Zoo sights in Australia
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Cairns Tropical Zoo
Just west of Palm Cove, this zoo offers an up-close wildlife experience with crocodiles and snakes, koala photo sessions and kangaroo feeding. Its Cairns Night Zoo experience includes a barbecue dinner and entertainment. Transfers are available from Palm Cove, Port Douglas and Cairns and the northern beaches.
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Alice Springs Reptile Centre
It may be small, but this reptile centre packs a poisonous punch with its impressive collection of venomous snakes, thorny devils and bearded dragons. Inside the cave room are 11 different species of NT geckos, and outside there's Terry, a 3.3m saltwater croc plus a magnificent perentie, Australia's largest lizard. The enthusiastic guides will happily plonk a python around your neck during the handling demonstrations or let you pet a bluetongue lizard.
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Crocodylus Park
Crocodylus Park showcases hundreds of crocs and a mini-zoo comprising lions, tigers and other big cats, spider monkeys, marmosets, cassowaries and large birds. Allow about two hours to look around the whole park, and you should time your visit with a tour, which includes a feeding demonstration. Croc meat BBQ packs for sale!
The park is about 15km from the city centre. Take bus 5 from Darwin.
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Western Plains Zoo
With over 1500 animals, this is Dubbo's star attraction. You can walk the 6km trail, hire a bike ($15) or join the crawling line of cars. Guided walks (adult/child $10/5) start at 6.45am every weekend and Wednesday and Friday in school holidays. Book ahead (02-6881 1488) for special animal encounters: Wild Africa (adult/child $29/19, 10.45am), Big Cats ($59 per person, Thursday to Tuesday), Giraffes ($5 per person) and Meerkats ($39 per person).
Stay at a lodge within the zoo for private encounters or experience Roar & Snore camping. Book well ahead.
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Australian Venom Zoo
Won't take up much of your time, and is a no-go zone for arachnophobes.
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Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve
Lions, hippos and more; 9km west of Kuranda.
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Oz E Wildlife
Sanctuary for sick and injured wildlife.
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Oxley Marsupial Park
Overfriendly cockatoos and other native animals live here alongside barbecues and picnic shelters. The park joins the Kamilaroi walking track.
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Territory Wildlife Park
Showcases the best of Aussie wildlife in a state-of-the-art open-air zoo. Highlights include the Flight Deck, where birds of prey display their dexterity (free-flying demonstrations at 11am and 2.30pm daily); the nocturnal house, where you can observe nocturnal fauna such as bilbies and bats; 11 habitat aviaries, each representing a different habitat from mangroves to woodland; and a huge walk-through aviary, representing a monsoon rainforest. Pride of place must go to the aquarium, where a clear walk-through tunnel puts you among giant barramundi, stingrays, sawfish and saratogas, while a separate tank holds a 3.8m saltwater crocodile. To see everything you can either…
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Altina Wildlife Park
Nearby at Darlington Point is 207 hectares of natural bush on the banks of the Murrumbidgee where the exotic residents, including giraffes, bison and camels, live in natural enclosures.
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Adelaide Zoo
Around 1800 exotic and native mammals, birds and reptiles roar, growl and screech at Adelaide's wonderful zoo, which opened in 1883. There are free walking tours half-hourly (plus a slew of longer and overnight tours focussing on specific environments and species), feeding sessions and a children's zoo. Until Wang Wang and Funi – Australia's only Giant Pandas – arrived in 2009 (pandemonium!), the major drawcard was the Southeast Asian rainforest exhibit.
You can take a river cruise to the zoo from the Festival Centre on Pop-eye. Weekends only in winter.
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Mansfield Zoo
A surprisingly good wildlife park with lots of native fauna and some exotics like a pair of lions. You can sleep in the paddocks in a swag (adult/child $65/45, including zoo entry for two days) and wake to the dawn chorus of wildlife.
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Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park
Australia's original crocodile hunter matured into a passionate conservationist. Visit during feeding time. See also the Malcolm Douglas Wilderness Wildlife Park outside Broome.
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National Zoo & Aquarium
Nestled behind Scrivener Dam is this wonderful zoo and aquarium, to which you should definitely devote a few hours. It has a roll call of fascinating animals, ranging from capuchins to sharks, and includes Australia's largest collection of big cats. Book ahead to cuddle a cheetah ($165) or take a tour behind the scenes to handfeed the lions and tigers and bears.
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Royal Melbourne Zoo
Melbourne's zoo is one of the city's most popular attractions. Walkways pass through some enclosures; you can stroll through the bird aviary, cross a bridge over the lions' park or enter a tropical hothouse full of colourful butterflies. There's also a large collection of native animals in natural bush settings, a platypus aquarium, fur seals, lions and tigers, plenty of reptiles, and an 'am I in Asia?' elephant enclosure. In summer, the zoo hosts Twilight Concerts. Roar 'n' Snore allows you to camp at the zoo and join the keepers on their morning feeding rounds.
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Wild Life Sydney
Complementing its sister and neighbour Sydney Aquarium, this large complex houses an impressive collection of Australian native reptiles, butterflies, spiders, snakes and mammals. The nocturnal section is particularly good, bringing out the extrovert in the quolls, potoroos, echidnas and possums, but the kids may be more interested in holding snakes and posing with koalas.
You'll save around $20 on a combined ticket with the Aquarium and there are often excellent deals if you book online.
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Crocosaurus Cove
If the tourists won't go out to see the crocs, then bring the crocs to the tourists. Right in the middle of Mitchell St, Crocosaurus Cove is as close as you'll ever want to get to these amazing creatures. Six of the largest crocs in captivity can be seen in state-of-the-art aquariums and pools. You can be lowered right into a pool with them in the transparent Cage of Death (one/two people $120/160). If that's too scary, there's another pool where you can swim with a clear tank wall separating you from some mildly less menacing baby crocs. Other aquariums feature barramundi, turtles and stingrays, plus there's an enormous reptile house (allegedly the largest variety of…
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Taronga Zoo
A 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay or a short drive from Manly, Taronga Zoo has 75 hectares of bushy harbour hillside chock-full of kangaroos, koalas and similarly hirsute Australians. The zoo’s 4000 critters have million-dollar harbour views but seem blissfully unaware of the privilege. The animals are well looked after, with more natural open enclosures than cages.
Highlights include the nocturnal platypus habitat, the Great Southern Oceans section, the Asian elephant display, and seal and bird shows. Animal displays and feedings happen throughout the day; twilight concerts jazz things up in summer.
Tours include Nura Diya, where indigenous guides introduce you…
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