Alexandra Park Zoo is a free, council-run facility within the city of Bundaberg, four hours from Brisbane. Opened in 1911, this 110-year-old zoo is one of Queensland’s oldest zoological facilities and has a rich history exhibiting a range of animals across its century-long existence. The zoo has a really interesting story and I found a few notable historical snippets. The zoo began with an enclosure for emu and a duck pond constructed by September 1911. Kangaroos were added in 1912 while a female monkey was acquired from Melbourne Zoo via ship that same year. The zoo entered a period of disrepair but council persisted throughout the war years. A range of species have been recorded (albeit via limited chronicles) including a cassowary (pre-1920), koala (1963) rhesus macaques (1964), blackbuck which was purchased from Taronga in 1963 for £55, ‘rat-kangaroo’ (1966), grey kangaroos (1971) and crocodile (1975). Their most well-known resident was a tortoise from Madagascar called Torty. She was a family pet for five generations and went on show in 1964. She died in 1984 at the estimated age of 136. You can only imagine the ages some of the young Radiateds and Aldabrans in the region will reach hopefully. A fragment of her life story is below from Bundaberg’s local news bulletin:
“Torty's known life history began in the island of Madagascar, off the south-east coast of Africa, back in 1847,” the postcard reads. That year, en route to Australia, Mr John Powe went ashore the island and on his return to the ship, the ship's captain presented him with a recently hatched baby land tortoise. Mr Powe put the baby in his pocket. So began Torty's life as a pet. She stayed with the Powe family for five generations and lived in Sydney, Gladstone and finally Bundaberg. On 20 May 1964, Miss Ethel Powe (the great-granddaughter of Mr John Powe) donated Torty to Alexandra Park Zoo, where Torty lived for almost 20 years. In 1979 Torty was declared to be the second oldest living creature at the time by German scientist Klaus Lehmann. Torty passed away on 20 February 1984 at the age of 136 years.”
In 1999, the council decided to complete a three-stage renovation of the zoo throughout the early 2000s including a new entrance, playground and bird aviaries/boardwalk all completed by 2002. These days it’s a modest, well-presented zoo accredited by the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) showcasing an interesting range of species including the only White-throated Snapping Turtles known in captivity if I’m correct. That in itself is significant for such a threatened reptile and certainly warrants a first-time visit.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Nestled within suburbia, the zoo is located about a kilometre from Bundaberg’s city centre in a pleasant patch of parkland along the Burnett River. The small entry area is situated within a shady corner of the park, opposite a boardwalk along the river and some playground spaces. Just past the main entrance, the first enclosure is for a pair of Lace Monitors – one normal and the other, a Bell’s phase. The enclosure was glass-fronted with good hiding spots and branches situated just above the glass perimeter, enabling the monitors to climb. It was interesting to compare both animals as they were both very active in the searing heat. The zoo have plans to double the size of this enclosure as well from a recent news article.
Entrance
Lace monitor enclosure
Nearby was a row of five meshed aviaries all of a similar design with an over-hanging roof. The first enclosure had a Crimson-winged Parrot and two Princess Parrots sharing the same space. This was followed by a vacant aviary, a pair of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo in each of the final two aviaries. There are plans to introduce the two cockatoos so that would leave them with two vacant aviaries presumably for additional parrots. Their website mentions Eclectus Parrots but none were seen. The Crimson-winged Parrot was undoubtedly the highlight of this aviary row as a frequently underrated species, often overshadowed by the popular king parrots. The male was sitting right near the mesh, showcasing the wonderful combination of reds, blues and greens they possess.
Parrot aviaries
Opposite the aviaries was home to the stars of the zoo – their White-throated Snapping Turtles. One enclosure for their male who shared it with a rescued Krefft’s Turtle and the other, for their blind female snapping turtle. Both enclosures were pretty similar; a deep pond with a well-planted area and hiding areas both in and out of the water. The glare on the male’s enclosure was very bad but the female was seen clearly. This endangered native snapping turtle is a very large, slow-growing species that is only found in four river systems and I far as I know, exclusively housed at Alexandra Park Zoo. The male arrived in 2019 from Fraser Coast Wildlife Sanctuary and the female arrived from the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital this year. It was interesting to watch the female with no eyes navigate her way around the enclosure. She is well-marked with the characteristic white throat. Very few representatives of the impressive native snapping turtles seem to be housed in Australian zoos which is a great shame as they would serve as unique point of interest in comparison to other native turtles. I’ve only ever seen a Northern Snapping Turtle Elseya dentata at Dreamworld so it was a real treat to see the zoo’s pair. The zoo also had detailed signage about the female’s rescue and her permanent vision impairment. The signage also explained that the main threat of this species is an almost 100% chance of egg predation leaving an ageing population of turtles. There was also a hive next to the turtles for Austroplebeia australis – native stingless bees.
White-throated Snapping Turtle
The largest enclosure at the zoo is for two Emus, Swamp Wallabies and Parma Wallabies. It’s well-shaded with old towering trees with a main shed area and lower exhibit area beyond sight that allow the wallabies to completely escape public view. In 2020, this space was upgraded giving the animals 60m² of additional space as they removed a portion of the boardwalk. It’s certainly a good size for such a small zoo. Parma Wallabies are a particularly sensible choice being a small wallaby and one that is not commonly kept in Queensland zoos. The emus were booming to anyone that would walk past. From observation, they were by far the most popular species among members of the public. Next door, was an enclosure for Dingo. It was very green with a set of glass-fronted windows and shade trees. I wouldn’t call it large but it definitely comfortably housed them. The dingoes had access to their off-display area as well. In front of said area, the zoo squeezed in a final aviary for their Australian King Parrots, maximising their space effectively. Near the dingoes, was an aviary-style enclosure for their hyperactive Tiger Quoll that came from Tasmania about two years ago. He was bounding around, climbing up branches and sniffing the air. Absolutely beautiful specimen. His meshed enclosure can actually be seen in two areas – this outdoor portion near the dingoes and from the central barn.
Tiger Quoll
Dingo enclosure
The central barn is an interesting design and one that caught my attention as an attractive central hub. It’s a modern-looking building with animal exhibits on either side inside – a row of glass-fronted herptile exhibits on one side and enclosures for Cotton-top Tamarins and the second viewing area for the quoll. The tamarin exhibit is a large aviary-style enclosure that can be sectioned off into two separate enclosures but on my visit, was left as one big space for the zoo’s two females. It would be adequately-sized when divided but when opened up, is very spacious. There are large glass-viewing windows, live plants and both artificial and natural climbing opportunities for the tamarins. One of the zoo’s tamarins, Solita, is approaching 24 years old next May. She was born in 1998 at the Montreal Biodome, Canada and moved to Perth Zoo in 2002 where she was an important breeding animal before her retirement with one of her offspring to Queensland. She’s surely one of the oldest of her species currently in captivity.
Central barn
Cotton-top Tamarin enclosure
Opposite the tamarins and quoll, is the row of tanks. They began with a vertical enclosure for six Green Tree Frogs which only arrived a few months ago. Their exhibit is themed around a backyard complete with a dripping drain, hose pipe and garden gnome! I’m not usually a fan of over-the-top theming but I felt it worked for this particular species being ubiquitously associated with suburbia. There was also an interesting poster about frogs found in the Bundaberg region, creating relevant connections with the local wildlife which is always a big tick for me. Next door was a Brown Tree Snake in a similarly-sized exhibit with a more simplified approach - branches and rock ledges. A keeper kindly opened up the snake’s exhibit to allow me to photograph it without the glare. The slightly-larger enclosure for their Coastal Carpet Python was designed to look like an old shed with a corrugated iron backing and various agricultural-related objects. Rather than exhibit the usual bluetongue or shingleback, the zoo opted for something a bit different for the next enclosure with a pair of Australia’s largest skinks - Land Mullets which I have a soft spot for.
Herptile enclosures
Land Mullet
Another unusual species was a neighbouring pair of Freckled Monitors which I had never seen before. The pair were very active utilising all of their climbing and hiding spots. The zoo also hopes to breed them. The final enclosure along this row was for Eastern Bearded Dragon. What I particularly liked about the species displayed here was that the zoo had a single representative for some of the key groups of cold-blooded creatures– frogs, agamids, skinks, small varanids, pythons and colubrids. With the limited space in the barn there was just enough diversity here to have a good illustration of smaller herptiles I thought especially with no double-ups or similar species. On top of that, the zoo selected a good balance between the popular recognisable staples and a few more unusual reptiles. There was clearly some thought behind the species displayed.
Freckled Monitor
In short, I liked Alexandra Park Zoo a lot. It’s not a particularly showy collection but it’s the epitome of quality over quantity. It’s a humble facility with a carefully-curated collection that cleverly and realistically caters to its space constraints with limited room for expansion making the collection feel larger than it seems which is a true art in itself. There is also a very strong community presence with regular media coverage that documents the zoo’s developments in great detail, an established volunteer program and solid local attendance, demonstrating the benefits the zoo provides as a respected establishment in Bundaberg. With only about 20 species on-show, some may think it’s not worth the trip but if you happen to be in the area, I definitely encourage a visit.
“Torty's known life history began in the island of Madagascar, off the south-east coast of Africa, back in 1847,” the postcard reads. That year, en route to Australia, Mr John Powe went ashore the island and on his return to the ship, the ship's captain presented him with a recently hatched baby land tortoise. Mr Powe put the baby in his pocket. So began Torty's life as a pet. She stayed with the Powe family for five generations and lived in Sydney, Gladstone and finally Bundaberg. On 20 May 1964, Miss Ethel Powe (the great-granddaughter of Mr John Powe) donated Torty to Alexandra Park Zoo, where Torty lived for almost 20 years. In 1979 Torty was declared to be the second oldest living creature at the time by German scientist Klaus Lehmann. Torty passed away on 20 February 1984 at the age of 136 years.”
In 1999, the council decided to complete a three-stage renovation of the zoo throughout the early 2000s including a new entrance, playground and bird aviaries/boardwalk all completed by 2002. These days it’s a modest, well-presented zoo accredited by the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) showcasing an interesting range of species including the only White-throated Snapping Turtles known in captivity if I’m correct. That in itself is significant for such a threatened reptile and certainly warrants a first-time visit.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Nestled within suburbia, the zoo is located about a kilometre from Bundaberg’s city centre in a pleasant patch of parkland along the Burnett River. The small entry area is situated within a shady corner of the park, opposite a boardwalk along the river and some playground spaces. Just past the main entrance, the first enclosure is for a pair of Lace Monitors – one normal and the other, a Bell’s phase. The enclosure was glass-fronted with good hiding spots and branches situated just above the glass perimeter, enabling the monitors to climb. It was interesting to compare both animals as they were both very active in the searing heat. The zoo have plans to double the size of this enclosure as well from a recent news article.
Entrance
Lace monitor enclosure
Nearby was a row of five meshed aviaries all of a similar design with an over-hanging roof. The first enclosure had a Crimson-winged Parrot and two Princess Parrots sharing the same space. This was followed by a vacant aviary, a pair of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo in each of the final two aviaries. There are plans to introduce the two cockatoos so that would leave them with two vacant aviaries presumably for additional parrots. Their website mentions Eclectus Parrots but none were seen. The Crimson-winged Parrot was undoubtedly the highlight of this aviary row as a frequently underrated species, often overshadowed by the popular king parrots. The male was sitting right near the mesh, showcasing the wonderful combination of reds, blues and greens they possess.
Parrot aviaries
Opposite the aviaries was home to the stars of the zoo – their White-throated Snapping Turtles. One enclosure for their male who shared it with a rescued Krefft’s Turtle and the other, for their blind female snapping turtle. Both enclosures were pretty similar; a deep pond with a well-planted area and hiding areas both in and out of the water. The glare on the male’s enclosure was very bad but the female was seen clearly. This endangered native snapping turtle is a very large, slow-growing species that is only found in four river systems and I far as I know, exclusively housed at Alexandra Park Zoo. The male arrived in 2019 from Fraser Coast Wildlife Sanctuary and the female arrived from the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital this year. It was interesting to watch the female with no eyes navigate her way around the enclosure. She is well-marked with the characteristic white throat. Very few representatives of the impressive native snapping turtles seem to be housed in Australian zoos which is a great shame as they would serve as unique point of interest in comparison to other native turtles. I’ve only ever seen a Northern Snapping Turtle Elseya dentata at Dreamworld so it was a real treat to see the zoo’s pair. The zoo also had detailed signage about the female’s rescue and her permanent vision impairment. The signage also explained that the main threat of this species is an almost 100% chance of egg predation leaving an ageing population of turtles. There was also a hive next to the turtles for Austroplebeia australis – native stingless bees.
White-throated Snapping Turtle
The largest enclosure at the zoo is for two Emus, Swamp Wallabies and Parma Wallabies. It’s well-shaded with old towering trees with a main shed area and lower exhibit area beyond sight that allow the wallabies to completely escape public view. In 2020, this space was upgraded giving the animals 60m² of additional space as they removed a portion of the boardwalk. It’s certainly a good size for such a small zoo. Parma Wallabies are a particularly sensible choice being a small wallaby and one that is not commonly kept in Queensland zoos. The emus were booming to anyone that would walk past. From observation, they were by far the most popular species among members of the public. Next door, was an enclosure for Dingo. It was very green with a set of glass-fronted windows and shade trees. I wouldn’t call it large but it definitely comfortably housed them. The dingoes had access to their off-display area as well. In front of said area, the zoo squeezed in a final aviary for their Australian King Parrots, maximising their space effectively. Near the dingoes, was an aviary-style enclosure for their hyperactive Tiger Quoll that came from Tasmania about two years ago. He was bounding around, climbing up branches and sniffing the air. Absolutely beautiful specimen. His meshed enclosure can actually be seen in two areas – this outdoor portion near the dingoes and from the central barn.
Tiger Quoll
Dingo enclosure
The central barn is an interesting design and one that caught my attention as an attractive central hub. It’s a modern-looking building with animal exhibits on either side inside – a row of glass-fronted herptile exhibits on one side and enclosures for Cotton-top Tamarins and the second viewing area for the quoll. The tamarin exhibit is a large aviary-style enclosure that can be sectioned off into two separate enclosures but on my visit, was left as one big space for the zoo’s two females. It would be adequately-sized when divided but when opened up, is very spacious. There are large glass-viewing windows, live plants and both artificial and natural climbing opportunities for the tamarins. One of the zoo’s tamarins, Solita, is approaching 24 years old next May. She was born in 1998 at the Montreal Biodome, Canada and moved to Perth Zoo in 2002 where she was an important breeding animal before her retirement with one of her offspring to Queensland. She’s surely one of the oldest of her species currently in captivity.
Central barn
Cotton-top Tamarin enclosure
Opposite the tamarins and quoll, is the row of tanks. They began with a vertical enclosure for six Green Tree Frogs which only arrived a few months ago. Their exhibit is themed around a backyard complete with a dripping drain, hose pipe and garden gnome! I’m not usually a fan of over-the-top theming but I felt it worked for this particular species being ubiquitously associated with suburbia. There was also an interesting poster about frogs found in the Bundaberg region, creating relevant connections with the local wildlife which is always a big tick for me. Next door was a Brown Tree Snake in a similarly-sized exhibit with a more simplified approach - branches and rock ledges. A keeper kindly opened up the snake’s exhibit to allow me to photograph it without the glare. The slightly-larger enclosure for their Coastal Carpet Python was designed to look like an old shed with a corrugated iron backing and various agricultural-related objects. Rather than exhibit the usual bluetongue or shingleback, the zoo opted for something a bit different for the next enclosure with a pair of Australia’s largest skinks - Land Mullets which I have a soft spot for.
Herptile enclosures
Land Mullet
Another unusual species was a neighbouring pair of Freckled Monitors which I had never seen before. The pair were very active utilising all of their climbing and hiding spots. The zoo also hopes to breed them. The final enclosure along this row was for Eastern Bearded Dragon. What I particularly liked about the species displayed here was that the zoo had a single representative for some of the key groups of cold-blooded creatures– frogs, agamids, skinks, small varanids, pythons and colubrids. With the limited space in the barn there was just enough diversity here to have a good illustration of smaller herptiles I thought especially with no double-ups or similar species. On top of that, the zoo selected a good balance between the popular recognisable staples and a few more unusual reptiles. There was clearly some thought behind the species displayed.
Freckled Monitor
In short, I liked Alexandra Park Zoo a lot. It’s not a particularly showy collection but it’s the epitome of quality over quantity. It’s a humble facility with a carefully-curated collection that cleverly and realistically caters to its space constraints with limited room for expansion making the collection feel larger than it seems which is a true art in itself. There is also a very strong community presence with regular media coverage that documents the zoo’s developments in great detail, an established volunteer program and solid local attendance, demonstrating the benefits the zoo provides as a respected establishment in Bundaberg. With only about 20 species on-show, some may think it’s not worth the trip but if you happen to be in the area, I definitely encourage a visit.
