The Sleepy Hippo
Well-Known Member
No more dangerous than most European and American cities...
Australia 2026
- Thread starter aramacao
- Start date
https://www.9news.com.au/world/worl...ctures/9deb0a4a-1fe5-4a75-8fa1-c65e59e241fd#4
I insist, this is not an attack on this city, I've not been there nor do I know it, it's just what I've been told.
I insist, this is not an attack on this city, I've not been there nor do I know it, it's just what I've been told.
Still, it's quite possibly one of most dangerous cities within Australia. It's not as bad as the media makes it seem, but you just have to be quite careful when there. As in whereabouts you go and when.
In this map I show the 3 areas that could be considered almost certain surrounded by blue (Around Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns) and one area surrounded by red as "possible but difficult" (Gold Coast). Everything that is outside these areas is highly unlikely to be visited. You can see natural sites, cities, monuments... not all are places to see animals.
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It would be on this trip inland "where there's little to see" where you would most likely see the most wildlife...
I second this, both collections are very nice with David Fleay Wildlife Park in particular holding multiple species which are not on display anywhere else.
Alice Springs can be quite dangerous. While it's generally safe during the day, it's definitely not a place you'd want to walk around at night. I however wouldn't let this discourage you from visiting @aramacao, you just need to be careful. If you make it out this way, the Alice Springs Desert Park is in my opinion one the best native animal collections in the country. The wildlife and landscape are also incredible.
You haven't specifically given a reason for this, but why is Cairns a certain location and why could you not swap it for the Gold Coast/Brisbane area? I feel like you would get more wildlife- and zoo--wise out of the latter area.
Perhaps the main reasons would be to change to a completely different environment, with tropical forests and the Great Barrier Reef nearby, which we also want to visit.
Jaiden
Well-Known Member
If you do want to see natural environments of Australia Steve Irwin reserve Queensland and obviously the Great Barrier Reef which you have already mentioned and if you get the chance it might dangerous with the Wild Cassowary’s lol but Cape York
I'm not ruling out either option. Gold Coast or Cairns? Both will have advantages and disadvantages. What do you think? Remember, it's not just about seeing animals, although that's my main motivation. It's clear that the Gold Coast zoos offer many attractions, but for a normal traveler, can these attractions compete with the tropical environment of Cairns or the Great Barrier Reef? And as for zoos, aquariums and animals, isn't Cairns and its surroundings also attractive?
Jaiden
Well-Known Member
In my opinion if you want to enjoy hikes beautiful environments and see a lot of Native Wildlife then go to Cairns and if you want to go to one of Australia’s big cities swim and go to aquariums swim go to the Gold Coast. Just to let you know when ever I go on a holiday I try to stay somewhere near a Zoo or and massive jungle but you end finding it hard to find places to get food since you are currently living in Spain you are use to the food you get in Spain but in Australia food is different the Gold Coast I think it would be easier to find good food then Cairns but that is just my opinion.
I would have to disagree. While SEQ is the clear winner for zoos, I would say the wildlife watching around the Cairns area is significantly better than that of SEQ (although what is "better" really depends on what wildlife @aramacao would be most keen on seeing).
Both the Goldcoast and Cairns are beautiful places, and both have extensive areas of rainforest. There are good snorkeling spots on the Goldcoast, but the Great Barrier Reef really does beat SEQ out in that regard. There are a number of commercial tours of the Great Barrier Reef that leave from Cairns, and while not cheap (100-250+ aud per person) some of these are really good, and could well be the highlight of your trip.
Both areas being very "touristy" have a significant selection of food and restaurants on offer.
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Just wanted to update some of the info regarding Mt Rothwell. It’s a predator-proof fenced property where private tours can be booked and paid. There is 9 threatened species that have been reintroduced into the landscape that you have the potential chance of seeing while on a tour. The tours generally are nocturnal tours with spotlights and such.
I've spoken with my girlfriend, and she's more in favor of Cairns. The Gold Coast seems more like a holiday destination with partying, apartments, and beaches. For Spaniards like us, it's similar to many regions here. However, its zoos are magnificent, and since there's still a year to go, I'll keep them on the list for now. Maybe if I rent a car, I'll visit something! It will depend mostly on how much time I have...
Yes, I have read about this and my intention would be to do one of these night tours which, in addition, being at night would allow us to have the day free for other activities in the city, including going to the zoo, the aquarium or the museum.
Jaiden
Well-Known Member
In my opinion Cairns is less touristy then the Gold Coast . But what ever Zoo you go to you will 95% see native Aussi Wildlife
I rate your chances of seeing the Long-beaked echidna pretty highly at Taronga, provided he's still alive when you visit. I visit every couple of months and I've pretty much seen him every time since he's moved into the new exhibit. Also, the glass barrier at his enclosure is only partial, so you can hear him as well as see him, which is pretty neat.
Featherdale Wildlife Park and Sydney Zoo are only a few streets away from each other - you could almost definitely do them both in a day. Sydney Zoo probably doesn't have that many unique native species, but Featherdale is a wonderful facility, especially for native birds. They are both about 40 minutes to an hour from the Sydney CBD.
Featherdale Wildlife Park and Sydney Zoo are only a few streets away from each other - you could almost definitely do them both in a day. Sydney Zoo probably doesn't have that many unique native species, but Featherdale is a wonderful facility, especially for native birds. They are both about 40 minutes to an hour from the Sydney CBD.
That detail is very important, because visiting both sites on the same day would save me time. However, I see from my species lists that both places have a long list of species that are interesting to me (sorry, I'm still waiting to publish them here), and I'm worried about spending too much time at one of the sites and not having enough time for the other. Are they small? How much time is needed for to visit for each place? Another option would be to visit them on different dates and dedicate the rest of those days to sightseeing, but it's true that these sites are far from the center and close to each other, and perhaps a joint visit would be ideal...
You could easily do Sydney Zoo in a couple of hours, especially if you're moving briskly through the exotic species (none of which are particularly unique as far as zoo collections go). The site itself is 16.5 hectares. Featherdale is much smaller (only 3.29 hectares), although much more species-dense considering the large number of birds in the collection as opposed to exotic megafauna.
With all due respect as I live in western Sydney, there's very little sightseeing you would do in close proximity to either facility. If you're going to both, I would highly recommend doing them in the same day.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
I personally spend 5 hours at Featherdale and 3 hours at Sydney Zoo.
The two are very close to each other. There is a bus directly between them if you don't have a car, but you could easily walk it as well.
Featherdale is a maze of aviaries so you have to keep back-tracking to see everything, the map is useless, and there are lots of mixed aviaries and unsigned birds. You'd have to allow for four or five hours there.
I haven't been to Sydney Zoo but it seems like a very basic zoo. I can't imagine there's anything there you would "need" to see which isn't in the aquarium or reptile house.