A Day at the Sanctuary

By Bobbi-Jo // 26 March 2010 // Comments: 0 // Related Categories: Best Backpacker Job, Review, Things to do

Confession: I’m not a fan of zoos.

They kind of stink and everything feels really artificial.

I am, however, a fan of big open spaces, peacocks running around uncaged, and sleepy koalas hanging out in the trees above you as you walk around the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Of course there are enclosed areas, something has got to protect the Tasmanian Devils from the tiny little hands of four- and five-year-olds reaching in to give them a pet. Currumbin does a great job of scheduling their encounter shows - where they bring out the animals, talk about them, let you pet them or get closer to them than you would be able to in a zoo - so that your day in the park is pretty filled and that there’s always something to see.

My favorite part (WARNING: I’m about to wave my tourist flag really high) was the kangaroo area. Again, they weren’t caged up, but instead were just lounging, hopping around and doing cute kangaroo-type things (like scratching their bellies) as people milled about. You can lie down in the grass next to them if you want, but this might make you pretty jealous of what a leisurely life they live.

If you want to see koalas during the tiny bit of time that they are actually awake during the day, I would suggest going mid- to late-afternoon. That’s when they’re up eating and being the most active. Currumbin is also home to a monster of a fresh water crocodile, so make sure to catch the feeding show, it does a pretty impressive leap out of the water.

Other than that, give yourself a full day to hop on and off the trolley that takes you around the park (it’s that big), see the shows, including an aboriginal dance show complete with didgeridoos and explanations of the different dances (and even a little lesson), cuddle a koala and hold a baby crocodile.

You can go about a pretty structured day or do what I did: figured out a few shows I knew I wanted to see and spent the rest of the time taking it all in, reading the signs and kind of just being a nerd. Did you know that wombats used to be huge? Like, meters high?

Now you do.

If you’re a bit more fit and zip lines are your thing, check out Currumbin’s Green Challenge. It’s an add on to the price of admission for the park, but the ropes course is basically commando training that snakes through a rainforest canopy. It looks so cool I’m going back later today to check it out.

Hopefully I’ll be swinging through trees Tarzan-style in no time. : )

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