The day after our big Brisbane shopping mission we pointed the car north and headed for one place we’d all been secretly buzzing about for weeks: Australia Zoo, home of the Crocodile Hunter.
Even the drive up felt like a postcard. The Glass House Mountains suddenly rise out of the flat green – one minute it’s just motorway, the next you’ve got this giant rocky lump looming out the window like something from Jurassic Park. The girls were already excited before we’d even seen a single animal.
And then the billboards started. Huge photos of the Irwins grinning with snakes and crocs, and a massive “Welcome to Australia Zoo!” sign. That was it. Hype levels: maximum.
Meeting Cameron the Croc
First stop inside was, naturally, the crocodiles. Georgia spotted the giant statue of Cameron the Croc and was straight up on his back before I could even get my phone out. Nothing like letting your eight-year-old climb all over a life-size replica of something that could genuinely eat a car.
From there we wandered through the tropical paths, past birds, lizards and enclosures that are way more “lush rainforest” than “sad zoo”. Shade everywhere, which was very welcome because the humidity was doing its best impression of a steam room.
The Croc Show: equal parts wow and nope
The main event has to be the big croc show in the arena. We found seats, grabbed some snacks and watched the keepers bring out a huge saltie with serious attitude.
Watching a crocodile launch itself out of the water to grab food never quite feels real. It’s over in a second, but the power is ridiculous. The crowd did a collective “ooohhh” every time the jaws snapped shut. Dotty loved the splashes. I quietly re-evaluated every decision I’ve ever made involving open water.
The whole thing is very “Wildlife Warriors” – lots of chat about conservation, looking after habitats and why crocs are important, not just scary. Nice balance of spectacle and message.
Splash pads and happy kids
Once the croc show excitement had peaked, we moved on to the water play area, which instantly became Dotty’s favourite part of the entire zoo.
She went absolutely feral in the fountains – running through jets of water, squealing, doing little victory laps every time a spray caught her by surprise. Georgia joined in too, and within five minutes both of them were soaked, sun-hatted and grinning from ear to ear.
For us, it was perfect:
A safe, contained space Plenty of shade around the edges A brilliant reset for sensory overload after crowds and noise in the arena
If you’ve got kids who need movement breaks or just struggle with long, hot days, this bit is gold.
Koalas, of course
You can’t go to Australia Zoo and not see koalas, and they did not disappoint.
We found a lovely calm section with koalas curled up in their eucalyptus trees, occasionally blinking like they were mildly surprised to find they were awake. One was close enough for a proper look – big fluffy ears, huge nose, completely unbothered by the humans staring adoringly from below.
For the girls, this felt like a “this is real, we are really in Australia” moment. For us, it was a nice pause in the shade before tackling more walking.
Crikey, we made it
We finished the day the way you have to: a photo under the big “Crikey, I’m at Australia Zoo” sign with Steve Irwin’s cut-out. The girls pulled their best “croc warrior” poses, and it pretty much summed the day up – hot, tired, happy and a little bit wild.
By the time we drove back towards Brisbane everyone was glazed-eyed and quiet in the car, the good kind of exhausted you only get after a proper full-on day out.
Australia Zoo really lived up to the hype for us:
Big, but manageable with kids Loads of shade and rest spots Brilliant mix of shows, animals and sensory breaks
Definitely one of the standout days of this whole Aussie leg so far.
