HOW do reptiles beat the heat? Some time under a cool sprinkler. Or maybe a refreshing 'bloodsicle' - blood ice blocks - for the carnivores.
Keepers at the Australian Reptile Park at Somersby were working hard to keep the animals as cool and comfy as possible on Wednesday as temperatures were expected to reach the 30s - for the first time in 330 days in the area.
Estrella the cassowary enjoyed a good spray with the hose, the tawny frog mouths splashed in some water, the dingoes enjoyed a 'bloodsicle' and Derek the Tasmanian Devil took some time in an icy cold pond.
"It's gonna be an absolute scorcher here today," Australian Reptile Park operations manager Billy Collett said on Wednesday morning.
"Myself and the keepers will be doing our best to help all our animals beat the heat - they absolutely love it when we turn on the misters and sprinklers.
"Now we just need to make sure we keep the keepers cool as well!"
Flippin' good summer camp
SOME of the nation's top cheerleaders have tumbled into the Hunter this week for an elite summer training camp, run by Newcastle-based Oxygen All Stars.
The three-day event, which started on Wednesday, has attracted 45 talented cheerleaders from as far afield as Victoria and Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
"We're very excited to be providing our first elite camp with a focus on elite performance and cheerleading skills as well as providing essential life skills to athletes from within our own cheerleading family and beyond," Oxygen All Stars owner Courtney Turton said.
"Oxygen athletes train between two and three days a week for their competition teams throughout the season and this elite camp is a great way for us to open our doors to athletes who want a taste of the Oxygen All Stars experience in the off season."
Traffic training
NEWCASTLE City Police District's newest recruits hit the streets this week to get some practical training done.
The constables went to Lambton and conducted stationary random breath tests before practising 'point duty' (directing traffic) at the intersection of Howe Street and Durham Road.
They took to social media to thank motorists for their patience.
Happy birthday
OUR colleagues at the Maitland Mercury celebrated 180 years since the first edition of the paper this month.
The masthead, which opened in 1843 as the Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, is Australia's third oldest regional newspaper, with only the Geelong Advertiser (which started in 1840) and Launceston Examiner (1842) having been around longer.
- topics@newcastleherald.com.au
