What are the best wildlife parks and zoos in Australia?

The best wildlife parks and zoos in Australia include Featherdale and Taronga in Sydney, Boronong near Hobart and Lone Pine in Brisbane.

Australia is frankly overstaffed with wildlife parks. There are dozens of them across the country, all doing much the same thing. There are a few enclosures hosting native Australian animals, and you can pay to hand-feed kangaroos or have a photo taken with a koala.

Thing is, even the mediocre wildlife parks are quite enjoyable for an hour or so. The animals are cute, having a kangaroo eat out of your hand is undeniably adorable, and they provide a nice introduction to Australian wildlife.

Wildlife parks in Australia

The Glen-Forest Tourist Park near Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula is an example at the ropier end of the scale. The same applies to the Kuranda Koala Gardens in the Atherton Tableland near Cairns. If you want to hold a koala, then the Cleland Wildlife Park just outside Adelaide feels less like you’re being processed through a tourism industry grinder. The nearby Urimbirra Wildlife Park outside Victor Harbor is decent, while being relatively cheap, too. In Port Stephens, New South Wales, the Oakvale Wildlife Park is a solidly decent shout.

There are some pretty good wildlife parks, too. The Boronong Wildlife Sanctuary near Hobart in Tasmania has the commendable aim of getting animals back into the wild. The Alice Springs Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs has a tremendous back story, and the Moonlit Sanctuary on the Mornington Peninsula offers night tours.

The Australian Reptile Park on the NSW Central Coast concentrates on snakes and spiders, while Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin has the novelty factor of being able to swim with crocodiles. Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas, meanwhile, is engagingly split into five different zones and the Ballarat Wildlife Park in Victoria allows visitors to cuddle a wombat.

The two Australian wildlife parks that most visitors are likely to encounter, however, are in Sydney and Brisbane. The Featherdale Wildlife Park in Doonside, Western Sydney is a classic stop on a day tour to the Blue Mountains. And the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane is probably the most famous spot in the country for koala cuddles. Both are, while by no means the greatest moments of an Australian holiday, undeniably enjoyable.

Between Cairns and Port Douglas is something a little different – Hartley’s Crocodile Farm concentrates on showcasing big saltwater crocs.

Zoos in Australia

Should you wish to scale things up somewhat, Australia also has several zoos. These offer the native animal encounters too, but also bring in creatures from all over the world. Taronga Zoo in Sydney is worth it for the harbourside location, thoughtful enclosure design and behind-the-scenes tours.

Giraffe on Taronga Zoo tour — Giraffes at Taronga Zoo in Mosman, Sydney, get prime views of the CBD. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

Australia Zoo in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Queensland, has the space plus range of shows and encounters. Further inland, the Darling Downs Zoo has an impressive range of exotic animals, as has Tasmania Zoo near Launceston in Tasmania.

The Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, meanwhile, has a focus on African animals. It has an open range design, giving it more of a safari feel. In Western Australia, Ranger Red’s Zoo and Conservation Park in Pinjarra offers close encounters with dingoes and gliders. The Healesville Sanctuary in Healesville, Victoria opts for a different approach, maintaining a natural woodland setting with animals flitting around the walking trails.