This morning we didn’t get the sleep-in we would have liked. We were woken at 7:00 am by the sound of jack-hammering below us, where a café is being built in the building that houses the hotel. The hotel staff were sympathetic to the problem but couldn’t convince the construction workers that they should wait until a more civilised hour to start working!

We got downstairs and enjoyed a nice breakfast before heading back up to our room to pack.

Muesli and fruit.
Muesli and fruit.
Avocado with poached eggs on sourdough.
Avocado with poached eggs on sourdough.

We checked out late morning and headed off to our next stop, the Jamala Wildlife Lodge. On the way, we detoured via Black Mountain to take in the view over Canberra. The best view is from the Telstra Tower but that was closed for some sort of repairs. Nonetheless, it’s a nice spot.

Keith and Andrea at Black Mountain.
Keith and Andrea at Black Mountain.

We then headed off to Jamala, where we checked in and enjoyed a nice afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea.
Afternoon tea.

After enjoying afternoon tea, we had a lovely guided walk around the grounds, learning about the many animals housed there.

Black-Capped Capuchin.
Black-Capped Capuchin.
Giraffe.
Giraffe.
Red Panda.
Red Panda.
Zebras.
Zebras.
Rhinoceros.
Rhinoceros.

We got to our room at about 3:45 pm after a lovely walk around on a beautiful (but still a bit cold!) sunny Canberra afternoon.

Our room at Jamala Wildlife Lodge.
Our room at Jamala Wildlife Lodge.
Our room at Jamala Wildlife Lodge.
Our room at Jamala Wildlife Lodge.
Slippers and soft toy leopard in our room.
Slippers and soft toy leopard in our room.

The highlight of the afternoon was the feeding of the giraffes from the balcony in our room. The giraffes were surprisingly gentle.

Keith feeding a giraffe from our balcony.
Keith feeding a giraffe from our balcony.

After the excitement of feeding the giraffes, we relaxed in our room for about 90 minutes before we were picked up and driven to dinner. We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink, during which time we were visited by Jamala’s brother and sister white lions, Jake and Mischka. These animals were incredible, and we couldn’t get over how big and powerful they were.

We then headed inside to the restaurant, where we had a beautiful dinner.

Canapés.
Canapés.
Canapés.
Canapés.
Crispy skin salmon.
Crispy skin salmon.
Slow-cooked lamb shank.
Slow-cooked lamb shank.
Sticky date pudding, with a nice touch to acknowledge our birthdays (since this visit was a gift for our birthdays from the kids) and that today was our wedding anniversary.
Sticky date pudding, with a nice touch to acknowledge our birthdays (since this visit was a gift for our birthdays from the kids) and that today was our wedding anniversary.

Through the entire dinner, Jake and Mischka slept only metres from us, on a bed of fresh straw on a heated floor. Thankfully, we were separated by a very thick pane of glass!

Jake and Mischka.
Jake and Mischka.

After dinner we were driven back to our room to retire after a big day.