Old Gold Coast Zoo - Coolangatta

[Jambo]

I remember one brown bear, 3 tigers, a pair of Lions, two Giraffes, Sitatuga,Cape hunting dogs and lots of Macaws! I still have the zoo booklet. Also a young Chimp being walked around the pathways by the hand!

It would be good if you could post the booklet on here for us to look at.

And it's also possible the young chimp you saw was Cassius! He would've been three at the time you visited.

 

[steveroberts]

Natureland Zoo

 

[Zoofan15]

Natureland Zoo

Thanks for sharing.

It’s interesting to hear they had chimpanzees in 1959, shortly before breeding majorly took off at Taronga Zoo from 1960 onwards (only two chimpanzees had been born prior to that - Keefi in 1941; and Jordie in 1957).

I was also interested to see peccaries in the species list! I hadn’t realised they were held in Australia prior to imports from Wellington Zoo from their pair (imported in 1969 from Canada), though its not entirely surprising given the diverse range of animal acquisitions from animal dealers etc. made through the first 3/4 of the 20th century.

 

[steveroberts]

Old satellite aerial of Natureland Zoo from August 1986 around the time it closed. Ones the wider area that the image belongs to. The others the same outlining the zoo grounds. Source: Queensland Globe (specifically QImagery--air-photo-where&sval=NAME%3D%27QAP4579155%27 & QImagery--air-photo-where&sval=NAME%3D%27QAP27682798%27 & QImagery--air-photo-where&sval=NAME%3D%27QAP0571028%27 & QImagery-air-photo-where&sval=NAME%3D%27QAP0887030%27). Unfortunately the aerial shot from 1986 cuts off just near the boundary but don't think any of the site is really missing from that aerial shot at least. And where it was today Google Maps (albeit people who knew the place have already mentioned it's location on here before; other side of the street is still Queensland and the zoo's side of the street is New South Wales...so the animals were Blues supporters ).
August 1986


February 1974

December 1959

April 1969 (zoo has expanded)