The Best Zoos and Nature Reserves in Australia

Founded by Steve Irwin’s parents in 1970, the ‘Home of the Crocodile Hunter’ has been fronted by Steve’s wife Terri and kids Bob and Bindi since the great man’s tragic death in 2006. Australia Zoo continues the Croc Hunter’s legacy with more than 1,000 animals on 100 acres, an hour’s drive north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast hinterland — don’t miss the legendary live crocodile feeding show.

Head on an African safari on the outskirts of Melbourne with a guided off-road tour of the Werribee Open Range Zoo. These 225 hectares of wide open savannah are home to gorillas, lions, monkeys, cheetahs, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, antelopes and all the other stunning creatures you’d expect to spot in the African wild, let alone just half an hour from the middle of Melbourne.

Australia’s oldest zoo is also one of the country’s best, loaded with exhibits just north of Melbourne’s city centre. We’re talking five Asian elephants, an orangutan sanctuary, butterfly greenhouse, lion gorge, reptile house, aviary, treetop canopy for apes and monkeys, spaces replicating the Australian Outback plus Asian and African rainforest conditions, as well as a $20-million ‘Wild Sea’ underwater display.

Australia’s ultimate ‘zoofari’ is waiting five hours’ west of Sydney at this five-kilometre circuit of New South Wales’ Great Western Plains, peppered with rare and endangered animals like giraffes, elephants, rhinos and big cats. Admission to the Taronga Western Plains Zoo includes two days to roam around, while you can also book a luxurious lodge on site to spend the night with the wildlife.

If you think that the Central Australian desert is a barren wasteland of red dirt, a visit to the Alice Springs Desert Park will change your mind. This 1300-hectare slice of the Red Centre educates guests about the culture and science of the region’s vibrant landscapes, visiting native plants and animals in three distinct desert habitats: sand country, desert rivers and woodland.

Perched above the South Australian capital in the bucolic Adelaide Hills, the Cleland Wildlife Park conserves 130 species of Australian wildlife in 25 hectares of beautiful bushland. Interact with the animals by hand-feeding a kangaroo, cuddling a koala and holding a reptile, or booking a spot on the park’s brand new tour, Breakfast with the Birds.