Billabong Zoo: What animals can I see in Sancrox, NSW?

Billabong Zoo in Sancrox near Port Macquarie, NSW, offers native Australian creatures such as koalas, wombats and emus. But it also hosts cheetahs, lions, snow leopards and red pandas.

Billabong Zoo in Sancrox, New South Wales, is one of the best places to see native Australian wildlife on the Mid North Coast. But this zoo just outside Port Macquarie has more to it than standard Australian wildlife parks, such as the Swan Valley Cuddly Animal Farm near Perth or Moonlit Sanctuary on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

Most wildlife parks offer the opportunity to hand-feed kangaroos or get your picture taken with a koala. But the Billabong Zoo goes further afield, with the native Australian creatures showcased alongside animals from elsewhere in the world.

Koala breeding programme at Billabong Zoo

The koala breeding programme is at the heart of Billabong Zoo, and it’s possible to pat a koala here. The $50 personal encounter experience involves a talk from a keeper, and getting a photo as you stroke the koala. You also get to feed your koala with a syringe.

A koala at Billabong Zoo in Sancrox near Port Macquarie. Photo courtesy of Destination NSW.

Other native Australian animals on show at Billabong Zoo include turtles, wallaroos, wombats and dingoes. Native birds include cassowaries, emus, laughing kookaburras, king parrots and wedge-tailed eagles. In the reptiles section, you’ll find carpet pythons, death adders, tiger snakes and the inland taipan – the most venomous snake in the world.

Big cats at Billabong Zoo

But what makes Billabong Zoo in Sancrox a bit different is that it has an impressive range of creatures from overseas. Most notable among these are the big cats. This Port Macquarie zoo is home to cheetahs, lions and snow leopards.

There are also red pandas, spider monkeys and meerkats.

Tickets to Billabong Zoo cost $35 for adults and $22 for children. They can be booked online via the zoo website. The Zoo isn’t far off the Pacific Highway, and can be tackled as part of the Sydney to Port Macquarie drive or road trip from Newcastle to Port Macquarie. Another good stop nearby is the Bago Maze in Wauchope.