Ballarat was by far my favorite animal wildlife park we have visited so far. It would have been amazing to hold the koala at the Kuranda but getting a picture with one and petting it was just as amazing. I have never been able to be up close and personal with a koala and it was so cool. Everyone had always said how mean and vicious but there is no way they could every been like that. The koala I got to mean was Ali and she was the sweetest little thing. Her fur was so dense but so soft and her cute little big eyes while she was eating the eucalyptus was adorable. Besides getting to take a picture with the koala, petting a Joey was my next favorite thing of the entire day. The little Joey grabbed on to my hand and ate from my palm. It was so cute. All the photos that were taken truly show how happy I was. A genuine smile showed through. Although there were a lot of smiles and laughter, the fires around the area where terrible. Every mile we drove the smoke seemed to get denser and denser and there was no way to escape it. After being up there for a could of house my breathing was feeling funny. I can’t imagine all the people who are still living close to the fires and breathing in the smoke everyday. Today I donated to the wild fire fund while buying souvenirs. Every little bit counts but I wish there was more that I could do while we are here.