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Category: zoo

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National Zoo and Aquarium

Tiger

National Zoo and Aquarium

Modern and spacious, the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra houses animals from around the world, but also includes many from Australia.

Getting There and Parking

Located a short 15-minute car ride from the centre of Canberra, it’s easy to get to. Plenty of on-site parking allows easy access for cars. A great feature is that entrances from different car parks mean you do not need to walk all the way to the front entrance to get in. Just remember which entrance you used!

Getting Around the National Zoo and Aquarium

The zoo’s layout enables all exhibits to be seen by walking a circular path, with a few deviations. Because of this excellent layout you do not need to double back and retrace your steps very often.

Food Outlets

Two main food outlets are placed on either side of the zoo. Near the lower carpark entrance a restaurant serving light meals and drinks is near the monkey enclosures. On the far side of the zoo, next to the open range area, the Rhino Bistro also serves food and drinks.

Vending machines scattered around the zoo allow you to buy snacks and drinks as you go.

If you would rather bring your own food, picnic areas throughout the zoo let you sit and relax while you eat.

National Zoo and Aquarium Exhibits

Housed in large modern enclosures, the animals have plenty of space to move around. This reminded us of a mix between the open range zoo at Dubbo and the Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

African Wildlife

The zoo has a large collection of African wildlife on display. Ranging from lions and cheetahs to elephants and giraffes, most people’s favourites are there. Most of the carnivores had been fed and by midmorning were dozing in the sun. If you want to see them roaming around, early morning is the best time, because this is when they are more active.

The zebras, giraffes and other herbivores were more active, often walking close to the fence. This was great, giving us a much better close up look.

African Painted Dog National Zoo and Aquarium
African Painted Dog
Cheetah
Cheetah
Giraffe National Zoo and Aquarium
Giraffe
Giraffe
Giraffe
Ostrich National Zoo and Aquarium
Ostrich
Plains Zebra National Zoo and Aquarium
Plains Zebra

Tigers

Unlike their African counterparts, the tigers were active and wandering around their enclosure. One of them came up to the large Perspex viewing window so we could get a very close look at him.

Tiger
Tiger

Meerkats

Meerkats are always fun to watch and the ones here were no exception. Whether they were fighting, eating or just standing guard, they were entertaining.

Meerkat National Zoo and Aquarium
Meerkat

Birds

Aviaries hold many birds, but the one we like the most was the fairy penguins, because theirs was open to the air and you could see them swimming around.

Fairy Penguin National Zoo and Aquarium
Fairy Penguin

Reptiles

Located next to the aquarium, the reptile houses a huge number of snakes and lizards. This is a great way to see many of Australia’s poisonous snakes behind a glass wall so that you remain safe. Seeing them out in the wild can be a little more dangerous.

Heat lamps and low lighting keep them active, although most of the snakes were not moving.

Green Iguana National Zoo and Aquarium
Green Iguana

Primates

The primate section was very active, with monkeys climbing along rope and through trees. The lemurs, apes and monkeys had only just been fed, so were out in their enclosures playing and eating.

Cotton-Top Tamarin
Cotton-Top Tamarin

Bears

Malaysian Sun Bear
Malaysian Sun Bear

Deer

There were many different species of deer, all in large enclosures so that they could move around.

Wapiti Elk National Zoo and Aquarium
Wapiti Elk

Australian Wildlife

As expected, the Australian section is one of the largest, with kangaroos, wallabies, emus and koalas.

It was great to see Tasmanian devils there, as they are endangered due to a facial cancer that is destroying their population in Tasmania. Breeding programs and disease free populations have been set up around the country to save them from extinction.

Wallabies
Wallabies
Tasmanian Devil National Zoo and Aquarium
Tasmanian Devil
Goodfellows Tree Kangaroo
Goodfellows Tree Kangaroo

Extinct Animals at the National Zoo

A very unusual section of the zoo is dedicated to extinct animals and birds. The first we saw was the dodo, famous for being made extinct by sailors who killed them for food. The Tasmanian Tiger was also there, push to extinction by sheep farmers and graziers.

The message from these displays is that animals can easily be made extinct, but can be brought back again.

Also in the area were a few dinosaurs, showing that life has changed significantly over the last 100 million years. They are also fun for kids to look at because they look quite life-like.

Dodo Sculpture
Dodo Sculpture
Velociraptor Sculpture National Zoo and Aquarium
Velociraptor Sculpture
Brachiosaurus Sculpture National Zoo and Aquarium
Brachiosaurus Sculpture
Pteranodon Sculpture
Pteranodon Sculpture
Allosaurus Sculpture
Allosaurus Sculpture

What did we think?

This is one of the best zoos we have seen, and we have visited a lot of them. So much space for the animals. Great location, no issues with parking, and plenty of spots to sit down and have a snack or sit down to order food. A must if you love this stuff!

For other places to visit in the Australian Capital Territory click here

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Dubbo New South Wales Australia

White Rhinoceros

Dubbo New South Wales

Located in the central west of New South Wales, Dubbo was our first main stop during our road trip. A five hour car trip from Sydney, or a three and a half hour trip from our home in Singleton, stops along the way are needed. The first European settlement was established in 1828, but aboriginal history dates back over 40,000 years.

With so many attractions to visit in the area, we planned a two day stay here, to see as much as we could, without rushing.

Attractions

Dubbo Visitors Information Centre

Our first visit was the Visitors Information Centre, so that we could get a map of a street walk of historical buildings in town. Only available here, it was also a good chance to see if anything else was happening in town, that had not been mentioned online.

Outside the visitor centre is an information board detailing the dwarf planet Pluto. This forms part of a giant solar system model, centred on the Siding Springs Observatory in Coonabarabran. We passed the position of Neptune at Dunedoo.

Outside the centre is a medicinal garden growing plats that the Wiradjuri People used. An information board describes the uses of the plants.

  • Pluto Information Board
    Pluto Information Board
  • Medicinal Garden
    Medicinal Garden

Town Centre

Following the Dubbo Heritage Trail, we got from the Visitor Information Centre, we found some nice old buildings spread through the centre of town. With 37 buildings and locations, there is a lot to see, but we decided to only find ones that interested us.

Of interest was the old post office, which was designed by the famous architect James Barnet. Another great building was the Old Bank, which is now a pub and restaurant, where we had dinner.

  • Dubbo Courthouse
    Dubbo Courthouse
  • Colonial Mutual Building Dubbo
    Colonial Mutual Building
  • Old Dubbo Post Office
    Old Dubbo Post Office
  • Westpac Bank Building Dubbo
    Westpac Bank Building
  • St Brigid's Catholic Church Dubbo
    St Brigid’s Catholic Church
  • Catholic Presbytery St Brigid's Dubbo
    Catholic Presbytery St Brigid’s

Street Art

Spread all over town, is a variety of street art and sculptures. We noticed them while driving around, but were not aware how many there were.

  • Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
    Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
  • Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
    More Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
  • Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
    Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
  • Cockatoo Art Work at the Visitor Information Centre
    Cockatoo Art Work at the Visitor Information Centre
  • Aboriginal Street Art in the city centre
    Aboriginal Street Art in the city centre
  • Statue of William Ferguson, a Champion of Aboriginal Rights
    Statue of William Ferguson, a Champion of Aboriginal Rights
  • Sheep Silhouettes in the City Centre
    Sheep Silhouettes in the City Centre
  • Rhino Statue at the Entrance to the Airport
    Rhino Statue at the Entrance to the Airport

Taronga Western Plains Zoo

Taronga Western Plains Zoo is the most popular tourist attraction in the Dubbo area because of its collection of endangered animals in an open range setting. To view all of the exhibits, we spent a full day at the zoo, walking between enclosures. Your entrance ticket is valid over two days, so you can return the next day if you want to see more. To read our full blog about our visit, click on the link above.

Black Rhinoceros Dubbo
Black Rhinoceros

Old Dubbo Gaol

Old Dubbo Gaol is one of the locations on the heritage trail and is a popular attraction for many tourists. Maintained in excellent condition and easy to access from the centre of town, it’s a fun place to visit and learn about the gaol’s past. The buildings are all close together, so a visit here only took us an hour. The blog of our visit can be found here.

Male Prison Building at Old Dubbo Gaol
Male Prison Building

Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden

If you like Japanese gardens, you will love this one. Rated one of the best in Australia, the Shoyoen garden is beautiful to walk around and very relaxing. The other section of the Regional Botanic Garden display’s local flora, so if you want to see some without bushwalking, this is a great place to visit. Our full blog can be found here.

Dubbo Japanese Gardens Dubbo
Japanese Gardens

Old Bank

The Old Bank Restaurant and Bar is, as the name suggests a converted bank. Bookings are essential, as we were lucky to get a table when we arrived. To read our blog on the Old Bank, click here.

Main Meal Lamb Rump
Main Meal Lamb Rump

Western Plains Cultural Centre

The Western Plains Cultural Centre is a combined museum and art gallery, showcasing local talent and history. From high school students’ art, international artists, aboriginal artefacts, and old horse drawn carriages, there is something here for everyone.

Dubbo Wilkins Kennedy and Spence Coach Builders Buggy Dubbo
Wilkins Kennedy and Spence Coach Builders Buggy

Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre

The RFDS Visitor Centre is a new, state of the art museum which details the RFDS history. Not only does it have old equipment and two aircraft on display but uses large screens and interactive video to tell its story. We enjoyed our visit and spent longer than we had originally anticipated because it had so much to offer.

Dubbo de Havilland Fox Moth VH-UQM Replica
de Havilland Fox Moth VH-UQM Replica

War Memorials

As with most towns across Australia, a war memorial commemorates those who were killed fighting for their country. Dubbo is no exception, but’s its Shrine of Remembrance is huge and surrounded by several other memorials. One of these is in memory of a local pilot who earned the Victoria Cross flying a bomber during World War Two. Although he was killed, he saved the lives of five others onboard, while flying the plane home despite being severely wounded.

  • Shrine of Remembrance
    Shrine of Remembrance
  • Memorial to Pilot Officer Rawdon Hume Middleton, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (V.C.) in World War Two.
    Memorial to Pilot Officer Rawdon Hume Middleton, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (V.C.) in World War Two.

Macquarie River and Emile Serisier Bridge

Located near the Visitor Centre, the Emile Serisier Bridge caught our attention because of its solid steel work construction. It spans the Macquarie River, so while looking at the bridge, we had a look at the river too.

A better view is available on the opposite side of the river, where you can walk under the structure.

  • Rail Bridge Over the Macquarie River
    Rail Bridge Over the Macquarie River
  • Rail Bridge Over the Macquarie River
    Rail Bridge Over the Macquarie River
  • The Macquarie River
    The Macquarie River

Dubbo Observatory

We booked tickets ahead if time for the observatory, opting for the 10:30PM to 12:30AM visit. This allows visitors to use their own cameras on the telescopes to take photos. Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy so our session was cancelled(with a full refund), so next time we are in Dubbo we will try again.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo

Sumatran Tiger

Taronga Western Plains Zoo

Located near Dubbo in the central west of New South Wales, Taronga Western Plains Zoo is one of Australia’s premier zoos. The zoo is home to over 5,000 animals from over 350 species, many of them rare and endangered. Taronga is part of an international breeding and conservation program to ensure these animals survival.

Getting Around Taronga Western Plains Zoo

Being an open range zoo allows the animals to move freely, which is spread out over a huge area. The circuit road is five kilometres long, with numerous sidetracks showing various exhibits adding many kilometres. We managed to walk over 14km during our visit.

If you don’t feel like, or are unable to walk around the zoo, there are option including drive your own car, hire a bike or golf cart. Each of these has its own appeal, depending on your circumstances and the weather.

Refreshments

Food and drinks are available at the entrance where the Zoo Café and Bar is located, or at the halfway point at the Waterhole. We ate at the Waterhole because it was four hours into our visit and near lunch time.

The tables at the Waterhole are next to cages with meerkats. This is nice, because you can eat while watching them play. If you have children, this area has a small water park and play equipment, allowing them to play while you relax.

Throughout the park are several vending machines and water refill stations, which is great for that quick snack.

If you bring you own food, picnic areas are available, so you to eat surrounded by animals.

The Animals of Taronga Western Plains Zoo

With so many animals to see don’t rush, take your time. This way you will have a great visit while seeing lots of different animals.

Cheetah

We were lucky at the cheetah enclosure because they had just been fed. They were playing a game of tug with a piece of food, even though there was another piece lying nearby.

  • Cheetahs Fighting Over Food Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Cheetahs Fighting Over Food
  • Cheetah Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Cheetah

Lion

  • Lion Enclosure
    Lion Enclosure
  • Female African Lions
    Female African Lions
  • Female African Lion
    Female African Lion

Sumatran Tiger

More tigers are located in Taronga’s Sydney Zoo, but this one looked very relaxed by itself. Taronga is proud to be part of a regional conservation management plan for Sumatran Tigers including breeding, research, fundraising and community action to support sustainably produced palm oil, which we all know has ruined the tigers natural habitat.

  • Sumatran Tiger Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Sumatran Tiger

Rhinoceros

The zoo has three species of rhino on display. Each has its own large enclosure, where you can view them. It was great to see all three species, especially the critically endangered black rhino.

Black Rhinoceros

The black rhinoceros is classified as critically endangered, due to hunting and habitat loss.

  • Black Rhinoceros Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Black Rhinoceros
  • Black Rhinoceros Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Black Rhinoceros

Southern White Rhinoceros

The Southern white rhinoceros is the most abundant of the rhino sub-species, with around 20,000 living mostly in South Africa.

  • White Rhinoceros
    White Rhinoceros
  • White Rhinoceros
    White Rhinoceros

Greater One Horned Rhinoceros

The greater one-horned rhinoceros is native to the Indian subcontinent, and is listed as vulnerable, with under 4,000 animals globally.

  • Greater One Horned Rhinoceros
    Greater One Horned Rhinoceros

Camels

  • Dromedary camels
    Dromedary camels

Hippopotamus

The hippos were active while we visited, munching grass while slowly walking around.

  • Common Hippopotamus Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Common Hippopotamus

Taronga Western Plains Zoo Giraffe Herd

Seeing a herd of giraffes was great, as they acted like a family group[ with adults and calves moving together.

  • Giraffe Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Giraffe

Ostrich

Ostrich Taronga Western Plains Zoo
Ostrich

Emu

Two enclosures hold emus, including the walk around Australian section, where you can get up close to one. If you would rather see them from a distance, a large enclosure nearby has a flock of them walking around.

  • Emu
    Emu
  • Emu
    Emu

Swamp Wallaby

  • Swamp Wallaby
    Swamp Wallaby

Banteng

  • Banteng Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Banteng

Addax

  • Addax Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Addax

Eland

  • Eland
    Eland

Bongo

These vividly striped animals were eating breakfast, so we were able to see them up close.

  • Bongo
    A Vividly Striped Bongo
  • Bongo
    Bongo

Takhi / Przewalksi’s Horse

Taronga Western Plains Zoo holds a large herd of Takhi or Przewalksi’s Horse. The story of the Takhi is told on information boards, inside building resembling Yurts, because the horses come from Mongolia.

  • Takhi or Przewalksi's Horse
    Takhi or Przewalksi’s Horse

Persian Onager

  • Persian Onager
    Persian Onager

White Handed Gibbon

  • White Handed Gibbon
    White Handed Gibbon

Meerkats

Always fun to watch, the meerkats put on a fun display, chasing each other and play fighting. There are two meerkat displays, one near the entrance and a second at the Watering Hole Café.

  • Meerkats Fighting
    Meerkats Fighting

Otters

Sunning themselves on the grass, the family of otters were sleepy but curious about the people looking at them. Several are staring at the camera while the photo was taken.

  • Otters
    Otters

African Wild Dog

  • African Wild Dog
    African Wild Dog

Galapagos Turtle

The last exhibit before you exit the park is the Galapagos turtles, what a great sight they are. We have seen them on TV shows, but to see them up close really lets you grasp how large they are. They are also very old, with the male around 50 and the female over 100 years old.

Look at the exhibit behind the turtles, because there are several young ones there, around five to seven years old when we visited.

  • Galapagos Turtle Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Galapagos Turtle
  • Galapagos Turtle Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    Galapagos Turtle

Interesting Statues, Sculptures and Buildings at Taronga Western Plains Zoo

  • Silhouettes at The Pride Lands
    Silhouettes at The Pride Lands
  • Wildebeest Silhouettes
    Wildebeest Silhouettes
  • Vulture Sculpture
    Vulture Sculpture
  • Lion Sculpture
    Lion Sculpture
  • Rhinoceros Sculpture
    Rhinoceros Sculpture
  • Entry to the Fallow Deer Enclosure
    Entry to the Fallow Deer Enclosure

What Did We Think?

Taronga Western Plains Zoo is a great place to visit, not just for the animals you see, but because of the understanding you get about how fragile their existence is. On your trip around the zoo, you learn about their endangered environments. At the same time it is enjoyable and kids have great fun here.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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