Show Times
Open from 9 am till 4 pm every day. Closed Christmas Day
INTERPRETIVE SHOWS, FEEDING AND HANDLING
At Billabong Sanctuary, our Rangers are passionate about our amazing native wildlife, and they want to share that passion with you.
We have adapted our schedule of shows and interactions to conform to social distancing requirements.
We continue to offer Australia’s best interactive wildlife experience. Interpretive shows throughout the day showcase Australia’s unique animals:
- Cassowaries
- Koalas
- Wombats
- Crocodiles
- Lizards
- Snakes
- Parrots
- Birds of Prey
- Dingoes
- Turtles
WILDLIFE TALKS AND SHOWS
We want you to get up close to these awesome creatures, and to appreciate their special place in nature, but we also want you to have fun! Feed the free-ranging kangaroos and ducks, cuddle a koala**, tickle a wombat, smile at a crocodile. It’s all about putting YOU in the picture. Get as close as you want, or just sit back and enjoy the show!
9:15 AM - KOALA FEEDING
This is the time of day when our koalas are most active, as Rangers feed them fresh gum leaves from our own eucalyptus plantation. Great photo opportunities as they clamber around their perches selecting their favourite tender green tips.
Have you met Pebbles? During the current mating season she is visiting us from Bungalow Bay Koala Village on Magnetic Island.
9:30 AM - cassowary FEEDING
The magnificent cassowary is the 3rd largest bird in the world, and is a keystone species in maintaining the health of tropical rainforests.
There may be fewer than 4000 left in the wild.
Learn what we can do to help them, and hand feed some grapes to Yarrabah and Hope.
9:45 AM - wombat experience
The wombat is the largest burrowing mammal in the world!
Join us at the southern hairy nosed wombat enclosure to learn more about these awesome little ‘bulldozers of the bush’.
Watch Yala playing with his enrichment toys. The ranger may even bring him out for a pat so you can feel his soft fur!
10:05 am - koala experience
Following a brief Ranger talk in the main koala enclosure, we’ll open up Koala Crescent, beside the Main Show Area.
Come on in and learn more about these adorable marsupials.
Get up close for a selfie – free of charge!
(Sorry, no pats allowed)
10:30 - 11:00 AM - SOUVENIR PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES **
Join us at the Main Show Area for your souvenir photo with a koala, a wombat and/or a reptile (lizard , python or juvenile crocodile).
Yes! You can hold a koala, or stand beside it and give it a pat for a pole photo.
Included in the price you’ll receive a print in a colourful folder, as well as a code for digital copies to share.
11 am - dingo walk
Rangers will stroll from the dingo enclosure down to the Main Show Area with our three friendly dingoes, stopping to greet families for a chat and a photo opportunity.
Meet King, Allira and Kalari.
Give them a pat, and learn more about this misunderstood native animal.
11 AM - reptile experience
Rangers will introduce a lizard, a python and a juvenile crocodile, and give a brief about what makes these reptiles so special.
Then it’s time to have some fun: You can hold a friendly lizard, pose with a python and even cradle a baby crocodile!
You are welcome to take selfies or have your friends or family take photos, all free of charge.
12:00 NOON - CROCODILE Feeding
The most exciting show of the day—a powerful saltwater croc explodes out of the water to snatch food from our Rangers!
On weekends, the show starts at the Jawbridge over Krakatoa’s lagoon. At a massive 5.1 metres in length, he is the largest estuarine croc on mainland Queensland. Awesome!
On weekdays we give the big fella a break, and feed some of our other enormous estuarine crocodiles. Meet your Ranger in front of Snappy Tom’s enclosure, and he will guide you to the first location. North Queensland is croc country. Learn how to stay safe while you enjoy our magnificent waterways.
We’ll also visit Australia’s endemic species– the freshwater crocodiles. These frisky little snappers jump clear off the ground to grab their lunch.
It’s heaps of fun to watch!
1:00 PM - FREE FLIGHT BIRD SHOW AND INTERACTION
Roxy the barking owl swoops over your head. Listen for his distinctive Woop-woop call! Yasi the black kite puts on an amazing display of aerial acrobatics. Freeze the bush stone-curlew trots around the show area, snatching up bits of food. Have you heard the curlew’s eerie night-time cry? Rangers might get Freeze to demonstrate!
The show ends with your opportunity to interact with some feathered friends. Rangers will bring out Scarlett the eclectic parrot or perhaps Ivy and Wattle, two cheeky little scaly-breasted lorikeets. Your chance to have a hold for some delightful photo opportunities.
1:30 PM - TURTLE FEEDING
Join us at the edge of the billabong to feed fish skins to our voracious Krefft’s turtles!
Watch out for the long-finned eels, as they churn up the water trying to grab their share.
Fun for kids of all ages!
1:45 pm - dingo experience
Join our rangers outside the dingo enclosure .
They will bring out a friendly dingo or two, answer your questions and give you the opportunity for a selfie with Allira, Kalari or King.
2:00 PM - KOALA, WOMBAT, REPTILE EXPERIENCES
In shortened versions of the regular morning shows, rangers discuss some of the amazing features of these Australian icons, with the opportunity for some personal interaction–
Take a selfie with a koala, watch a wombat playing with his soccer ball, hold some scaly critters: a lizard, a python or even a baby crocodile!
2:45 pm - soUVENIR PHOTOS **
Join us at the Main Show Area to purchase your souvenir photo with a koala, a wombat and/or a reptile (lizard , python or juvenile crocodile).
Yes! You can hold a koala, or stand beside it and give it a pat for a pole photo.
Included in the price you’ll receive a print in a colourful folder, as well as a code for digital copies to share.
3:15 pm - crocodile feeding
Once again, rangers coax our mighty estuarine crocs out of the water in an awesome display of speed and power.
North Queensland is croc country! Learn how to stay safe while you enjoy our magnificent waterways.
4:00 PM– PARK CLOSES
Thanks for coming.
Hope you had an awesome day!
———————————————————————-
** Optional Souvenir Photo for a small extra charge.
ATTENTION PARENTS:
For the koalas’ safety, as well as that of our visitors, we are required to restrict koala handling to children over 1.4 metres in height (4 1/2 feet). A board is posted by the photo area for reference.
Children who do not meet this requirement are still welcome to join Mum and Dad or big brother and sister for a family photo.
Over in Koala Crescent, another of our friendly koalas sitting on a branch will happily pose while you take a selfie or while your friends or family take your photo.
