2018 – Part 48 Animals Part 2 – Australia Zoo
We had a leisurely paced day at the Australia Zoo. This zoo, owned by the Irwin family served as the base for Steve Irwin “The Crocodile Hunter”. If you want to see lots of pictures of animals, then this is the post for you!
Australia Zoo
The zoo is a short drive from the Sunshine coast, and was easy to find. We arrived late in the morning, and were directed to park in the secondary lot as the main parking lot had already been filled to capacity.
The line moved quickly and we were inside the park soon enough.
Steve Irwin’s legacy
Visiting the park over 11 years after his untimely death his face and image are used frequently throughout the park. This is understandable as his work and legacy helped to grow the zoo in both visitors, and size, and grew its recognition throughout and outside of Australia.
Main Attraction – Crocodiles!
The main attraction occurs at noon each day. One of the many crocodiles will be the feature in this open area arena. Before the crocodile enters though, several birds take flight around the space.
After the birds exited, it was time for the main attraction. Our day visiting, had us seeing Monty being the main attraction. Like a professional athlete, Monty’s vitals were that he weighed in at 350 kg (770 lbs) and a total length of 4 m (13 feet).
Monty’s introduction
Approach from the water
Attacking from the water
1st reward – fish!
Back into the water
About to jump
The Croc was able to jump over 4 feet in the air.
Another attempt straight from the water
Lunch time
After the show ended we the proceeded to explore other parts of the zoo. We did not explore every part of the zoo, but we did do a fair bit of walking. Nearby the Crocoseum was an enclosure complete with Kangaroos to feed.
Kangaroos! (And a joey)
Feeding time at the Australia Zoo
Feeding time at the Australia Zoo
One of the areas in the zoo is a large area dedicated to kangaroos. After navigating double doors to keep the kangaroos in we were able to walk around and feed any interested kangaroos.
Instead, I was quickly more interested in this Joey. I spotted the Joey while it was being hand-fed by one of the keeper, and then followed to watch the Joey then be returned to its mom:
Joey after being handfed
Joey feeding time
And return to the mother
Hard life being a Kangaroo at the zoo
Koalas
The collection of Koalas was in a large open space. With the area open on all sides it was easy to watch the Koalas.
Up close to animals
We didn’t make it to all parts of the zoo. What stood out to me was that the keepers were located throughout the zoo holding an animal. The keepers were happy to introduce the animals to guests, and encouraged pictures to help people get closer to the animals.
So Many Animals
The zoo is packed with animals. Those that are not dangerous as allowed to roam free. Our walk through the aviary was neat as there was no shortage of chances to stop and get a good look at the birds.
Of course we made sure to stop and check out the Wombats. After getting to handle one at BonorongAmber was tempted to hop into the enclosure and hug this one, thankfully she didn’t.
Finally, here is a large gallery of the other animals that we saw, and I didn’t want to leave them out of the blog post. Click on the pictures to get a larger image to see.
Overall
This isn’t a traditional zoo in the sense that all the animals are behind glass and or, fences. Here several animals were out of their enclosures and moving around freely. It was a pleasure to feed kangaroos and see a Crocodile’s abilities.
Read more about our trip by clicking here.