Australia Zoo

Australia Zoo began in 1970 as a small reptile park run by Bob and Lyn Irwin and grew under their son Steve into one of the largest privately owned zoos in the country, still run by the family after his death in 2006. Its centre is the Crocoseum, a stadium seating thousands where crocodile feeding, free-flight bird displays and snake handling are staged daily. Around it are enclosures of crocodiles, tigers, elephants, giraffes, koalas, wombats and a large kangaroo walk-through. The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital next door treats tens of thousands of injured native animals, funded partly by zoo revenue. The site is large, hot in summer and takes a full day to cover.

What you actually see

• The Crocoseum - daily staged crocodile feeding and bird displays.
• The crocodile enclosures - a large collection central to the zoo's identity.
• The kangaroo walk-through - open feeding area with grey kangaroos.
• The wildlife hospital - the treatment facility for injured native animals.

When to go

April to October for tolerable temperatures; summer is hot and humid with animals inactive. The main Crocoseum show runs at midday. School holidays are extremely busy and queues form for the popular encounters.

Honest expectations

Entry is expensive, particularly for families, and animal encounters cost more again. The zoo is large and walking it in Queensland heat is tiring. The presentation style is showmanlike, which some visitors love and others find overdone.

Nearby

The Glass House Mountains are minutes away; the Sunshine Coast beaches lie east.