Despite living in Brisbane for 8 months, I didn’t visit Australia Zoo until my final month in Queensland! The wait was absolutely worth it and all my childhood wildlife conservation dreams came true. Australia Zoo is more than just a zoo, especially to those of us who grew up with Steve Irwin and the Irwin family on our screens.
How to Get There
If you’re fortunate enough to own or rent a car, Australia Zoo is only about an hour north of Brisbane and 30 minutes south of Sunshine Coast. There’s plenty of parking at the zoo, though as always, the later you arrive, the farther from the entrance you’ll be. Located next to the Glasshouse Mountains, you can easily turn this day trip to the zoo into a full weekend adventure.
Without a car, it takes about 2 hours to travel via public transit between Brisbane and Australia Zoo. First, catch either the Caboolture/Nambour line from any of the central stations to Landsborough. From there, depending on the schedule timetables, transfer to the 615 or 649 bus towards Australia Zoo/Caboolture. The bus drivers are happy to answer questions to make sure you’re getting on the right bus!
From Sunshine Coast, you can catch the 615 bus and get dropped off at the entrance to Australia zoo in an hour.
Make sure to check the bus timetables because the last bus to leave Australia Zoo departs before the zoo’s closing time!
In August 2024, Queensland government lowered public transportation fares across the state to $0.50 per journey. This means you can get to the zoo and back for only $1! Note that the buses do not have tap to pay options for credit card or accept cash, so you’ll need a printed ticket or a GoCard for an easy transfer.
The journey to Australia Zoo was seamless, with the bus arriving minutes after the train. The journey back to Brisbane, however, required waiting over 30 minutes on the train platform after the bus dropped us off.
Tickets and Entry
According to Australia Zoo, their footprint is so big, guests won’t ever have to worry about them reaching capacity and selling out for the day. So if you want to purchase your tickets onsite, you don’t have to worry about being disappointed. However, the lines to purchase tickets were significantly longer than pre-purchase ticket entry.
I was originally planning on visiting the zoo with a friend a few months before I actually ended up going. I purchased the ticket the night before and woke up to the message that he had broken his ankle and couldn’t make it anymore! The day was shaping up to be ridiculously hot so I opted to put off my own visit as well. Fortunately, Australia Zoo tickets don’t expire! That makes it easy to purchase your tickets early but still be flexible in case your plans change.
If you’re interested in any of the extra experiences at the zoo, I would recommend booking those ahead of time because they do have limited availability.
My Ambitious Plan
There are many conservation shows throughout the day all across the zoo. The only one I needed to see was the Wildlife Warriors Show at the Crocoseum (naturally) so I planned my route based on what I was interested in seeing and getting to the Crocoseum in time. Though I didn’t plan it, my path crossed with several of the shows. It was good to hear from the rangers and learn more about the wildlife in front of me. Because these shows are at the enclosures, it’s also easy to join and leave the talks as you like.
Despite only having one day, and not even the full open hours at that, I was determined to see as much of the zoo as I could. Just from looking the Australia Zoo map, I already knew I had a big day ahead of me.
Fortunately, a lot of the popular creatures (like kangaroos, koalas, and crocodiles) are housed in multiple areas of the zoo. This is great news for people with a limited time for their visit or with more limited mobility.
There’s Always More Around the Corner
My first goal of the day was to (finally!) see some kangaroos. Eight months in Australia and not a single sighting so far? Shameful. But it wouldn’t be Australia Zoo if you could go from point A to point B without getting sidetracked by anything interesting.
In order to get to the red kangaroos, I passed by some North American crocs, the reptile house, a cute wombat on their daily ranger-guided walk, my first huntsman spider (not part of the zoo!), and walked through the bird garden. There was so much to see, I almost forgot about the kangaroos altogether!
There are plenty of informative signs and rangers happy to answer questions from visitors. They made it so easy to learn about these animals and current conservation efforts.
Marsupial Mayhem
Just like that, there they were: red kangaroos. Their enclosure was like a large grassy field with a few trees spread out here and there. There’s an enclosure within the enclosure with some koalas, wallabies, and any recovering kangaroos. Within a few moments of looking, I could see the kangaroos. Some were laying on their sides in the sun, some were munching their way through the grass, others were safely tucked behind the human-exclusion fences for some peace.
Despite my excitement, I didn’t run up to any kangaroos right away. I watched how they interacted with other visitors, talked to a ranger about their habits and what to do, then it was time. I didn’t buy the kangaroo feed at the gift shop because I already had my fair share of feeding wild animal encounters with the deer in Nara, Japan. But you don’t need to feed them for them to be comfortable with you.
I got down on their level, made sure I didn’t surprise them, took cues from their body language, and got to pet my first kangaroos. If you’re unsure on what you’re doing, I really recommend talking to the rangers! They’re so helpful and know each of these kangaroos personally.
If you’re bringing kids, this is a great learning opportunity. I saw too many parents let their children run towards the kangaroos screaming. Teach them about patience and watching for cues from the animals. Teach by example to demonstrate how to calmly interact with these wonderful creatures.
So What, Koala Butt
After getting my fill of kangaroos (for now), I kept going to see even more koalas! These ones were hidden in the trees above the path, with convenient (if slightly mocking) signs pointing to their spots. This is where you can even pet a koala too!
But no, you won’t be holding them.
In order to avoid stressing the koalas with too much handling, there’s a ranger keeping watch and controlling the situation. They rotate through koalas so each one has only a limited time “on call”.
The koalas are perched in their little branches, munching on leaves or taking a snooze. Once the ranger gives the okay, you can gently stroke the discolored area of their butts. Koalas don’t have nerve endings here so for the most part, they even don’t notice they’re being pet.
Like the kangaroos, keep quiet in this area, listen to the guidance of the rangers, and respect when the staff or animals are telling you not to do something.
Welcome to South East Asia
The architects of Australia Zoo really did not hold back for the South East Asia area. You really can’t miss the giant stone gate and statues that welcome you in. Other than the kangaroos, this was one of my favorite areas of Australia Zoo.
There’s red pandas in right up front looking down on you from the trees. The Sumatran elephants are playing and munching in their daytime enclosure across the way. There’s even an elephant cafe to grab something to eat while looking out at the elephants playing.
The tiger enclosure was sectioned off with different environments, including a giant pool. There’s tiered stone seating at the tiger pool for their daily tiger feeding — and also to just enjoy watching the tigers go for a swim or lay out in the sun. The architect clearly had some fun here too and created an abandoned temple feel for visitors and the tigers.
I missed the tiger show, but it was nice to have smaller crowds for the more enclosed viewing area. Also a fantastic spot to take a seat in some shade and fuel up on snacks and water before I kept going.
Lemurs Afoot!
I never watched Bindi the Jungle Girl show when I was young (I didn’t know it existed at all until coming here), so I didn’t know what to expect from her island. The treehouse from the show is actually used in the event space, but there’s another treehouse made just for Bindi’s Island. Turns out what you can expect is…many lemurs!
The lemurs aren’t in an enclosure, so you can spot them in the trees and running across the path in front of you. There’s another island inaccessible to guests that you can see from the treehouse absolutely full of lounging lemurs. It was the closest I felt to being out in the wild rather than a zoo. The kangaroos still had walls around their area — there was nothing stopping these lemurs except the water.
I circled the whole island, enjoying my lemur spotting and gawking at some giant tortoises too. The treehouse and island held a high concentration of children and families (unsurprisingly). Bindi’s Island is not the place to go for a quiet commune with nature and animals. As fun as the lemurs were, the hoards of children had me moving out without lingering too long.
It worked out because I happened to catch some of the elephant talk on the way to my next destination. See what I mean? Even without planning, there’s so many shows and talks, you’re bound to come across something!
Wetlands and Grey Kangaroos
Maybe it was just the unfortunate timing of my visit, but there wasn’t much going on in the Wetlands Birds area. The emus and cassowaries were still running around for us to see, but they also felt separate from the other birds.
A lot of the birds were either moved during mating season or recovering in rehab, so really it felt more like a wetlands habitat exhibit. It was nice and calm though, which was a much appreciated break after the island mayhem.
Quickly though, I moved on to more favorite friends: grey kangaroos. This area was laid out much differently from the red kangaroo enclosure. There were many more trees and a stream running through. It felt much more like being in a park that happens to have kangaroos.
Because of the more complex terrain, it could be trickier to spot and reach the kangaroos. I won’t complain about this though because I’m always for designs that help keep the animals more wild and able to find safe spots away from people. However…clearly not everyone agreed.
I witnessed several people make some…interesting choices to get close to these kangaroos. Maybe she’s laying in a copse of trees, surrounded by uneven roots and a steep river bed to get some quiet, and not to entice you to wedge yourself in there with her?
The grey kangaroo enclosure overall felt a little more wild. It was a good spot to take a moment to appreciate sharing space with these wonderful creatures. Not so much a place I’d encourage a pet-at-all-costs attitude (which, let’s be honest, I’m never encouraging anyway).
Crocoseum/Wildlife Warriors Show
I was anxious about getting a good seat for the show, but I was pleasantly surprised by how many seats there were in the arena. Plenty of people brought food in from the Crikey Cafe next door to eat while they waited. I really wish I thought of that myself! If you want a seat in the shaded parts of the arena, I highly recommend getting there 10-15 minutes early. Even earlier during peak season and school holidays.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but there was way more than I imagined. There were several videos playing on loop before the show began, highlighting some current and past conservation efforts from the zoo. Many of them included Steve Irwin — and I’m not ashamed to say they did make me tear up. Eighteen years after his death, there I was, still learning new things from this amazing man.
After the waterworks, we began with a bird show. Different tropical birds swooped around the arena, putting on a show for visitors. They also showcased their personalities by playing with the rangers instead of following commands. We learned more about this majestic birds as well as some facts about Australian wildlife in general.
Then, it was time for the main event.
Croc Feeding Did Not Disappoint
To my endless delight, Robert Irwin himself came out for the crocodile feeding! While the Irwins are nearly always onsite at Australia Zoo, seeing them in a Wildlife Warriors Show isn’t a guarantee. They’ll mostly come out for special occasions or, if you’re extra lucky, when they’re free and eager to do it.
Our croc for the day, Charlie, was one of the most unpredictable ones, who likes to play with the staff members. He teased our hosts, ignoring them when they wanted him to move and jumping out when they didn’t expect it.
The whole time Charlie has their lives in his jaws, Robert is giving the audience information about saltwater crocodiles, about Charlie specifically, about conservation efforts. I could never focus on giving a presentation while within snapping range of a crocodile! He was entertaining and informative; I couldn’t look away.
The Wildlife Warriors Show fulfilled a lifetime dream of mine. No one is too young or too old to learn about and care for our wildlife and the planet we live on. This show is for everyone and benefits everyone. I beg of you not to miss it!
Crikey Cafe
After the show, it was finally lunch time. I brought some snacks with me (which you should absolutely do), but I was craving a full meal. Crikey Cafe is conveniently right next to the Crocoseum. Even right after the show, the cafe didn’t feel too crowded because so many guests had eaten before the show.
The space is big with plenty of food options. The amount of choices was honestly pretty overwhelming. If you’re with a group, send a scout ahead of the line to report back. If you’re alone, take a moment (or five) to scan the big menu above the serving stations. You’re going down a line, grabbing the food you want so if you’re not prepared, you might pick something up then find something you like better at the next station.
The prices were marked up but not more than you were expect from a tourist destination like this. The food itself was tasty and satisfying (though I should have realized Australian bacon was not going to be what I expected).
The best part though? The views. There are plenty of tables but if you have a small group or going solo like me, sit along the exterior-facing seats overlooking the croc pools. I spent my lunch admiring the saltwater crocodiles from a small distance, people watching the families down below, and even getting a glimpse of the water park. A great way to reflect on everything I learned during the show.
Memorialized and Remembered
While I digested my lunch, I took the opportunity to check out the museums and displays. There you can find the history of Australia Zoo and their caretakers in the Irwin family. Robert’s Art Gallery is open to just take a look or purchase a print of your own. There’s even a section on the Irwin’s TV appearances — including Bindi’s trophy from Dancing with the Stars.
Of course, the most emotional section focuses on Steve Irwin. From his time growing up helping his parents with the Beerwah Reptile Park (one of many names before it became the famous Australia Zoo) to becoming a father himself and teaching his own kids.
The museum did a great job straddling the line between a memorial to Steve Irwin the man and his ultimate legacy of wildlife conservation. To do justice to Steve’s memory, we must focus on the causes he lived for.
Never Enough Crocs and Koalas
For the last new area of the day, I headed next door to see the saltwater crocs, freshwater crocs, and American alligators (oh my!) close up. Winding my way through the intricately designed crocodile pools, I took the time to stop and spot the crocs hiding in the shallow water. I even found the spot that Steve and Tracy met for the first time (where more appropriate than the croc pools?).
I didn’t linger at the water park, but if you’re bringing kids this is a great way to tire them out after a hot day at the zoo. Instead, I went straight back to another koala enclosure. Seeing these fuzzy creatures in a deep snooze perched precariously on the tree branches will never stop bringing me a zing of joy.
The cassowary enclosure on this side was closed for mating season, but I lucked out on my timing. A ranger came to feed the cassowaries while I was there so I was still able to spot one who came up to grab some food.
I saw dingoes, turtles, and tortoises (no Tasmanian Devils, unfortunately). Whether it was the time of day or just this section, I was able to take my time peacefully exploring these enclosures without fighting off any crowds. I could sense the day was winding down, but I had one more thing I had to do.
One Last Kangaroo Encounter
With just enough time before the bus, I hustled my way back to the first kangaroo enclosure of the day. There was no way I was going to make it all the way to Africa and back in time, so I decided to revisit my favorite friends before I had to say goodbye.
Like last time, there were plenty of kangaroos lounging in the enclosure. They seemed more laid back this time around — maybe from all the kangaroo crackers from visitors or from the heat of the day. I clearly wasn’t the only one with this idea for a final visit, but it still didn’t feel too overwhelming.
I pet some willing kangaroos, took some photos, thanked these creatures, and said goodbye to my day at Australia Zoo.
Looking Back
I dare you to leave a day at Australia Zoo without a burning passion for wildlife conservation. My friend even committed to changing his career path after visiting to go into conservation! As much fun as it is to gawk at the amazing animals being cared for here, there is also endless opportunity for learning. Australia Zoo isn’t just a zoo, it’s a rehabilitation center, wildlife hospital, and one of the major forces behind enacting conservation policies.
I visited here when Steve Irwin was still doing the shows. It’s an amazing place. I still have photos of my girls holding a koala there.
That must have been such a memorable visit! I only saw Steve here in videos (obviously) but it still felt like he was there
What a fantastic experience, especially being able to get so close with so many amazing Australian animals – although the huntsman spider might be a bit too close for my liking. Looks like a great place, and really like the initiative around public transportation that makes it so easy to get there
The extra time to get there was definitely worth the money saved by taking public transit instead of renting a car! And I certainly wasn’t the only one taking advantage. That was my only huntsman in Australia too! Well, that I saw haha
I visited Brisbane a few years ago and would have loved to visit Autralia Zoo, which is connected to Steve Irwin, but I ran out of time. I did manage to get to Lone Pine Koala Park, which was so good.
I’ve heard good things about Lone Pine too! I didn’t have the money for both so I went with the bigger attraction this time. Lone Pine is on my list if I return to Brisbane though!