OzAnimals Travel

Archive for the ‘Northern Territory’ Category

Crocosaurus Cove is a crocodile and reptile tourist attraction in the centre of Darwin just a short walk from the beach and some of the top hotels. The attraction is on two levels with the lower level housing crocodile pens, crocodile nest display, juvenile crocodiles, and the Cage of Death. The Reptile House, theatre food court and café are also on this level. The upper level has more crocodile pens and the turtle sanctuary. The main stars of the attraction are the huge Saltwater Crocodiles, with some of the largest crocodiles in captivity on display. The most famous crocodile on display is “Burt”, from the Crocodile Dundee movie. There is also an unusual large white crocodile called “Snowy”.

Crocodylus Park is a crocodile research facility and tourist attraction near Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. The park houses thousands of crocodiles from hatchlings to massive five metre adult crocs weighing in at 500kg.

Batchelor Butterfly Farm & Tropical Retreat is the only butterfly farm in the Northern Territory, located in the township of Batchelor, near to the Litchfield National Park. The property is a Butterfly Farm with café, restaurant and cabin guest accommodation. The Butterfly Farm houses butterfly species such as the Australian lurcher, the orange lacewing, cruisers, blue banded eggfly butterflies, canopus and orchard butterflies. There is a guided tour of the Butterfly Farm at 10am, 12 noon and 2pm where your guide will explain the butterfly lifecycle and show you where they breed and grow.

Aquascene at Doctors Gully in Darwin is a popular tourist attraction where huge numbers of fish swim to the shore to be hand fed at high tide. The fish feeding has been taking place since 1950s. It all started when a local resident started to feed mullet from the shore. Over the years more and more fish joined in the feeding, and other species such milkfish, catfish, bream and other species joined the mullet. The current owners bought the property in 1979 and maintained the feeding as a hobby for the next two years before making it a commercial operation due to public demand for better information and better viewing facilities.

Alice Springs Reptile Centre is home to the largest display of reptiles in the Northern Territory, exhibiting over thirty species of Northern Territory reptiles. The Centre was founded by Rex Neindorf, and opened in 2000. Reptiles at the Centre include Saltwater Crocodiles, the Perentie (Australia’s largest lizard), Thorny Devils, Frill Neck Lizards, various Pythons and some of Australia’s (and the world’s) most deadly snakes including Inland Taipans, Death Adders, Brown Snakes and Mulga Snakes. One of the most popular exhibits is the Saltwater Crocodile display which opened in 2002. The exhibit has both above and below water viewing areas allowing you to get a close look at this amazing reptile.

The Territory Wildlife Park is located next to Berry Springs Nature Reserve about 45 minutes south of the centre of Darwin. The Park was opened in 1989, as a project of the Northern Territory Government, Parks and Wildlife division. At the Territory Wildlife Park, visitors have the opportunity to see animals up-close in a range of natural habitats including wetland lagoons, underwater walk-through aquarium, monsoon forest and tree top aviaries.

Alice Springs Desert Park is located just outside Alice Springs in Red Centre of the Northern Territory features hundreds of species of plants and animals from the Central Australian deserts. The Park was opened to the public in 1997. It covers about 1,300 hectares and includes part of the Macdonnell Ranges. The main exhibits are within a forty hectare area on the plains, north of the range.

With imposing red cliffs, a big water hole and a gum-tree lined sandy creek, Ellery Creek Big Hole is a popular picnic spot in the scenic West MacDonnell Ranges. The Ellery Creek Big Hole is a geological site of some significance, and the 3km Dolomite walk enables visitors to observe some of the more interesting geological formations.

Ellery Creek Big Hole is situated about 126km along the Larapinta Trail between Section 6 and Section 7. The Trail starts at the old Alice Springs Telegraph Station and passes key attractions of the Ranges including Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Ormiston Gorge and ends at Mt Sonder, the highest point of the Trail. The Trail is divided into 12 sections; each section is a one to two day walk.

Ormiston Gorge, situated in West MacDonnell National Park, is one of the most impressive gorges in Australia. With walls over 300 metres high in places, the Gorge is a fascinating place to explore. Ormiston Creek is a tributary of the Finke River. The West MacDonnell Ranges National Park itself has abundant flora and fauna, and provides a rewarding bushwalking experience. Rock Wallabies are the most easily seen mammals in the park, and rarer mammals such as the Long-tailed Dunnart and the Central Rock Rat also making their home in this fauna refuge.

Angkerle, also known as Standley Chasm, is located 50km west of Alice Springs. The Chasm has been gouged out of the sandstone rock by floodwaters rushing down a creek on its way to the Finke River system. The rocky cliffs of the Chasm rise to 80 metres above the floor. Angkerle is the name given by the Aborigines, whereas the European name Standley Chasm is named after Ida Standley, the first school teacher in Alice Springs in 1914, and the first non-Aboriginal woman to visit the Chasm.