** Goal :: City centre, Edinburgh, UK **

Can't get to Edinburgh? A stop in Cologne, Germany or in Fulda, Germany may help him on his way.

Winston the Wandering Wombat was chomping away on a nice bit of grass one bleak day when he overheard a couple of Irish tourists talking about how green it was back home and how much more grass there was. Winston was intrigued and did a bit of research (he asked a couple of galahs) and now he dreams of visiting the lush green grass of Ireland.

After 6 years Winston's friend (and his free accom) moved away from Ireland. It got too much waiting for him to arrive, so now Winston needs to play catch up and try to get to Edinburgh instead! It's not too bad though - there's plenty of lush grass around the castle so he'll fit in to be sure.

The Common Wombat has coarse, stiff grey/brown fur and a hair-free muzzle. Often their true colour is hidden by the dirt or clay in which they have been digging. It has small rounded ears, small eyes, a broad, flattened head with a short muscular neck. There is one incisor tooth on each side of both upper and lower jaws. Its teeth are rootless, they keep growing, so even when older they are still able to finely grind their food.

Their large, heavy bodies average 1 metre in length, the tail, which is hidden in their fur, is only a couple of centimetres long. They can weigh up to 40 kg, although 30 kg is more common. The rump of the wombat has a very tough, thick skin. If threatened, a wombat will dive into a nearby burrow or hollow log and use its rump in self-defence for trapping and crushing intruders in their burrows. They are strong burrowers, their short powerful legs have large strong, sharp claws that can dig rapidly.

They are usually silent but males can growl when confronted, whilst females and young communicate with short hissing sounds. Despite their docile appearance wombats are quite alert and if in danger they can deliver a crushing bite.

Wombats have a keen sense of hearing and smell and whilst they can appear sluggish, they can run at speeds of up to 40km/hr over short distances when alarmed. Wombats are solitary except when mating. Although they will share burrows, they are possessive about their particular feeding grounds. Their presence is often spotted in the form of distinctive square droppings (scats), used to mark its territory on logs and rocks.

Habitat and Distribution
Common Wombats are found in wet eucalypt forests and woodland areas and scrub along the south-eastern coast of Australia and in Tasmania. They live in extensive burrow systems usually in a hillside or bank, which can extend up to 20 metres long, and more than 2 metres below the ground, with numerous connecting tunnels and entrances. There may also be more than one nest in the burrow which they make from sticks, leaves and grasses. In rocky country they tend to live in caves or hollow logs.

Diet
Mostly nocturnal, wombats usually come out at night for between 3 to 8 hours to graze. In colder periods they may sometimes be seen during the day either grazing or basking in the sun. They are herbivorous, feeding on native plants and roots, bark and grasses. This causes its teeth to wear away rapidly but its teeth continue to grow throughout its life.