It was the last full week of the holidays. Other then Apollo Bay, I hadn’t really done much with Seth. I eagerly jumped at the opportunity for a family trip to the zoo as I wanted to experiment with animal photography and, you know, do some bird perving.
Frogs and Reptiles
The first place we went to was the frog and reptile buildings as these were close to our gate and I knew Seth would LOVE it.
It was pretty awesome. I got to see my first Corroboree frog, which I’ve been obsessed with ever since I visited Tidbinbilla. The Southern Corroboree frog is in a similar position to the orange bellied parrot. They are on the brink of extinction and are reliant on captive breeding programs to ensure the species survial. You can learn more about these fascinating frogs at the official Corroboree frog website.
I know conservation stuff can be boring but we really need to educate ourselves about how we can help these vulnerable species. Also enjoyed seeing the Lord Howe Island stick insect!
The reptile area was pretty awesome – but very popular. Kids were running from window to window screaming ‘MUM! Look at this!’ I couldn’t handle it and rushed past some animals I wanted to see and then waited outside.
Seth had a blast. Crocodiles, small turtles and many snakes. Some were difficult to find.
Photography was difficult due to the sheer amount of people here so I’m planning to return after the school holidays.
I did really enjoy learning about the different species of reptile. I may have a new obsession.
Giant Tortoise
Was so honoured to be able to get close to this majestic animal. You can see them in two different areas of the park, should one of the areas be crowded.
Seals + Penguins
This area was pretty awesome. There was an underwater area where you could see the seals swimming under water. There were smaller tanks leading there that had various sea animals in it but there were too many squealing kids crowding to see them.
There was also an outside tank with sting rays. I noticed that a lot of people were reaching in to touch them – a recurring theme throughout the whole visit. Children are free on school holidays so there was considerably more people there then usual. As always, you get the small minority of disrespectful people who swear at you when you ask them not to touch the animals. It marred an otherwise great visit as I don’t know what else we can do to ensure the animals comfort in captivity.
We went outside and watched the other seal on the rocks. We watched it move for a bit before it dove into the water.
The penguins were hilarious. I never knew they barked like a dog! I really enjoyed watching them swim and could have stayed there a lot longer.
The Butterfly House
This was the place that Seth was dying the visit. He loved it more then the reptiles.
It was great for photography but was extremely crowded. As soon as one group of people left, even more came in. It was horrible. It was beautiful watching Seth put his hand out for the butterflies and comment on how beautiful they all were. I want to return on a day where there is less people. I think Seth wants to come back, too.
The rest
We could only get through about half of the animals during the five hours we were there. If you have kids that love animals, I highly recommend that you become a zoo member. I’m planning to. It means you get unlimited entry at all three zoos – something that will save you money when you return to see your favourites! It also helps the zoo in its efforts to fight extinction.
Was so fun seeing little Mali having fun!
Another night heron! Although dad ruined the moment somewhat saying ‘We came here to see other animals too.’ Fair enough as we had limited time but dude, waterbirds!
The area for primates was crowded. So many young adults would just push people out of the way and make it so people could barely see.
Tips
- Don’t go on school holidays as it is extremely crowded. If possible, attend an I, Animal evening to get even more out of it
- Decide beforehand what animals you’d like to see
- The growing wild area is pretty fun. You can go in tunnels and see the meerkats up close!
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