Day Trip To The Australia Zoo, Brisbane
Having spent my entire childhood solely watching animal planet, Steve Irwin was a staple in my upbringing and a fundamental part of why I love animals today. When we planned our trip to Australia, I knew the zoo would be a mandatory stop! I was completely deflated when I realized (due to my lack of in-depth research) the Australia Zoo is located in Brisbane, not Sydney, where we were visiting. Two flights and one very expensive day trip later, we successfully visited the Australia Zoo.
With 110 acres of zoo to explore, numerous conservation shows, and unique animal encounters, it's like Disney World for animal lovers!
We planned our day around the conservation show times that interested us most, starting with Grace's Bird Garden Feed Out. This is where I got to see the most beautiful bird, the rose-crowned fruit dove (my new favorite).
The most popular conservation show is the Wildlife Warriors, which takes place in the Crocoseum arena. Steve Irwin had a vision of allowing spectators to watch the saltwater crocodile in action through clear water instead of their usual murky habitat.
The show offers much more than the highly anticipated crocs. It showcases a multitude of indigenous animals like the zoo's famous wombats (arriving via personalized wagon of course) and countless native birds they have rescued and rehabilitated (the birds were impressively choreographed might I add). It invoked such a compelling conservation message and offered an even greater perspective of the Irwin family and the positive impact they are continuing to make on the planet.
Inside the two kangaroo and wallaby exhibits visitors are permitted to feed the animals. Food is available for purchase at the guest services desk or any gift shop. Two bags was plenty - we even had enough to share with others!
The wombat wagon was a sight to behold! It was clear that the wombats are like celebrities!
Pictured below is a barking owl that we got to see (and hear) during the Birds Of Prey LIVE conservation show.
Paid encounters are available for a myriad of different animals including lemurs, red pandas, wombats, Komodo dragons, koalas, meerkats, quokkas, giraffes, otters, rhinos, cassowaries, dingos, tortoises, and echidnas. Certain animal encounters, like the koala, sell out months in advance. While there was no advantage to asking for tickets in person at the guest services desk, a couple of tickets became available online right around the time we entered the zoo. I don't know if this was due to a small day-of release or another party's cancelation, but it's the only reason we were able to score two same-day koala encounter tickets. It's important to check back religiously if you want to experience an animal encounter but did not secure tickets in advance.
Although we planned to stay until the zoo's closing time at 5:00pm, bedtime for the animals is around 4:30pm. The dining facilities started winding down around that time and the crowds began to dissipate. We left at 4:45pm and felt like we were some of the last people there.
Zoo tickets include admission to the Wildlife Hospital Sneak Peek, which is only a short walk across the parking lot. It was really interesting to see the facility and read information about the various animals being treated there. They have a viewing window to their nursery, where we were able to see a little bat sleeping in an incubator.
Our trip to the Australia Zoo will go down as the craziest day trip we have ever taken, but it was worth it! I am generally very skeptical of zoos or anything that might exploit animals in any way, but this was not the case. The Australia Zoo truly felt like a remarkable institution for animal rehabilitation, education, and conservation awareness. I am flooded with gratitude for the ability to have visited such a wonderful place and for getting a small glimpse into the wonderful work of the Irwin family.