The Top End, Northern Territory
Whether they are jumping for food on the appropriately-named Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise, or gliding silently through the wetlands at Yellow Water Billabong, seeing a crocodile up close is a primal experience. If you are up for it, Darwin’s Crocosaurus Cove gives you the opportunity to dive with a croc – safely enclosed within a clear cage. But nothing compares to seeing ”freshies” and “salties” in the wild, especially when the wild is iconic Kakadu National Park.
HI member discount: $5 off Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise’s Crocodile Express Cruises & Coach Combo. Ex Darwin.
Magnetic Island, Queensland
The only place where you can sleep with a koala and a croc! Bungalow Bay Koala Village YHA, on picture perfect Magnetic Island, is home to an on-site koala sanctuary where visitors can handle koalas, baby crocodiles, snakes and lizards, enjoy a bush tucker brunch with informative local rangers and learn about the island’s local flora and fauna. Why not take a guided horse trek along the island’s bush tracks and picturesque beaches before finishing off with a bareback dip in the Pacific waters. There is animal magic aplenty on Maggie!
Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park, Tasmania
An easy hour from Hobart, on the main highway to historic Port Arthur, this conservation park is the top spot to come face to face with these devilishly cute but endangered critters. You can also meet quolls and pademelons, hand-feed friendly kangaroos, see some crazy parrots in the state’s only free-flight bird show, and stroll the nature trail. Your entry cost contributes to efforts to save the iconic Tasmanian Devil, the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial.
Phillip Island Penguin Parade, Victoria
It’s hard to resist a smile at fairy penguins that are so elegant in water but ungainly on land. Get up close to the world’s smallest penguin on Phillip Island with the famous sunset beach parade as they waddle up the beach to the safety of their sand dune burrows. Consider shelling out for the Penguins Plus option which gets you down near the beach. While you’re here, check out the Koala Conservation Centre, with its boardwalks which take you closer to the cuddly Aussie bears in the trees. See
www.visitphillipisland.com.
Adelaide Zoo & Monarto Zoo, SA
Another capital city, another zoo you might think, but nowhere else in Australia can you see Giant Pandas. While Adelaide Zoo boasts around 1,800 animals in its green grounds, it is Wang Wang and Funi who are the real drawcard here. Located 50 minutes drive from the city, you’ll find the zoo’s sister park, open range Monarto Zoo. A unique blend of conservation park, national park and zoo, its 1,000 hectares replicate the savannah grasslands and semi-arid habitats of Africa, Asia and South America. Jump on a Safari Tour, take the Zu-Loop Shuttle, or explore by foot via the walking track network.
National Zoo and Aquarium, ACT
Ever wanted to be a zoo keeper for a day? Close-up encounters are the order of the day at the Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium, or Zooquarium as it’s affectionately known. From $120 (including zoo entry), you can go behind-the-scenes to feed and feel the animals on this 2-in-1 attraction’s Zooventure Tour. Imagine hand feeding a 110kg Sumatran tiger, having a brown bear lick honey from your hands, and coming face to face with lions, cougars, giraffe, otters, dingoes, and snakes. If your wallet is flush with credit, cat lovers can also shell out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet a cheetah.
HI member discount: 15% off
National Zoo entry on presentation of valid membership card.
Other HI member discounts on wildlife attractions include:
- Taronga Zoo Sydney, NSW - 15% off adult and child admission prices
- SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, NSW - 15% off adult entry
- WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, NSW - 15% off adult entry
- Alice Springs Desert Park, NT - 20% off entry
- Melbourne Zoo - 10% off full adult admission
- SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, VIC - 20% off single adult entry tickets
- Shark Cage Diving, Port Lincoln, SA - Get 1 free night at Port Lincoln YHA when you book Calypso Star Charters’ Full Day Shark Dive Tour
- UnderWater World SEA LIFE Mooloolaba, QLD - 15% off adult entry
