Breakfast time at the Zoo

Hartley's Lagoon Cruise

The Great Australian Wildlife Experience inclunding Breakfast time at the Zoo

We made our own way to the Cairns Tropical Zoo and went straight to the “Koala Café” for Breakfast at 9am. A cute koala, called Nugget welcomed us at the Café. The wildlife keeper and Nugget remained on hand throughout breakfast for questions and photo opportunities.

There are three options available for breakfast; Bacon and scrambled eggs with toast or Croissant, muffin and fruit or Belgian waffles with fresh fruit and ice cream. Additionally there is fruit juice, coffee and tea, cereals, and toast available on the buffet.

After the breakfast we went to “Free flight birds show”. It was a very amazing show, the birds were well-trained and the bird keepers were very professional and informative. It was easy to take our time looking around the park with the informative signage. There were a lot of shows, one after another, such as Pelican feeding, Endangered Exotics guided walk, Crocodile action show and Snakes Alive show etc. so you can follow the time schedule and just show up at each enclosure at the alloted time.

There are many kind of Australian animals including Koalas, Kangaroos, Wallabies, Crocodiles, Dingoes, Cassowaries, Wombats, lots of Birds and Reptiles There are also some unique animals like Red pandas, Madagascans Ring-Tailed Lemurs and Tamarins. It was so much fun and there were many animals to see, and so I thought it was easy to take up a half a day, or even a full day.

The licensed Koala Cafe serves breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea (own expenses).

After lunch, we drove to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure, about 15 minute drive north from Cairns Tropical Zoo. We went down to the reception and the friendly staff gave us a map and showed and went through the show program.

We went on the boat cruise at 1pm on the Hartley’s lagoon. There were many estuarine crocodiles swimming in the lagoon. The boat driver-guide talked about crocodiles and their habitat and demonstrated the pole feeding. We saw the crocodile hunt and jump for food right next to our boat which was cool. We took part in the crocodile farm tour soon after that. The farm was 3 minute walk from the lagoon. The guide took us into the farm where there are plenty of young crocodiles and explained how a commercial crocodile farm works. We then went to see “Crocodile attack show” at 3pm. The presentation, featuring a very large crocodile, was magnificent and very exciting. The experienced keeper was very informative and answered the all questions from the crowd. He made the crocodile roll and head shake which was interesting to watch. Soon after we participated in the Cassowary feeding and the Koala feeding programs. The keepers were all professional and gave us a lot of information about the wildlife and it was great to get close to the animals.

There’s a licensed restaurant “Lilies” overlooking Hartley’s Lagoon, where you can have lunch, a quick snack, or just a coffee. We saw some crocodiles swimming by while we were having our afternoon tea.

Both attractions were excellent, very educational and great fun. Cairns Tropical Zoo has more variety of animals including many native Australian animals. Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures is more focused on Crocodile wildlife with plenty of exciting shows throughout the day.

I would recommend combining these two zoos, and spend the whole day exploring and learning about different wildlife. Breakfast time at the zoo is a great way to start the day.

Cairns Night Zoo

On arrival we were greeted by the friendly zoo keepers and a sulfur crested cockatoo. We relaxed around the tables with drinks of our choice from wine to beer, juice and soft drink. Shortly after arriving, the BBQ was ready and dinner was served up. We had a huge selection of meats, pork sausages, chicken, fish and roast potatoes and salads and it was all very fresh and tasty. As we ate we listened to the live entertainer singing Aussie songs and playing the guitar. Dessert came out soon after dinner was finished and we relaxed with a few more drinks.

When we had finished we made our way upstairs and we all got flashlights and the zoo keeper explained our night’s adventures to us before we followed them off through the park.

We patted snakes and koala’s and got to see a croc feed at night. It was so much fun and very peaceful in the park at this time of day. One of the highlights of the evening is the customer interacation with the Kangaroos during the Billy tea and damper. We got to hand feed the Kangaroos fresh fruit and vegetables.

We then made our way down to the café area and relaxed with some more beverages and also had a dance to some of the Aussie music the live singer was performing. Here I got to uncover my hidden musical talent as a guest artist in the bush band. Everyone joined in the hokey pokey and the turkey dance.

Comfortable walking shoes are recommended, there is a lot of walking during the tour of the zoo. Wet weather is not a problem as the dining area is undercover and during the zoo tour umbrellas are provided if needed.