Canberra Wildlife.

[Slartibartfast]

G'day all! 2 weeks break and we're back at school in NSW!

Escaped the rain to Canberra where it was sunny and warm(!?) and had a great time. Visited all the usual attractions including the War Memorial which was superb but the most memorable sight was this (below) which we saw on our way to the CSIRO laboratories at the base of Black Mountain.

Yes, it's an Alpaca and it looked quite serene as though it does this every day and was not in any way unusual.

The alpaca we had called Tooheys (long Neck) at a former school of mine had trouble staying in a field never alone the back of a car!

I hope it had it's seatbelt on! Maybe the driver has trained it to let him know if it's safe to change lanes!

[cactus155]

Not a big car for an Alpaca really. Not much head room.
Glad it sounds like you had a good break. Did you visit Questacon whilst in Canberra?

[Slartibartfast]

No sadly Andrew - I was with my brother who was called back to Holsworthy early. Maybe next time if I don't take him.

I had a mate that had a Mazda like the one shown and he always said it had heaps of headroom. Clearly not enough for everyone!!!!!

[Vick]

Richard

Had to smile when I saw this post, my son plays football in a Canberra competition. The first Saturday of the school holidays we had to travel to Canberra to a gala day. On our way home Matt (12 years old) yells "mum look at the alpacha in that car", low and behold across the road was a brown alpacha in a red car. Has to be the same one as you have photographed. As we will be travelling to Canberra most Saturdays during the football season we must keep an eye out for (the alpacha in the red car)!!!

Vicki

[Slartibartfast]

Ha! That's hilarious Vicki!!! It's got to be the same one. We saw it on the Tuesday of the 2nd week of the holidays and I thought I was halucinating from the cold when we spotted it.

Maybe thats how they are taken to customers in the ACT like Pizza Hut home delivery!

[Xenon]

A few years back, we bought the kids a Merino sheep for $50, for a Christmas present. A few months later, we bundled Barbara into the back of an old Toyota Corolla hatchback and took her to the local show. Blow me down if she didn't win a ribbon (2nd coloured sheep-ewe). We didn't know the ropes, and found out too late that she was (then) eligible for Reserve Grand Champion.

[Slartibartfast]

Congratulations to Barbara! Have you been tempted to enter her in any other shows since? Sounds like she's up there with the best! Great name also. We picked up a calf from Avondale College years ago and took it to the school Ag plot in the back of the only car available - a Holden Barina. Funny, it didn't look that big in the field.

It tickles me pink when animals have everyday human names like Barbara especially when they've done something silly and your telling someone who doesn't know who your talking about - hence Brian the school goat.

My brother has a mate in the army who's Old English Sheep dog's name is 'Mr. Wilson" my sister has a mad Corgi called "Ernie" & an elderly lady who's house backs onto the bike track at West Gosford has a Jack Russell called 'Ian".

I heard her reprimanding Ian at the top of her voice a couple of weeks ago for 'going' on the garden and to stop humping the neighbours cat when it visits - no word of a lie. I was on my mountain bike and I nearly fell off. If I didn't see who she was talking to I would have assumed it was her husband!

[Lis]

My animals have boring traditional pet names, but my brother named his kelpieX, Tony, and it really suits him, he is pretty smart too, I know of another Bitsa dog called Bert, he is more of a Bertle, though, just a big woosy softy, great natured dog. I like your stories Richard, but I want to know if you brothers mate has a kid called Denis, and calls out "Mr Wilson", and blames the poor dog for all the mischief.
cheers Lisa

[Slartibartfast]

I'm sure he does! I'll find out.

[Xenon]

SBF- yeh we entered Barbara in the same show the next year but didn't get a look-in; a slick outfit from out of town cleaned up all the coloured sheep awards.
Barbara was such a boof-head. We have wooden steps running off the verandah to the backyard. The ground underneath slopes down at a less oblique angle, so we get home one day to find Barbara with her head hopelessly stuck between the steps and the ground. Trying to get the grass under the steps, she had slid down the slope and got wedged in. She had lost half a horn trying to free herself (wasn't much good for a show sheep after that). So I dug her out with a trowel and bare hands while younger daughter going almost hysterical. All part of life's rich tapestry.