Feeding crocodiles and patting kangaroos are all part of the attraction at Townsville’s Billabong Sanctuary Wildlife Park.
Billabong Sanctuary, about 18 kilometres south of the city on the Bruce Highway is a great place to spend the day if you’re looking for things to do in Townville with children.
It is a real Aussie zoo with a fantastic array of Australian animals from koalas and kangaroos through to wombats, echidnas and reptiles. There are different wildlife shows on all day long and visitors get to meet the animals up close and even pat a few.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]crocs[/headline]
On our visit we found that the most impressive exhibit was the crocodiles.
Saltwater crocodiles are enormous beasts and they always draw a crowd. For an extra fee ($99) you can feed one under the supervision of a handler.
For safety reasons it is done from outside the enclosure so you don’t need to dice with death!
All of the people who were game enough to have a go on the day we were there said it was awesome and well worth doing.
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They may not be everyone’s favourite creature but you can’t help but be fascinated by the snake show.
We learned all about venomous snakes as one of the wildlife handlers brought out several different snakes as part of the reptile show. It was very educational and good to learn a few tips given how many snakes we have in Australia.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]furry animals[/headline]
The rest of the day we wandered around the open-air enclosures.
We laughed at the wombats sleeping with their legs in the air, oblivious to the tourists taking their photo.
We saw turtles sunning themselves on logs beside their pond, echidnas curled up in a ball, dingoes sleeping, curious emus staring back at us from their enclosure, lots of sleeping koalas and one little baby koala who was inquisitive enough to climb out of its tree and wander over to touch our hand.
Kangaroos roam the park at their leisure and stop by for a pat and a feed. You can buy bags of kangaroo food at the shop as you enter the park.
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Billabong Sanctuary has a cafe where you can relax and grab some lunch or sit down for a coffee. And, believe it or not, there is even a resort style pool where you can pop in for a cooling dip.
It was scorching hot on the day we spent there so we were glad we had our swimming gear with us so we could cool off in the pool.
We had a thoroughly enjoyable family day at Billabong Sanctuary so its definitely worth a visit when you are in Townsville.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]travel nq fast facts[/headline]
- Billabong Sanctuary is located 18 kilometres south of Townsville on the Bruce Highway. It’s easy to find and well sign posted just off the highway.
- Opening hours are 9am-5pm everyday except Christmas Day
