Animal Encounters at Australia Zoo
- Daydream Adventures
- Jan 1, 2020
- 3 min read
One of my favorite things I enjoyed doing at the famous Australia Zoo was doing one of their wildlife animal encounters.
Australia Zoo is famous for being associated with Steve Irwin and his family as well as all the conservation they do to help local Australian wildlife. It is located in the Sunshine Coast Queensland, Australia. Bit of a drive away from Brisbane. When I visited in June 2018, it was going through a lot of construction, but there was still a lot to see so time yourself accordingly.
However if you have the opportunity, at an additional cost, you can do one of their animal encounters. They have 24 encounters to choose from all ranging from prices as low as $19AUD (~$14USD) going up to $199AUD (~$140USD) per person. You can book ahead on line (recommended in case they sell out) or you can try and book same day at the Information and Tour Desk. They have a few time slots available each day, so best get there early and pick a time that fits best for you. Each encounter has a professional photographer to take pictures of your moment and you can buy the pictures afterwards. I recommend buying the flash drive so you can save your pictures on a computer and print out the ones you want at a later time. You also get a free gift with every encounter, which ended up being a 2x3in magnet of a picture taken of you during your experience. I have done two of the encounters and I enjoyed them both and would highly recommend to do them when you visit.
The first encounter I did was the Cuddly Koalas. It's $49AUD (~$35USD) per person and they only offer four time frames each day: 9:30am, 11:00am, 1:45pm, 3:30pm.
The koala we met was named Nitro and the guide we had was so kind and informative and told us some fun facts about Koalas. We each had a chance to hold the koala and it definitely felt like carrying a toddler lol I do recommend having some thick clothes as the koalas claws are pretty sharp and he did hold on tight. However I wouldn't change this experience for anything. The encounter did not feel rushed, it was about 30 minutes, as we had the time to hold the koala and take pictures all the while our guide was answering questions. Once I finished this encounter I moved onto the next one.
The last encounter I chose for my visit was the Echidna Encounter. It's $39AUD (~$28USD) per person and they only had one time available at 2:45pm.
This experience was about 15 minutes long, but also didn't feel rushed. We each had a chance to pet the echidna as well as feed it out of our hands. He was definitely a messy eater so I do recommend not wearing anything that you don't care about getting dirty lol He was allowed to walk on your lap as he fed from your hand and his tongue tickled as he was licking the food. Our guide also gave us some educational insight into the echidnas and the photographer was there capturing the moments.
As mentioned above, these encounters are not included with the admission price to the Zoo, but it's a wonderful experience you should at least try to do once if you visit. It is recommended to book the encounters online ahead in advance just in case it sells out.
For more information about the animal encounters:
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