A Trip to Australia Zoo – In the Rain!

Is Australia Zoo worth it in the rain? I say yes! My recent trip to Australia Zoon was a bit of a washout but actually I really enjoyed it! Not only is it so much quieter but the animals tend to be more active in the cooler weather.
I was a bit worried that they may be hiding form the rain and we wouldn’t get to see much but actually we saw all of the animals, and it was pretty heavy rain at times. It was surprisingly busy for the bad weather through, so can only imagine how busy it is on a hot day.

Where is Australia Zoo?

Australia Zoo is just over hours’ drive North of Brisbane, situated in Beerwah, which is along the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

The short-ish drive from Brisbane makes it an excellent day trip and the last part of the drive is quite pretty, going past many tree plantations. Because of the rain, everything was so green!

If travelling by train, take the QR Citytrain (which runs from the Gold Coast to Brisbane) and get off at Beerwah station. Australia Zoon has a public shuttle bus that takes you from the station to the zoo, pretty cool!

For a slightly more expensive but easier option, there are plenty of day tours you can book on to which will take you to the zoo for the day.

Is Australia Zoo worth it?

If you are travelling and only have a very short time in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast, then it won’t be the end of the world if you miss a trip to Australia Zoo. There are so many other things that are unique to the area that will give you a better feel of the country. However, if it’s on the list and you’ve always wanted to go, then go for it, you may not get another chance!

For me, I had a super fun day out and it is probably worth the expensive entry fee, but to be honest I was expecting more animals, perhaps more exotic animals (like gorillas, lions, etc). But then I guess it’s called Australia Zoo for a reason! You will find many native animals here, but the enclosures are quite spread out. I think I was expecting to barely be able to fit everything but, I found that we managed to fit everything in with time to spare.

Still, it is a really unique zoo, particularly the famous croc show they put on which is worth a watch, and if you have kids, they will love it! There are also other opportunities for an extra cost to get a picture with a koala or snake, and even become a zookeeper for the day!

What animals are there at Australia Zoo?

Below are some of the animals I saw at the zoo, but you can visit the official website for a full list of animals.

Giant Tortoise

When I first saw this giant tortoise, I thought it was a bronze statue! It wasn’t until it moved, I realised it was real! Somewhat surprisingly this was one of my favourite animals at Australia Zoo. It’s just so prehistoric looking and can get a fair pace on it when it wants to move!

Kangaroo

Of course, there has to be roos! This is part of a large enclosure in which the public can walk through, with the kangaroos just hanging around. Don’t worry though, they are tame! And you can even buy some food to feed them if you wish.

Crocs

The croc show is the one you want to see, where the keepers are in the stadium with the croc, right in front of them, its the one Steve Erwin used to do! It’s worth a watch!

Wetland Birds

The wetland section was very authentic in the rain and made everything look so green and lush too. There are several Australia native birds here, and it’s a lot quieter than the other areas, which is pretty nice too.

Koalas

You can’t visit an Australian zoo without seeing these cuties! They really are adorable, and we even got to stroke one of them in the koala walk through section. If you want a photo with one, then its an extra cost. I did this at Lone Pine and even though it’s quite pricey I would say it’s a pretty cool thing to do and you wont regret it.

Red Pandas

If you’ve not seen a red panda before, you are in for a treat. These animals are so cute! They have a real deep reddish-brown colour to their fur and look kind of like a big fluffy fox! They are quite interesting to watch so stand a while and I’m sure it will be entertaining.

Elephants

Opposite the red panda enclosure is the Asian elephants. Not sure what to say about these animals, I’m sure most have seen them at a zoo before! They have a wildlife show featuring the elephants where the keepers explain about the species and how they check the elephants’ teeth and other ways they look after them at the zoo.

Tigers

The tiger wildlife show is worth a watch, get there early to get a seat though! The keepers are actually in the enclosure with them and show you how they feed the tigers a bottle of milk in order to check their teeth! They also explain more about the tigers, and how they keep there claws sharp, what they feed them, etc.

So, there is a snapshot of what to expect at Australia Zoo. It’s a great day out for locals and tourist alike, and be sure to get there early to make a day of it!