10 Aussie wildlife parks you have to visit
Whether you want to get up, close and personal with native fauna, or want to catch a glimpse of an exotic animal, Australia has some of the best wildlife parks in the world.
We’ve found 10 Australian wildlife parks you simply must visit.
To see the parks, scroll through the gallery above. It corresponds to the list below.
1. Taronga Zoo – Sydney, NSW
A harbour city icon, Taronga Zoo is home to around 340 species and over 2,600 individual animals including a rare baby orange monkey, a baby glider and adorable pair of meerkat pups. For more information about Taronga Zoo and its exhibits, click here.
2. Western Plains Zoo – Dubbo, NSW
This open range zoo in the central west of New South Wales features over 100 species, with 850 individual animals and is a great way to experience large, open range animals. For more information about Western Plains Zoo and its exhibits, click here.
3. Melbourne Zoo – Melbourne, Victoria
Australia’s oldest zoo, Melbourne Zoo boasts 350 different animal species, as well as a number of significant, preserved historic features including the early 20th century menagerie exhibit. For more information about Melbourne Zoo, click here.
4. Healesville Sanctuary – Healesville, Victoria
Healesville Sanctuary endeavours to give visitors and opportunity to experience Australian animals in their natural environments, and all proceeds go towards research and conservation programs. To learn more about this sanctuary, click here.
5. Adelaide Zoo – Adelaide, South Australia
The second oldest zoo in Australia, Adelaide Zoo is home to over 3,400 animals with a focus on rare and endangered animals. Almost 300 different species of exotic and native mammals, birds, reptiles and fish currently call Adelaide Zoo home.
6. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary – Brisbane, Queensland
The world’s first and largest koala sanctuary, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is home to over 130 of these cute and cuddly creates, as well as a large variety of other Australian wildlife to experience. To learn more about Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, click here.
7. Alice Springs Desert Park – Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Designed beyond the boundaries of traditional zoos, botanic gardens and museums, Alice Springs Desert Park lets visitors experience the desert in its entirety, from the landscapes to the animals and plants. To learn more about Alice Springs Desert Park click here.
8. Perth Zoo – Perth, Western Australia
Idyllically situated on the banks of the Swan River, Perth Zoo is fairly small by the standards of some of the zoos on this list, but with 200 species of fascinating animals on display it’s considered one of the best zoos in Australia. To learn more about Perth Zoo, click here.
9. Tasmanian Devil Unzoo – Taranna, Tasmania
Self-proclaimed as the world’s first “Unzoo”, the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo endeavours to deliver visitors with an innovative, multi-layered wildlife and nature experience and is a great place to see the iconic Tassie Devil. For more information, click here.
10. Australia Zoo – Sunshine Coast, Queensland
One of Australia’s most popular tourist attractions, Australia Zoo is the official ‘Home of the Crocodile Hunter’, the late Steve Irwin, and is a great place to get up, close and personal with spectacular crocodile. For more information, click here.
Related links:
6 best Aussie wildlife experiences
8 Aussie animals that terrify tourists
6 places to go whale watching in Australia