firefighters (so brave) and the rescue teams.

103. It has to be a Wombat, they are adorable and even the name conjures up a cuddly toy like animal! There is nothing else like it.

104. I would love to meet the now endangered brightly coloured Swift Parrot. This parrot flies to Tasmania from the Australian mainland in Spring to nest and feed on flowering Tasmanian Blue gums. As I am lucky enough to be Mum to a couple of parrots myself and with the surname Swift this would be my ideal meet and greet.

105. The Black-flanked Rock-wallaby is now endangered and I would be honoured to meet and make friends with such a beautiful creature. Definitely my first choice although with the many animals and species of birds that Australia has I would have a fantastic time meeting as many as I possibly could.

106. Has to be skippy the kangaroo would be so nice to see them in the outback and they are such a wondeful animal so skippy lets hope we win!

107. Koalas , as I move at the same pace!

108. The duck billed platypus, so unusual and intriguing. Original specimens sent back to England were thought to be hoaxes, and you can see why.

109. It would have to be a kangaroo, what other animal better epitomises Australia?

110. One of Skippys descendants would be my dream – used to love that show !

111. Just has to be the Koala bear, especially after seeing them during those awful fires it was heartbreaking.

112. I would love to see a Tasmanian devil, just to see how they react with humans

113. Koalas look impossibly cute so would love to see those!

114. I would love to see a kuala with its babies because the looks so cute & be able to stroke one.
     Also l would love the chance to go to Australia & see my best friend & neighbour from 43 years as go do fingers crossed

115. I would love to see all of Australia s animals but the elusive platypus is on my wish list. All the footage of the platypus fascinates me.

116. Koalas are wonderful and cuddliest animals. My wife and I had the opportunity to hold these cute creatures during our tour of the east coats of Australia during January 2020, this also coincided with a wine tour of the Morning Peninsula around the Melbourne area (would recommend this)

117. For me it would have to be a kangaroo, would absolutely love to see them in their own habitat not a zoo.

118. Koalas they like so cute and I would love to get close to one

119. The stripey little Numbat
     Is something peculiar to wonder at

     His pointy little nose
     So delightful in repose

     You’ll have to be quick to see him
     as he scrapers through the bush ..

     Such a canny little creature
     Bet he could teachya …a thing or two

120. As a child I loved saying “duck billed platypus” it always sounded so exotic and I thought I was very grown up that I had actually heard of one. It’s something that has never left me. However,, in my Silver years I still have never seen one in the flesh so that would be my choice. As an aside when my niece was a baby someone bought her a comfort toy and it was “Platypus”. She still has it and she’s 28 now!

121. A wallaby for sure, seem so curious and intelligent

122. I don’t think I have ever seen a platypus so that is what I would love to come across. It looks really strange with its duck bill and webbed feet. Apparently, it can sleep for 14 hours a day and live for 17 years! Their pelts are both warm and waterproof, so I imagine early settlers used to hunt them although they would have had to watch out for the venom which it delivered from a spur on its heel! They are not very big so it would have taken a number of pelts to make a cloak or coat! Platypuses are not an endangered species, but they are in the “Near Threatened” status. There are believed to be 300,000 left in the world and they are mainly in Australia. The only captive ones are in San Diego Zoo.

     I just might get to see one as my cousin lives in Eastern Australia where they are mostly found. So, Wagga here I come!

123. I’d like to see a Numbat
     The likes of which you’d wonder at..,
     It’s pointy little nose
     So delightful in repose
     it swaggers through the bush
     Tail high and totally unrushed.
     An exquisite little creature
     Who would surely want to meetcha!

124. Koalas they are just so sweet. I would love to cuddle one.

125. Joey in thr pouch of Mum.

126. I’ve fond memories of cuddling a wombat when I was young – so think I’d like to go back in time and do that again!

127. A koala . My Australian family tell me that they are now an endangered species which is so sad and of concern. When I was a little girl ( late fifties) my Aunt went out to Australia on the £10 deal and, after two years, brought me back a koala muff which I have to this day.

128. A wombat as they look so cuddly

129. My friend in Perth sent me a photo of kangaroos on the beach at Lucky Bay, so I’d like to be lucky and see them there too one day!

130. In the zoo on the Hamilton Islands we saw a wombat which we fell inlove with. Would love to see one in the wild.

131. Wouldn’t it be great to meet a Koala? Firstly because they look so cute and cuddly, almost like a teddy bear. But also because they are just such “Zen” animals – they always look totally chilled out and content. What’s their secret? Can you learn it by gently gazing into its eyes and hoping that the solutions will suddenly pop into your mind?

132. I have a soft spot for the Kookaburra. First as a result of the song, learned as a Girl Guide and sung with great enthusiasm at camp fires. Then the first time I saw the bird itself, during a trip to Australia. We were camping out in the bush and, apart from their song, what endeared the birds to me was the fact that they catch snakes and keep their numbers under control. Snakes are NOT my favourite Aussie creature!

133. I would love to see koalas and wombats. There are a couple of reasons why – firstly, I was so upset to see what happened to many animals in Australia in the awful fires that happened a couple of years ago. I felt so helpless and distraught and particularly remember the koalas as they were given a lot of publicity on UK TV – the images remain with me to this day. My nephew, who lives in Melbourne, shared a reliable link on FB to make donations to help the recovery programme and I felt that was one way I could help.
     The second reason is because of a TV programme that used to come on Children’s TV way back in the 60s called Tingha and Tucker, Koala Bear puppets, who appeared with their friends Willy the Wombat, Kiki the Kangaroo and Katie the Kookaburra. The presenter was known as Aunty’s Jean. I adored that programme as a child and all these years later still think of the characters very fondly.

134. I’ve met Big Bubs the wombat at Caversham Wildlife Park in Perth, Australia. She is gorgeous. But I would love to meet a wild wombat too.

135. I’d love to see a platypus in the wild.
     Years ago on my one visit to Australia I saw one in captivity, which was sad, so I’d love to see one living free.

136. Hoping to see a Tasmanian Devil when we visit Australia next year!

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