Going to Australia and visiting a Koala Park is of course a very hackneyed, clichéd sort of thing to do. I should make it clear that I'm all in favour of hackneyed, clichéd things to do. Anywhere I go, if there's something that a zillion tourists have done, I want to do it too. In fact, given that this was my first visit to Australia, and I had no idea if or when I'd return, I was resolved get through as many hackneyed, clichéd activities as possible. And visiting a Koala Park was a darned good start.

Koalas are of course impossibly cute, their furry little faces seemingly fixed in an expression of endearingly innocent, helpless charm. Peter Rodgers and I watched one of the regularly scheduled talks about the koalas, during which it became clear that the koala is a creature with one, solitary thought process: "Go towards the eucalyptus leaves. Reach for the eucalyptus leaves. Repeat."

This particular park had a lot more to offer than just close encounters of the koala kind. For example, there was also a sheep-shearing talk and demonstration. Peter explained these are more or less mandatory at these places. At one point, the guy giving the talk asked if anyone wanted to go up and have a go. I doubt I've ever moved faster in my life.

I assure you that the 'thing' at the base of the picture is a sheep, very much alive and very much unhappy at the indignity of the proceedings. Having perpetrated an unnatural act with a sheep, I later did one with a kangaroo - specifically, I tried to entertain one with a card trick:

Peter Rodgers (an expert close-up magician in his own right) assured me that I was about the 977th magician to think of doing this for the sake of a 'funny' photo. The 'roos seemed neither surprised nor interested.