Looking for something a little bit different to do in Port Douglas? Then why not visit the Port Douglas Wildlife Habitat and enjoy eating Breakfast with the Birds or Lunch with the Lorikeets.
The best feature about the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas is the fact that the animals are free to roam around their enclosures so visitors can interact with them as they walk through. And, with over 600 animals representing 120 species plus over 70 species of birds, there are plenty of animals to interact with.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]breakfast with the birds[/headline]
To make the interactive experience even more enjoyable the Wildlife Habitat offers Breakfast with the Birds and Lunch with the Lorikeets.
We went along recently to eat at the full buffet breakfast in the open-air restaurant. There is a wide range of food options and unlimited tea and coffee so you can fill up before walking around the zoo.
As we munched our way through bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, tomatoes, fresh fruit and tropical juices, various different types of birds wandered around us.
Thankfully they are well behaved so none of them come too close or fly over your head as you’re eating.
It was a great way to start our visit.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]3 habitats[/headline]
The actual wildlife park is separated into three different areas; the Wetlands Habitat, Rainforest Habitat and Grasslands Habitat.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]wetlands habitat[/headline]
We entered the wetlands section first. From the wooden boardwalk we watched a mother jabiru feeding her baby on top of her giant nest.
This is a pretty amazing sight to witness considering the wildlife Habitat is the only zoo in Australia to successfully breed jabirus in captivity.
The Wetlands area also leads through to the koalas and quolls, who were a little camera-shy and sleepy. Koalas spend the majority of their day sleeping so don’t be disappointed if they don’t come over and say hello.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]rainforest habitat[/headline]
The rainforest section is an enormous and beautifully landscaped with a long winding boardwalk, lake, green tree frogs, cassowaries and lots of different species of birds.
There are several viewing platforms and bird feeding posts along the boardwalk, so you are often face-to-face with bright coloured lorikeets chewing on seeds and corn right beside you.
As you exit the Rainforest Habitat you walk past the owl, turtle and lizard enclosure. We loved this whole enclosure and found it refreshingly cool in the heat of the day.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]grasslands habitat[/headline]
The Grasslands is home to the bigger animals including kangaroos and crocodiles. Make sure you have food to feed the kangaroos here as they come up to you and eat directly out of your hands.
There are also tree kangaroos in their own enclosure and the big beasts of the park…the crocs.
The Wildlife Habitat only has two saltwater crocodiles, a female and a male called Babinda.
The park is hoping they will breed but on the day we visited, the female wasn’t showing much interest in her companion.
Not far away the freshwater crocodile enclosure has about six crocs living amongst a lake and tropical plants. They made their way over to us as we stood on the boardwalk. ‘Freshies’ are a much smaller species than their ‘saltie’ cousins and less dangerous if you meet them in the wild.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]wildlife tours and presentations[/headline]
Throughout the day the Wildlife Habitat has a variety of tours and feeding presentations in the different habitats.
They are usually held at the same time each day and they are very informative so its worth planning your time around these schedules.
There are also plenty of opportunities to have your photo taken holding the animals including a koala, a snake or a baby freshwater crocodile.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]fast facts:[/headline]
- WildNIGHT Nocturnal tours are available
- In the school holidays, the Junior Keeper Program allows kids to be a keeper for a day
- The Wildlife Habitat is the only zoo in Australia to breed jabirus in captivity
- It has a Lumholtz tree kangaroo breeding program
- The animal food bill each month is around $10,000
- They care for over 300 sick, injured and orphaned wild animals each year at a cost of around $40,000 (they rely on visitor donations to fund this service)
