OzAnimals Travel

Archive for the ‘Western Australia’ Category

Naturaliste Reptile Park is a small reptile park in Margaret River region of Western Australia that showcases local Western Australian reptiles and frogs. The park is owned and operated by stonemason Roger Jackson and his partner Kim, and opened in 2007. The attraction is under cover and features attractive stonework with large glass windows to view the reptiles. The Park is small, but the quality of the displays is excellent.

Cohunu Koala Park is located on fourteen hectares of bushland about forty minutes drive from Perth in Western Australia. The Cohunu Koala Park colony was established in 1982, with four koalas from South Australia. There is now a colony of over 25 koalas. The original Cohunu Park at Mills Park Road in Gosnells was shut down in 2005 and moved to Nettleton Road, Byford.

The park is an interactive experience for visitors with many animals you can pat or feed. You can hand feed the kangaroos and wallabies that roam freely through the park. Other animals you can feed include emus, owls, dingoes and deer. Various birds are on display including kookaburras and talking parrots. The kids will also enjoy the large dinosaur replicas at the park.

The Houtman Abrolhos Islands, more commonly known as “The Abrolhos”, is a group of 122 coral-reef fringed islands located about 60km west of Geraldton off the mid west coast of Western Australia. The island group is named after Commander Frederik de Houtman from Holland, who reached the islands in 1619. There are three main groups of islands Abrolhos are clustered into three main groups (Wallabi, Pelsaert and Easter) scattered over a length of about a hundred kilometres.

Wave Rock is a natural granite rock formation located 3km east of the town of Hyden in Western Australia. The formation is 14 metres high, and 110m long and is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. The total outcrop covers several hectares. The wave shape was formed by gradual erosion of the softer rock beneath the upper edge. There are several smaller wave shaped rocks in the Hyden area. Wave Rock is about four hours drive from Perth, or a one hour flight.

Perth Zoo is situated the on the banks of the Swan River just five minutes from the centre of Perth. The Zoo opened in 1898, and has been open every day since then. Although Perth Zoo is fairly small, it is one of the best Zoos in Australia. The number of animals species exhibited at the Zoo is about 200. As at June 2006 there were 62 species of mammals, 81 species of birds, 42 species of reptiles and 11 species of frogs.

Peel Zoo and Botanical Gardens houses one of the largest collections of birds in Western Australia. The zoo has 136 separate aviaries including huge walk in aviaries, all set in tropical and native surrounds. Peel is one of Australia’s newest Zoos, opening in 2006. The Zoo won a bronze award in the Western Australian Tourism Awards in 2007.

There are lots of animals at Peel Zoo that you may feed and pat including kangaroos, emus, deer, goats, a fox, some ferrets and various Australian birds in the walk through aviaries. The zoo is also home to various Australian animals including Wombats, Koalas, Long-nosed Potoroos, Bettongs and Spotted-tailed Quolls. The Zoo houses a sizable collection of native birds, exotic birds, snakes and reptiles. Reptiles at the park include Western Stimson’s Python, Black Headed Python, Ridge-tailed Monitor

Marapana Wildlife Park is located about 40 minutes drive south of Perth. The park is set on 15 acres, and is designed for visitors to enjoy hands on experience with the animals. Most of the animals roam free, and visitors are free to feed and pat the animals. Marapana Wildlife Park was originally a drive through deer park, and has evolved into a walk-through wildlife park. The current owners took over the park in 2004, and they continue to upgrade the park.

Big Swamp Wildlife Park in Bunbury, Western Australia has over sixty species of Australian birds and mammals. Visitors can walk amongst the birds and hand feed the parrots in the large free flight aviary. The park has landscaped aviaries and gardens, and you can hand feed the free roaming kangaroos and wallabies. Although the park is fairly small, it makes a pleasant and inexpensive family outing, and an attractive location to enjoy a picnic lunch. It is also a good place to introduce overseas visitors to some of the Australian birds and animals.

Eagles Heritage at Margaret River is the largest wildlife centre dedicated to raptors in Australia, and is home to the largest collection of Eagles, Hawks, Falcons and Owls in the country. The park is set on nine acres of natural bushland. Eagles Heritage was established in 1987 to provide homes for permanently disabled birds of prey and owls which could not be released into the wild. These birds had been rescued and cared for by volunteers, but because of the nature of their injuries were unable to recovery sufficiently to survive in the wild. The park opened to the public in 1998. The birds on display at Eagles Heritage are a mix of permanently disabled birds, captive bred birds and birds transferred from other facilities.

Caversham Wildlife Park & Zoo is a private wildlife park located about 20 kilometres from the centre of Perth. The park started in 1987 with a small collection of animals and birds on a two hectare property. In May 2003 the park relocated to Whiteman Park. The park now features about 200 species and more than 2000 animals all housed in walk through or walk in enclosures. The park runs a breeding program and has bred Wombats, Tasmanian Devils, Koalas, Grass Owls and Cassowaries. The park is owned by David and Pat Thorn.