OMG! There’s an Emu in our camp – Gundabooka National Park
Picture this. You’re pottering around the camp, cleaning up after breakfast when you look up and right there in front of you, not more than ten metres away, is an Emu.
How cool is that? When we first saw it, we froze, not wanting to startle it, then slowly, ever so slowly I reached for my camera (it’s never far away) while reaching, I hoped that Emu’s do not interpret a show of teeth as sign of aggression, because I was grinning from ear to ear.
That grin only got wider as another three Emu’s strolled into our camp and had good look around. After a while they moved off about their business and poor Peter was stuck with me exclaiming every five minutes,
“There were Emu’s in our camp!”
Through the course of the morning another smaller group of three strolled by and then later, towards evening a group of six followed by a single male. We ended up staying in Gundabooka for nine days, and during that time there were only three days when we were not paid a visit by our long legged, shaggy feathered friends.
What could top that? How about Old Man Emu and half a dozen chicks? A few days into our visit, while Peter and I were sitting on the shady side of Chunky Bum, Old Man Emu led his family around the sunny side of the van. I didn’t realize he was there until I nearly walked into him. Not sure who got the biggest fright. He took off pretty quickly with the little ones following close behind. After that he was too cautious to bring the chicks through camp and skirted along the road. We saw him and his family another three times during our stay, never too close but I didn’t mind. After all, he was just being a good dad and who wouldn’t want to protect those little cuties?
As the days rolled by it seemed as though we had made our home in the middle of an Emu highway. I for one am not complaining. I have never seen so many Emus at the same time. Nor so close, or on such a regular basis and I loved getting to know them. Most of them were adolescents, and it was easy to pick/guess at their personalities. From the shy to the cheeky to the curious. My favourite was Sid, a punk rocker in the making.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
Great photos thank you for sharing xx
Excellent photos and a well written story that kept me glued. Loved the photos of the chicks. That is very cool.
I enjoy every single post.
Hoping you are staying safe amid the uncertainty.
Travel well.
Thank you Lorna.
We are staying safe and loving the life. So pleased you are enjoying the blogs, and yes, those chicks were super cool.
Stay safe
Love Jo & Peter
Nice Jo. Really enjoy reading your blog
Thanks Justin, it’s certainly keeping me busy. 🙂
Fabulous to see the chicks. Great photos. We have cassowaries in our camp and they were bonking this morning by the beach
I can just picture that. 🙂
Keep a safe distance, there is nothing worse than unrequited Cassowary love.
Wow! No emus here, Jo and Peter………..
Wait until you see the other birds we had here. I have been busy.