Gorge Wildlife Park Gorge Wildlife Park, September 2025

[Chlidonias]

Gorge Wildlife Park, 17 September 2025


Gorge Wildlife Park is at Cudlee Creek, about 30km out of Adelaide city. I really liked this park, perhaps more than Adelaide Zoo. It's certainly not a better zoo than Adelaide Zoo - it is much more chaotic and unpolished, and obviously smaller in area - but it felt more interesting. I'd definitely recommend making the time to visit it along with Adelaide Zoo if in the city.

It is not difficult to get to with public transport, but the schedules are limited. First take a bus to the Tea Tree Plaza Interchange - lots of buses go there from the city every few minutes, it takes about half an hour, and you can use your Metrocard. Then from there you need to take a LinkSA bus, which costs AU$6.10 and takes another half an hour, but it only runs three times a day on weekdays (at 9am, 10.10am and 2.03pm), and twice a day on Saturdays (10.10am and 12.20pm). Return times on weekdays are only at 1.30pm and 2.30pm; and on Saturdays at 11.45am, 3pm and 5.30pm. I'm not sure why the number of buses running there and back is different.

The bus stop is at the Cudlee Creek Caravan Park, which is at the junction between Gorge Road and Redden Drive - the Wildlife Park is about 300m up Redden Drive. The entry fee is AU$24.


At its heart Gorge is a native wildlife park with a heavy emphasis on birds, but it has a fair few exotic mammals scattered about. The layout lacks any sort of cohesion so navigating it requires multiple backtracks and constant consulting of the map, and signage is often poor (frequently non-existent). If you've been to Featherdale in Sydney with its maze-like aviary layout, it is in a similar vein to that but less confusing.

Enclosures are mostly simple cage- or aviary-style. The native mammals are generally well-housed - the macropods are all in large paddocks - while the exotic mammals are rather less so, with the primates mostly in pretty small cages (although not bad). The spider monkeys have a very nice "island" however.

There are aviaries scattered everywhere, all of a good size - some of them being really large - with the exception of two very small parrot aviaries in the Kids Zoo. They are mostly well-planted, and most contain a mix of species.

Signage for the birds was extremely poor though. Many aviaries had a notice saying that the signage was being upgraded and a simple laminated list of species was tacked up instead, but even this was usually wrong. Some species from the list would usually be present, but there would almost always be others in there as well. Other aviaries lacked identification signage entirely. Even the rarest birds (in an Australian context) were totally unsigned, like the NZ Scaup, Paradise Ducks, and Canada Geese. It was very frustrating because you just don't know what to look for or whether you've seen everything. One small aviary was totally unsigned but had Gouldian Finches, Diamond Doves and Little Button Quail, and I saw a male Splendid Parakeet tucked into the brush, but that seemed to be all - but when I came back past a bit later I saw a Grey-headed Honeyeater and an Inland Dotterel in there as well.


I was there for about four hours, taking three to make my way leisurely around the whole park, and then the last hour going back to various aviaries for photos.


Photo gallery here: Gorge Wildlife Park - ZooChat



Gorge Wildlife Park species list

All species which were seen or signed, as of 17 September 2025.


MAMMALS:

Short-beaked Echidna (not seen)
Tasmanian Devil (not seen)
Spot-tailed Quoll (not seen)
Greater Bilby
Sugar Glider ?? (not seen, but included on previous lists)
Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
Common Wombat
Koala
Long-nosed Potoroo
Quokka
Swamp Wallaby
Red-necked Wallaby (including white ones)
Tammar or Parma Wallaby ?? (housed with the Emu - the enclosure was unsigned and I had them down as Tammar but previous lists have them as Parma Wallabies)
Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby ?? (I didn't see these, and the enclosure marked for them on the map now houses a Cassowary [with Mara being in the marked Cassowary enclosure nearby])
Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby
Agile Wallaby (not seen - signed as being in the walk-through enclosure with the Red and Western Grey Kangaroos)
Western Grey Kangaroo (including white ones)
Red Kangaroo

Grey-headed Flying Fox
Ghost Bat

Ring-tailed Lemur
Golden Lion Tamarin
Cottontop Tamarin
Emperor Tamarin
Black-capped (Tufted) Capuchin
White-fronted Capuchin
Black-handed (Geoffroy's) Spider Monkey
Japanese Macaque
White-handed (Lar) Gibbon

domestic Goat
Dromedary

Serval
Dingo
Small-clawed Otter
Meerkat

domestic Rabbit
domestic Guinea Pig
Red-rumped (Brazilian) Agouti
Patagonian Mara
Capybara


BIRDS:
Signage was extremely poor throughout. Many aviaries had incomplete species listed, and several aviaries lacked identification signage entirely. I undoubtably missed species - looking at the lists from the visit by @WhistlingKite24 last year (see here: The Great Southern State: WhistlingKite24 does South Australia ) there are a bunch of birds which were present then but I didn't see them, as follows:

Australian Darter, Painted Button Quail, Golden-shouldered Parrot, Musk Lorikeet, Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Jenday Conure, Boobook, Barn Owl, and Chiming Wedgebill.

I imagine all these are still there, just unseen when I visited.


In the list below anything marked as "not seen" had a sign on an aviary but I couldn't find the bird. Many of the other birds listed were totally unsigned.


Ostrich
Emu
Southern Cassowary

Little Blue Penguin

Australian Pelican
Black Cormorant (not seen - I think it was just an old sign)
Pied Cormorant
Little Pied Cormorant

Black Swan
Canada Goose
Cape Barren Goose
Egyptian Goose
Magpie Goose
Australian Shelduck
Paradise Duck
Radjah Shelduck
Ruddy Shelduck
Mandarin Duck
Freckled Duck
NZ Scaup
Blue-billed Duck

[note: the lake was signed for lots of different birds which were probably actually wild: Australian Black Duck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Australian Shoveller, Australian Wood Duck, Dusky Moorhen, and Australasian Coot; as well as Black Swan, Australian Shelduck, Radjah Shelduck, and Magpie Goose which would be captive birds]

Banded Rail
Chestnut Rail

Brolga

Black-necked Stork

White-faced Heron
Pied Heron
Little Egret
Eastern Cattle Egret (not seen)
Nankeen Night Heron

Bush Stone-Curlew
Beach Stone-Curlew

Australian Pied Oystercatcher
Pied (White-headed) Stilt
Masked Lapwing (northern)
Banded Lapwing
Inland Dotterel

Royal Spoonbill
Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Glossy Ibis

Australian Bustard

Orange-footed Scrubfowl
domestic Guineafowl (free-ranging)
domestic Chickens (free-ranging)
Blue Peafowl (free-ranging)
Golden Pheasant
Lady Amherst's Pheasant
Chukar
Australian Brown Quail
Stubble Quail
Black-breasted Quail (not seen)
King Quail
Northern Bobwhite (not seen)
Californian Quail
Little Button Quail

Wedge-tailed Eagle
Black-breasted Buzzard
Brahminy Kite
Nankeen Kestrel (not seen)

domestic Pigeon
Torres Strait Imperial Pigeon
Rose-crowned Fruit Dove
White-headed Pigeon
Topknot Pigeon
White-breasted Ground Dove
Wonga Pigeon
Spinifex Pigeon
Bush Bronzewing
Emerald Dove (Green-winged Pigeon)
Bleeding-heart Pigeon (not seen)
Diamond Dove
Peaceful Dove
Bar-shouldered Dove
Laughing Dove
Brown Cuckoo-Dove

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
Carnaby's Black Cockatoo (not seen)
Glossy Black Cockatoo
Galah
Little Corella
Gang-Gang Cockatoo
Cockatiel
Dusky Lory
Black-capped Lory
Red Lory
Little Lorikeet
Rainbow Lorikeet
Red-collared Lorikeet (not seen)
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Eclectus
Budgerigar
Swift Parrot
Regent Parrot
Princess Parrot
Hooded Parrot (not seen)
Mulga Parrot (not seen)
Redrump (not seen)
Bourke's Parakeet
Splendid (Scarlet-chested) Parakeet
Australian Ringneck (Mallee Ringneck)
Australian King Parrot
Australian Red-winged Parrot (not seen)
Blue and Gold Macaw
Green-winged Macaw
Yellow-crowned Amazon
Sun Conure
Nanday Conure

Barking Owl
Tawny Frogmouth

Common Kookaburra
Blue-winged Kookaburra
Sacred Kingfisher

Dollarbird

Noisy Pitta
White-browed Woodswallow
Dusky Woodswallow
Crested Bellbird
Eastern Whipbird
Apostlebird
Magpie-Lark
Australian Figbird
Noisy Friarbird
Blue-faced Honeyeater (not seen)
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
Lewin's Honeyeater
Grey-headed Honeyeater
White-cheeked Honeyeater
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
Gouldian Finch
Zebra Finch
Red-browed Finch (unsigned in several aviaries - I think probably wild birds but have listed them anyway)
Satin Bowerbird
Regent Bowerbird (not seen)
Spotted Bowerbird (not seen)
Green Catbird (not seen)
Currawong sp. (albino)
Pied Butcherbird


REPTILES:
I have included the scientific names for all of these in case of confusion. All were housed in the reptile house apart for the alligators, the tortoises, the Eastern Water Dragons, the Olive and Australian Scrub Pythons, and the Lace Monitors. The signage in the reptile house was via three revolving digital displays, one of which was not working.


American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis

Pig-nosed Turtle Carettochelys insculpta
Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina (not seen - signed as being in the same enclosure as the two tortoises below)
Hermann's Tortoise Testudo hermanni
Leopard Tortoise Stigmochelys pardalis
Aldabra Giant Tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea

Veiled Chameleon Chamaeleo calyptratus
Hosmer's Skink Egernia hosmeri
Eastern Pilbara Spiny-tailed Skink Egernia epsisolus
Marbled Velvet Gecko Oedura marmorata
Fijian Crested Iguana Brachylophus vitiensis
Green Iguana Iguana iguana
Plumed Basilisk Basiliscus plumifrons
Central Netted Dragon Ctenophorus nuchalis ?? (they did not look like this species to me but the sign for this set of tanks was not working, and this is the species identified as being present in previous species lists - I didn't take any photos because the light levels were too low)
Eastern Water Dragon Intellagama lesueurii
Gila Monster Heloderma suspectum
Lace Monitor Varanus varius (not seen)
Heath Monitor Varanus rosenbergi (in an enclosure outside the reptile house which appeared to connect to the inside enclosure, but the individuals inside looked too small to be safe with the large individual seen outside - in a post in the news thread earlier this year there were said to be Rusty Monitors Varanus semiremex as well - Gorge Wildlife Park news [Gorge Wildlife Park] )

Australian Scrub Python Simalia kinghorni
Black-headed Python Aspidites melanocephalus
Children's Python Antaresia childreni
Olive Python Liasis olivaceus
Blood Python Python brongersmai
Common Boa Boa constrictor
Corn Snake Pantherophis guttatus
Southern Death Adder Acanthophis antarcticus

 

[Chlidonias]

Walk-through of the park


In the following posts I will provide the species combinations for all the enclosures and aviaries. As mentioned, the layout of the park is confusing and there is no way to create a single-path route so this will be a bit messy, but I'll try and make the descriptions clear and will be using the labels as used on the map. The map is below, but note that it isn't totally precise in the arrangement of cages, and there are a few enclosures missing from it.

I will divide the areas into the enclosures "in front of the entrance", "in the centre", "on the right", "across the top", and "on the left" of the map.

The entry point to the park is at the bottom, marked Kiosk.

Enclosures in front of the entrance on the map:


"Lemur": Ring-tailed Lemurs and Chukar (mixed cage)

"Brolga": Brolga and Magpie Geese (mixed enclosure)

"Quokka": Quokkas


"Birds" (above "Lemur") - there are two aviaries here:

* Golden Pheasant, Chukar, Black-capped Lory, Eclectus, Noisy Friarbird, Satin Bowerbird

* Red-rumped Agouti, Mandarin Duck, Lady Amherst's Pheasant, Chukar, Dusky Lory, Red Lory, Blue and Gold Macaw, Green-winged Macaw, Yellow-crowned Amazon, Sun Conure, Nanday Conure, Satin Bowerbird, Red-browed Finch (the last probably being wild birds entering through gaps in the mesh). An earlier list also mentioned Jenday Conures in here, which were likely still present but the aviary was almost entirely unsigned.

"Birds" (to left of "Brolga") - this is a walk-in aviary, with a viewing platform just inside the door: Freckled Duck, Beach Stone-Curlew, Banded Rail, Torres Strait Imperial Pigeon, White-headed Pigeon, Wonga Pigeon, Bush Bronzewing, Emerald Dove, Australian Red-winged Parrot (not seen), Tawny Frogmouth (not seen), Red-browed Finch (probably wild birds), Satin Bowerbird. The only birds actually signed in here were Freckled Duck, Bush Bronzewing, Australian Red-winged Parrot, and Tawny Frogmouth.

"Wombat": Common Wombat


"Birds" (with the picture of an egret) - this is a quite large aviary for wetland birds: Radjah Shelduck, Black-necked Stork, Little Egret, Eastern Cattle Egret (not seen), Nankeen Night Heron (unsigned), Beach Stone-Curlew, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Magpie-Lark (unsigned).

"Eagles": Wedge-tailed Eagles

"Serval": Serval


"Lace Monitor": an outside enclosure for Lace Monitor (not seen), and two glass-fronted enclosures for Australian Scrub Python and Olive Python.


"Dingo": Dingos


"Birds" (with the picture of a stork) - this is a quite large aviary for wetland birds: Radjah Shelduck, Black-necked Stork, White-faced Heron (unsigned), Nankeen Night Heron, Brahminy Kite, Nankeen Kestrel (not seen), Common Kookaburra (unsigned), and an albino Currawong (unsigned). An earlier list also mentioned Australian Darter in here.

 

[Chlidonias]

Enclosures in the centre of the map:


"Japanese Macaque": Japanese Macaques

"Capuchin": White-fronted Capuchins (in two joined cages, unsigned as far as I could see)

"Koala Handling Area": encounter area. There were also two open-topped enclosures either side of this area, both unsigned and neither being on the map. The one opposite the "Eagles" had a pair of Paradise Ducks. The one above the Tasmanian Devils had a pair of NZ Scaup and an Australian Pelican (pictured below).

"Gibbon": White-handed Gibbons

"Tortoises": a single outdoors enclosure for Eastern Box Turtle (not seen), Hermann's Tortoise, Leopard Tortoise.


"Tassie Devil": Tasmanian Devils (not seen)


"Echidna": Short-beaked Echidnas (not seen)


"Koala": Koalas and Long-nosed Potoroos (mixed enclosure)


"Penguin": Little Blue Penguins

"Otters": Small-clawed Otters

"Pelicans": single enclosure for Australian Pelicans and Pied Cormorant; also signed for Black Cormorant (not seen).


"Reptiles":
* Next to the reptile house was a small nocturnal house with a single exhibit inside for Greater Bilby and Ghost Bats.
* Heath Monitor in an enclosure outside the reptile house.
* Displayed inside the reptile house, roughly in this order: Rusty Monitor (?); Pig-nosed Turtle and Green Iguana; Blood Python; Southern Death Adder; Veiled Chameleon; Fijian Crested Iguana; Plumed Basilisk; Eastern Pilbara Spiny-tailed Skink and Central Netted Dragon (?); Black-headed Python; Children's Python; Marbled Velvet Gecko; Corn Snake; Gila Monster; Hosmer's Skink; Common Boa.

"Marmoset & Tamarin": a row of three (I think) small cages for Emperor and Cottontop Tamarins.


"Turtles": two open-topped enclosures, both unsigned, containing Eastern Water Dragons.

 

[Chlidonias]

Enclosures on the right side of the map:


"Alligators": American Alligators in two enclosures. A new pool area was also under construction in between the Little Blue Penguins and the neighbouring alligator enclosure.

"Cassowary": Southern Cassowary and Australian Shelduck (mixed enclosure)


"Brolga": I think this enclosure held another Southern Cassowary, or was joined to the preceding one.


"Wetland Habitat" (with the picture of a spoonbill) - this is a quite large aviary for wetland birds: Little Pied Cormorant, Blue-billed Duck, Pied Heron, Beach Stone-Curlew (unsigned), Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Royal Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Bar-shouldered Dove (unsigned), Regent Parrot, Australian King Parrot (unsigned), Blue-faced Honeyeater (not seen), Pied Butcherbird.

"Waterfowl": labelled on the map above and below the Toilets - the upper one was either empty or not there (I think it is misplaced on the map and supposed to be representing a small enclosure beside the entrance to the Kids Zoo, which was empty), and the lower area was blocked off behind fencing (the tops of the aviaries were visible behind it). However there was a small aviary to the left of the Toilet block, another to the right of it, and a tamarin cage there as well, none of which are depicted on the map:

* a small "desert" aviary (left of the Toilets): Banded Lapwing, Diamond Dove, Budgerigar, Redrump (not seen), Zebra Finch.

* a small aviary to the right of the Toilets, which was totally unsigned but contained at least Inland Dotterel, Little Button Quail, Diamond Dove, Splendid Parakeet, Grey-headed Honeyeater, Gouldian Finch.

* Cottontop Tamarins


"Kids Zoo": a small walk-through "shed" with domestic goats, side pens for domestic rabbits and guinea pigs, some chickens and domestic pigeons, and two small aviaries, one of which had a talking Little Corella while the other appeared to be empty.


"Walk-through Indoor Aviary" - this is a reasonably-sized covered "bird house" with the central area being free-flight and the walls lined with several individual aviaries. The signage was really bad in here, and may as well not have been present at all for all the good it was. There were laminated photo signs in the entry and exit porches (different signs in each porch) which isn't much use when you're inside the house looking at a bird, and I don't think they were at all accurate anyway. There were laminated lists of birds on each individual aviary but they were very much not accurate, and there were a few other signs for some of the free-flying birds.

* birds which I saw in this exhibit (only some of which were signed): Mandarin Duck, Pied Stilt, Australian Brown Quail, Stubble Quail, King Quail, Californian Quail, Torres Strait Imperial Pigeon , Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Topknot Pigeon, Peaceful Dove , Laughing Dove, White-breasted Ground Dove , Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Swift Parrot, Splendid Parakeet, Sacred Kingfisher,, Dollarbird , Noisy Pitta, White-browed Woodswallow, Dusky Woodswallow, Crested Bellbird, Eastern Whipbird, Australian Figbird, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Lewin's Honeyeater, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Red-browed Finch (unsigned, probably wild birds which had gained entry).

* birds signed but not seen in this exhibit: Bush Stone-Curlew (on one of the old signs in the entry/exit porches), Banded Lapwing (on one of the old signs in the entry/exit porches), Black-breasted Quail, Northern Bobwhite, Little Button Quail, Spinifex Pigeon (on one of the old signs in the entry/exit porches), Emerald Dove, Bleeding-heart Pigeon, Hooded Parrot, Blue-faced Honeyeater (on one of the old signs in the entry/exit porches), Satin Bowerbird (on one of the old signs in the entry/exit porches), Regent Bowerbird (on one of the old signs in the entry/exit porches), Green Catbird.

* birds not seen and not signed in this exhibit, but mentioned as being in here on previous lists: Painted Button Quail, Golden-shouldered Parrot, Musk Lorikeet, Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Little Lorikeet, Chiming Wedgebill.

 

[Chlidonias]

Enclosures across the top of the map:
(Going from right to left)


"Wombat": Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat


"Marmoset & Tamarin": Common Marmoset and Golden Lion Tamarin


"Birds" (with the picture of a barn owl) - there are three aviaries here, all unsigned: I saw Common Kookaburra, Tawny Frogmouth and Barking Owl respectively, but apparently they also contain Boobook and Barn Owl which I missed.

"Meerkat": Meerkat

"Birds" (with the picture of a lorikeet) - a set of three aviaries, largely unsigned, collectively housing: Pied Stilt (not seen), Masked Lapwing, Banded Lapwing, Banded Rail (not seen), Australian Brown Quail, Peaceful Dove, Little Lorikeet, Cockatiel, Bourke's Parakeet, Princess Parrot, Sacred Kingfisher, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Spotted Bowerbird (not seen).

"Bats": Grey-headed Flying Foxes


"Birds" (with the picture of an eagle) - there are three aviaries here: the middle one houses Australian Bustards and Blue-winged Kookaburras, as well as an unsigned juvenile Pied Butcherbird; Beach Stone-Curlew was signed for this aviary as well, but was not present. The other two aviaries both held Black-breasted Buzzards.

"Capybara & Mara": Capybara and Mara, and (unsigned) Canada Goose and a pair of Paradise Ducks. I also saw a Golden Pheasant in here.

"Rock Wallaby": Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies. There were also two open-topped enclosures here, not depicted on the map (right where the word "wallaby" is written, above the picture of the spoonbill), for Australian Shelduck and Ruddy Shelduck respectively.

"Cassowary": this enclosure had Mara in it on my visit.

"Capuchin": Black-capped Capuchin


"Rock Wallaby": this (previously?) held Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies, but had a Cassowary on my visit (with Mara being in the Cassowary enclosure). I didn't see any rock wallabies in here and there was no signage. The enclosure is awkwardly viewed from a side-deck sort of thing beside the Camels.


"Walk-through Wallaby Exhibit": Swamp Wallaby, Red-necked Wallaby (including white ones), Australian Shelduck, Cape Barren Goose.

"Camel": Dromedary (Arabian Camel)


"Wallaby & Emu": Emu, and either Tammar or Parma Wallabies (enclosure was unsigned).

 

[Chlidonias]

Enclosures on the left side of the map:


"Lake / Waterfowl": the lake was signed for lots of different birds which were probably actually wild: Australian Black Duck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Australian Shoveller, Australian Wood Duck, Dusky Moorhen, and Australasian Coot; as well as Black Swan, Australian Shelduck, Radjah Shelduck, and Magpie Goose which would be captive birds.

"Walk-through Kangaroo Exhibit": Red Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo (including white ones). Agile Wallaby was also signed here but I did not see any.


"Spider Monkey": Geoffroy's Spider Monkeys and Egyptian Goose. At the junction to the path leading to the Spider Monkeys was an enclosure for Magpie Geese.

"Quoll": Spot-tailed Quoll (not seen)


"Aldabra Tortoise": Aldabra Tortoise

"Ostrich": Ostrich. To the side of the ostrich yard and behind the parrot aviaries was an enclosure for Australian Bustards which couldn't really be viewed otherwise, and isn't labelled on the map.


"Birds" (with the picture of a black cockatoo) - there are three aviaries here:
* Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Mulga Parrot (not seen), Apostlebird, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater.
* Bush Stone-Curlew, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Galah.
* Bush Stone-Curlew (unsigned), Spinifex Pigeon (unsigned), Carnaby's Black Cockatoo (signed but not seen), Mallee Ringneck (unsigned).

"Birds" (with the picture of a Gang-Gang) - there are two aviaries here:
* Chestnut Rail, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (unsigned), Glossy Black Cockatoo, Rainbow Lorikeet (unsigned), Red-collared Lorikeet (not seen), Australian King Parrot (not seen).
* Gang-Gang Cockatoo