information wanted for Brisbane trip

[LaughingDove]

This may not be the appropriate place to ask this but I didn't think it was worth creating a thread just for this purpose. In summer (Australian winter) 2016 I will be visiting Brisbane (I realise that this is super early but I will be going with someone who wants to plan early. I haven't actually purchased flight tickets yet.) and I want to know if it is worth visiting Australia Zoo. Since I live in Europe and can visit zoos with a wide range of exotic species easily, I am more interested in seeing native Australian species so given this and the fact that it seems to be an hour away from Brisbane is it worth the visit?

Also, are there any other zoos or animal attractions in the Brisbane area that are worth visiting? Especially places with native species and I would also be interesting in any places to see wild animals (I am particularly interesting in any good birding places).

Thanks

 

[Dassie rat]

Hello Laughing Dove

When I went to Brisbane, I went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, which has a collection of native animals.

It is also worth visiting the Queensland Museum (Queensland Museum). This year it has an exhibition on Mesozoic life. When I went, the museum had some live Gordian worms (Gordian Worms - Australian Museum). This is the only time I've seen any captive horsehair worms. Unfortunately, there are many phyla that don't seem to be represente3d in zoos at all.

 

[LaughingDove]

Hello Laughing Dove

When I went to Brisbane, I went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, which has a collection of native animals.

It is also worth visiting the Queensland Museum (Queensland Museum). This year it has an exhibition on Mesozoic life. When I went, the museum had some live Gordian worms (Gordian Worms - Australian Museum). This is the only time I've seen any captive horsehair worms. Unfortunately, there are many phyla that don't seem to be represente3d in zoos at all.

Thanks for the information Dassie Rat. Looking on the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary website, they have Platypus. This is a species I really want to see so if they have it then it may be worth a visit. Do you know if they do have any and if so, how many?

 

[Chlidonias]

I split this into a new thread, because it will probably end up with a lot of replies, few of which will be about Australia Zoo.

I myself will come back to this thread when I have a bit more time and give some suggestions. For now, briefly, the Queensland Museum is very good as Dassie rat says; Lamington National Park is excellent for birds (e.g. Albert's Lyrebirds); and for captive native wildlife you might want to look at Currumbin Sanctuary, about 100km south of Brisbane - Gold Coast Family & Tourist Attraction | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

 

[Yassa]

I visited Australia Zoo a few years ago and I liked it. More a wildlife park then a zoo, though, because they have mostly native species. The have added a few exotic species since my visit, though, but my understanding is that it`s nothing you can`t see in Europe and a lot of those species might still be off-show. The entry price has exploded, too. A day ticket for an adult is now 59 dollars, and that is total rip off. I would not visit again for that amount of money. You`ll get much better value for money in almost any wildlife park in Australia!!

 

[CGSwans]

Australia Zoo is obscenely expensive, the collection is nothing special and it's actually not in Brisbane - it's an hour's drive away.

I haven't been to Lone Pine but I suspect it will be far more interesting for a European visitor, it's actually in Brisbane and is about half the price. Also I think you can get a ferry from the CBD along the Brisbane River to the park, which is expensive but sounds quite nice.

 

[jay]

Australia Zoo is obscenely expensive, the collection is nothing special and it's actually not in Brisbane - it's an hour's drive away.

I haven't been to Lone Pine but I suspect it will be far more interesting for a European visitor, it's actually in Brisbane and is about half the price. Also I think you can get a ferry from the CBD along the Brisbane River to the park, which is expensive but sounds quite nice.

I agree completely with this. As a brissie person I wouldn't visit Australia Zoo. If natice fauna is what you want to see then Lone Pine and Currumbin would be better.

 

[Chlidonias]

I myself will come back to this thread when I have a bit more time and give some suggestions. For now, briefly, the Queensland Museum is very good as Dassie rat says; Lamington National Park is excellent for birds (e.g. Albert's Lyrebirds); and for captive native wildlife you might want to look at Currumbin Sanctuary, about 100km south of Brisbane.

for wild animals, the botanic gardens in the city are very nice (although jay might be better able to give a current state as there have been some major floods in the area, and the gardens are on the river). When I was there it was easy to find bush stone-curlews in the planted "islands" on the lawns (they are nocturnal but spend the day sitting on the ground), the lilyponds were full of water dragons, and there was a nice mangrove boardwalk where I found mangrove whistler and boobook.

North Stradbrooke Island is just off Brisbane. I have seen koala there and there were colonies of black flying foxes as well. Dugongs live in the sea around but I haven't seen them.

Lamington National Park is half rainforest and half dry eucalyptus forest. I only visited the rainforest half because I don't have my own transport (I got there via a day tour bus-trip which dropped me off there, and I got back with another day tour on their return trip several days later). You can stay at O'Reilly's which is quite expensive, or in the campground if you have a tent and that is super cheap. Interesting birds I saw included Albert's lyrebird, paradise riflebird, regent and satin bowerbirds, green catbird, southern logrunner; and mammals included dingo, red-necked pademelon and northern bobuck.

 

[LaughingDove]

Thank you very much for all of the information.

I will pass this info to my aunt who I will be doing this trip with and we'll work something out.

 

[Hix]

I can recommend Lone Pine within Brisbane, and if you head south to the Gold Coast you'll find Currumbin is good too. In the same area is the David Fleay Fauna Park with such rarities (in captivity) as Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo, Bridled Nailtail Wallaby, Proserpine Rock Wallaby and Mahogany Glider. SeaWorld isn't too far away either. And inland from the Gold Coast is the aforementioned Lamington National Park.

A few hours drive away from Brisbane is the Darling Downs Zoo, owned and operated by ZooChatter Steve Robinson.

The recent publication "Finding Australian birds" by Dolby & Clarke list several good birdwatching sites within Brisbane, such as the Boondall Wetlands, Mt Coot-tha Forest and D'Aguilar National Park, and between Brisbane & the Gold Coast is Mount Tamborine National Park.



Hix