7 Best Animal Encounters for Kids

Teach your kids about the wild world the best way possible: getting up-close-and-personal with the feathery, furry and scaly kind.

1. Meet the devils – Monarto Zoo, SA

Your little devils can meet Tasmania’s endangered ones with Monarto’s Devilish Native Experience, which takes you into the exclusive breeding facility for one of Australia’s most troubled animals.

Tassie devils at Monarto Zoo. — Tassie devils at Monarto Zoo (photo: Dave Mattner).

Experience feeding time for the Tasmanian devils and also learn about Monarto’s conservation efforts in saving the black-footed rock and mainland tammar wallaby, brush-tailed bettong and bilby.

Prices start from $65 for non-members; ages 6+.

Address: Old Princes Hwy, Monarto South SA

2. Play with platypuses – Healesville Sanctuary, VIC

This is a world first! ‘Wade with the Platypus’ is a fabulous encounter for kids interested in one of Australia’s mysterious egg-laying mammals.

Offered at Healesville Sanctuary, children will be briefed by keepers before jumping into waders and venturing into the play pool.

Here they’ll be able to pat, play and feed the platypuses in a safe environment. $199; ages 12+.

Address: Badger Creek Rd, Badger Creek VIC

3. Feed seahorses – Beauty Point, TAS

Is there anything cuter than a baby seahorse?

Like no other experience we’ve heard of, Seahorse World has it all, allowing kids to learn about the lifecycle of the seaweed-dwelling creatures with a glance into the seahorse farm.

Seahorse World_Rob Burnett (5) — One of Seahorse World’s fascinating displays (photo: Rob Burnett).

The Kids’ Discovery Program has your children feeding the baby seahorses and sharks, and handling hermit crabs, star fish and more.

$15 per person (adults welcome); ages 4–10.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

Address: 200 Flinders St, Beauty Point TAS

4. Make feathery friends – Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, QLD

Each school holidays the Creature Keeper program focuses on a different species – in April, it’s all about birds.

Designed for young adults, they will gain access to behind-the-scenes areas, learn about how each enclosure is designed to house its feathery occupants, what foods they eat, watch how the keepers follow chick development within the egg, meet a wedge-tailed eagle and have their photograph taken beside one of the sanctuary’s wonderful birds.

Two-day course from $135; ages 12–17.

Address: 28 Tomewin St, Currumbin QLD

5. Be a zookeeper for a day – Australia Zoo, QLD

Kids can live out their ‘When I grow up’ fantasies and see the real side of zookeeping at Australia Zoo on this day-long adventure.

Australia Zoo, Queensland — Be a zookeeper for a day at Australia Zoo!

They can spend the morning with a variety of animals such as resident Aldabra tortoises, Igloo and Goliath, as well as rhinoceros, giraffe and binturong, to name a few.

Each program is unique, so be prepared to care for some unlikely creatures. $85 per person; all ages.

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Address: 1638 Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah QLD

6. Rendezvous with reptiles – Australian Reptile Park, NSW

Spiders and snakes and crocs, oh my! If your child likes creepy crawlies, then this is the program for them.

The Australian Reptile Park lets its littlest keepers see the ‘off display’ reptile room, handle lizards and snakes and observe spider-milking.

They also get to meet Hugo the tortoise, play with Tassie devil babies, interact with Tawny owls and much more. $70 per child; ages 8–12.

Address: 69 Pacific Hwy, Somersby NSW

7. Have an exotic encounter – National Zoo, ACT

Imagine this for show and tell: ‘I got up-close-and-personal with a lion, met a brown bear, hand-fed a giraffe, patted a rhino, and held a python, all in one day!’

The Zooventure at Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium is two hours of rare animal encounters that average zoo visitors can only dream of.

Prices start from $75 per child; ages 5–12.

Address: 999 Lady Denman Dr, Yarralumla ACT

Traipse Jurassic cliffs and wander secluded beaches on Australia’s most enchanting walks.

Australia’s landscapes are made for hiking. Take the Red Centre, dusted in shifting sands and dotted with miraculous geological formations. Or our rainforests, left behind as the sole souvenir from continents that no longer exist. Down south, mottled night skies hang above crashing seas and unwavering cliffs. It makes sense, then, that hiking holidays are rising in popularity. No wi fi, no traffic. Just you and the path less travelled on the Great Walks of Australia in remote and iconic destinations.

What are the Great Walks of Australia?

If nature is your happy place, you’ve likely heard of the Great Walks of Australia, part of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences program since 2013 – a curated collection of 15 all-inclusive, eco-luxury journeys showcasing the country’s most spectacular landscapes with expert guides and incredible meals. GWOA launching in 2013 as

From exploring the peaks of a World Heritage listed island, to journeying through the heart of Australia, and the gentle pull of the majestic Murray – there’s a walking holiday to suit walkers of all experience levels (and interests).

Joining a Great Walks of Australia hike means the pressure is off with all meals, guides and eco-luxury accommodation included.

Where can you hike?

1. Scenic Rim Trail, Queensland

great walks of australia tour group on Scenic Rim Trail, Queensland — Enjoy incredible food along the way.

Around 23 million years ago, volcanoes spewed magma across Queensland’s Scenic Rim. Now, what’s left of the fiery landscape takes the form of the UNESCO-listed Gondwana rainforest.

The Scenic Rim Trail is a four-day guided hike that takes you through the ancient rainforest. You’ll venture out into breathtaking viewpoints across the Main Range National Park. Enjoy a packed lunch, listen out for the duplicitous calls of the lyrebird and enjoy the silence.

You’ll spend your nights in boutique eco-cabins and incredible hospitality.

2. Murray River Walk, South Australia

great walks of australia tour group on — Walk through vibrant wildflower fields.

Murray River Walk pairs easy hiking with blissful evenings cruising the Murray River. Over four days and nights, you’ll follow kangaroo trails through red dirt dusted with vivid patches of wildflowers.

Each day ends on a solar-powered, custom-built houseboat. Watch towering, red sandstone cliffs float by from the top deck spa. Then, it’s three-course meals sourced from local produce and served alongside the region’s best wines.

The entire region you’ll be traversing is within the Riverland Ramsar site. Watch as spoonbills forage for food in the tranquil wetlands, emus parade through the wildflowers, and regent parrots flit above.

3. Maria Island Walk, Tasmania

wombat along the Maria Island Walk tasmania — Spot adorable locals.

Your Maria Island walk begins with a private boat transfer to an untouched, white sand beach. Barefoot in the sand, you’ll quickly realise – aside from your guide and group – you’re completely alone. Spot countless wombats and hear the distant calls of Tasmanian Devils as you spend four days leisurely traversing the island.

Nights are split between private, comfortable wilderness camps and queen-size beds in a historic cottage from the island’s convict history. Meals are built around fresh-caught seafood and served with East Coast Tasmanian wine.

4. Seven Peaks Walk, New South Wales

hiker on Seven Peaks Walks on Lord Howe Island — Explore the incredible Lord Howe Island. (Image: Luke Hanson)

Lord Howe Island feels like another world. With its patchwork blue coral lagoons and magma-honed peaks, it’s easy to forget you’re in New South Wales.

This walk has the highest level of elevation in the Great Walks of Australia’s collection. It’s because of this that you’ll witness nature like never before. UNESCO-listed volcanic peaks and coral reefs that grew out of solidified lava will become your daily norm.

Along the way, step onto beaches that lie undisturbed for weeks at a time. Then, snorkel the southernmost reef in the Pacific Ocean.

5. Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Signature Walk, Northern Territory

This five-day, fully guided, premium hiking experience inside Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park was developed in partnership with Aṉangu Traditional Owners. Begin your walk dwarfed by the shade of Kata Tjuṯa’s towering dome formations. Following remote desert trails through the red sands, crest dunes and traverse mulga woodlands as you draw closer to the monolithic walls of Uluṟu.

Each night, dine under the lamp light of the Milky Way in the warm desert air and sleep in new flagship, environmentally sensitive private camps and lodge. This is the first time that travellers have ever been allowed to spend the night inside the national park.

6. The Twelve Apostles Signature Walk, Victoria

great walks of australia tour group on The Twelve Apostles Signature Walk, Victoria — See the Twelve Apostles in a new way. (Image: Ken Luke)

The Great Ocean Road’s rugged splendour is best experienced on this signature four-day, 44-kilometre guided walk. You’ll follow the rugged limestone stacks of the shipwreck coastline: wild, crashing waves, curious wildlife, and two national parks.

Finish each day at your luxurious lodge, where you’ll sit with your feet soaking and a glass of wine in hand. You’ll have a single lodge to call home on this walk, meaning you’ll only need to set out with a day pack.

7. Three Capes Signature Walk, Tasmania

On Tasmania’s Three Capes Signature Walk, you’ll feel like you’re walking along the edge of the world. From your boat landing on a remote beach, climb slowly upward for spectacular views and wildlife encounters with pods of dolphins, fur seals and echidnas. Spend days walking Jurassic dolerite cliffs with the wild Southern Ocean as your only constant.

Stay in architecturally designed eco-lodges nestled at the very edge of the world. Think floor-to-ceiling windows, a plunge pool and even an on-site spa to tend to ailments from the hike.

Discover more Great Walks of Australia and start planning your next adventure at greatwalksofaustralia.com.au.