Best zoo's

D

dcamp023

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I may be visiting australia soon and was wondering if anyone could rank the best zoos and aquariums there. Thanks
 
Here are the big guns, in approximate order of quality. There are countless smaller wildlife parks that range from tiny reptile collections to those that have a broad range of Aussie animals. Healesville Sanctuary near Melbourne is brilliant, as is Alice Springs Desert Park in Alice Springs. Some Aussie members of this forum will be able to provide even more information, but Australia is the 6th largest country on earth and many of these zoos are very far apart from each other.

Urban Zoos:

1- Taronga Zoo
2- Melbourne Zoo
3- Adelaide Zoo
4- Perth Zoo
5- Australia Zoo

Open Range Zoos:

1- Taronga Western Plains Zoo
2- Monarto Zoo
3- Werribee Open Range Zoo

Aquariums

1- Sydney Aquarium
2- AQWA (Perth)
3- Seaworld (Gold Coast)
4- Melbourne Aquarium
 
Best urban zoo? Taronga.

Best open range zoo? I've only been to Werribee, but Dubbo has the best collection and is the only open range zoo that would be a full day out. Although really it's a two day trip minimum, because it's 5 hours from Sydney. Werribee, by contrast, is 30 minutes from the Melbourne CBD.

Best native wildlife park? Healesville Sanctuary. But you'll be able to see virtually everything they have there at Taronga.

Best aquarium? Sydney Aquarium. However if you're going to the Gold Coast go to Seaworld as well. Dolphins and the best shark enclosure you'll see in Australia.

Basically, if I were travelling to Australia from overseas I'd be aiming to go to Sydney (and go to Taronga and Sydney Aquarium), Dubbo (Western Plains Zoo) and Melbourne (Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary). Hardcore zoo fans might add Werribee to the mix, but there's really nothing there that you won't see at Dubbo, Taronga and Melbourne. If you're coming after November Adelaide Zoo will have giant pandas.

Basically anything else depends on being in the area. If you're going to North Queensland check out Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve or Reef HQ (neither of which I've been to). If you're going to the Northern Territory there are two publicly owned wildlife parks that are reputedly excellent - Alice Springs Desert Park and Territory Wildlife Park near Darwin. Go to Australia Zoo if you're an Irwin fan, and Perth Zoo if you make it as far as WA.

If you're coming for a full zoo tour make sure you buy a membership to one of the societies. Any membership to one of the major public zoo societies (NSW, Vic, SA, WA) gets you reciprocal rights to the other states, so it *will* pay for itself.
 
snowleopard said:
Urban Zoos:

1- Taronga Zoo
2- Melbourne Zoo
3- Adelaide Zoo
4- Perth Zoo
5- Australia Zoo
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Australia Zoo is not an urban zoo. It's 80km north of Brisbane. And it should be pointed out that for a $50 entry price you get to see Australian natives, a lot of crocodiles, tigers, elephants, red pandas, otters and a camel.

It's a beatiful park and I enjoyed it a lot (helped that the trip was a present from my sister who lived in Brisbane at the time, so I didn't pay) but not worth the trip unless you're a particular fan of the Irwins. Any zoo fan with a day in Southeast Queensland would be better off going to Seaworld - the price is about the same and they can go on a rollercoaster if that's their thing.
 
Seeing as you're coming from overseas, I figure you'd probably like to see Asutralian wildlife so as well as checking out Healseville I'd go to Currumbin as well. And if you're going to uluru then I'd definatley go to Alice Springs Desert Park and and Alice Springs Retile Centre. :)
 
CGSwans said:
In the context of it being 1,582km from Adelaide, 2,310km from Melbourne or 2,828km from Sydney, 440km doesn't sound too bad. ;)
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And all that travel is in just 1 country. Also there is that place in Darwin? 1,937km away, where you can be lowered into a croc pool inside a glass cube.
 
PAT said:
But if you go to see Uluru then you have to stay in Alice Springs. :)
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No you don't :) Not if you're flying anyway which is how I got to Uluru. I appreciate it's a big country, but if you're in Sydney do you just drop into Canberra, which is the same sort of distance?
 
Pygathrix said:
No you don't :) Not if you're flying anyway which is how I got to Uluru. I appreciate it's a big country, but if you're in Sydney do you just drop into Canberra, which is the same sort of distance?
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Maybe us Aussies are just more used to long-distance travel. My sister lives in Canberra - 666km away from me - and we think nothing of the drive.

Very few Australian visitors would go to Uluru without also visiting Alice Springs. Certainly I wouldn't. But then, we mostly wouldn't visit Uluru on its own - I reckon most Australians would include it in a long road trip from Adelaide to Darwin.
 
I must say, ( from what I saw when I went there) Taronga is a great urban zoo. It has a huge range of animals and excellent exhibits. Plus I think the baby elephant has made his public debut.
 
CGSwans said:
I reckon most Australians would include it in a long road trip from Adelaide to Darwin.
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Really, do you think many Australians do this trip? A bloody long drive of "same same but different"
 
zooman said:
Really, do you think many Australians do this trip? A bloody long drive of "same same but different"
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It's popular for self-funded retirees in particular, as far as I'm aware. Many don't go further than Alice Springs, I guess. I honestly do think that the direct flights would be predominantly foreign tourists.
 
zooman said:
Really, do you think many Australians do this trip? A bloody long drive of "same same but different"
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I did it in 2003. Saw lots of other people doing it too, at their own pace.

:p

Hix
 
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