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

Bate Bay’s sweep of beaches has been crowned Australia’s best for 2026, placing Sutherland Shire in the spotlight as a top coastal destination just south of Sydney’s CBD.

The beaches fringing Bate Bay – Cronulla, North Cronulla, Wanda, Elouera and Greenhills – have topped Tourism Australia’s 2026 list of best Australian beaches (as curated by Beach Ambassador Brad Farmer). For locals, it’s less revelation, more recognition.

The mood shifts from the moment you step off the T4 train service from Central to Cronulla and catch a glimpse of the ocean. At dawn, the Esplanade is already buzzing with regulars, and by mid-morning, parents have staked out a toasty spot on Cronulla Beach where excited toddlers clamber over rocks, and the Jellybean swim squad at Oak Park have donned their bright pink caps while singing Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.

By the afternoon, towels are being collected from across the sand as visitors wander back to Cronulla in loose formation.

North Cronulla beach — Dive into the world’s best beaches.

That’s the thing about Bate Bay beaches. This isn’t a story about a single beach. This long, uninterrupted sweep of sand and sea, where you can walk for kilometres without breaking stride, is not just enjoyed over summer; it’s a year-round destination. Here, Cronulla’s buzz gives way to Wanda’s wild edges, before stretching out to the quieter reaches of Greenhills.

But while Bate Bay’s beaches may have taken top honours in the 2026 Best Australian Beaches list, they’re only part of the drawcard. Sutherland Shire stacks up as a full-spectrum coastal escape, where good food, national park adventures and on-the-water experiences sit within easy reach of the shoreline. Whether you’re planning a long weekend or stretching out a stay, here’s how to make the most of Cronulla beyond the sand, sea and surf.

Beyond the beaches

Dining

The Sutherland Shire dining scene delivers from early morning to late at night with a mix of vibrant cafes, bars and pubs. Start your day at Grind Espresso, where the coffee comes strong and fast. From there, drift towards HAM for pastries, best eaten buttery warm.

By midday, locals linger across sun-lit tables. Loaf and Next Door appeal to the surfers who come in for snacks after chasing waves. Blackwood’s Pantry and The Press are also popular for breakfast and lunch, while Pilgrim’s continues to hold a special place in the hearts of vegans.

Newer arrivals signal where Cronulla is heading: Homer Rogue Taverna is being hailed as one of the best restaurants in Cronulla, with the confidence that comes from understanding what locals want. Ask a local to reveal their favourite restaurant for a special occasion, and it’ll likely be Pino’s Vino e Cucina al Mare, Yalla Sawa or Alphabet Street. Summer Salt, Sealevel, Benny’s, Bobbys and Pippis are a few of the best waterfront restaurants in the Shire.

Finally, when most places are winding down, Duke’s Providore shifts gears to become Duke’s After Hours – a low-lit romantic spot perfect for a date night. Parc Pavilion, Northies Cronulla and bars The Blind Bear, Las Chicas and Low & Lofty’s are also part of Cronulla’s identity.

Visit Bundeena

Bundeena Ferry Wharf — Catch a ferry to Bundeena.

A short ferry ride from Cronulla, Bundeena offers a counterpoint to Cronulla’s mighty surf beaches. If Cronulla is the Shire’s social heart, Bundeena – or Bundenesia, as it’s affectionately known – is the place to go to exhale and unwind.

Hop on the ferry from Cronulla, and within 30 minutes, you’ll be inhaling the eucalyptus-scented air. Check the creative pulse of the local community by timing your visit with the Bundeena Maianbar Art Trail on the first Sunday of every month.

One of the best things to do in Bundeena is paddle into Cabbage Tree Basin with Bundeena Kayaks. Follow the five-kilometre Jibbon Beach Loop Track that leads past quiet coves to ancient Indigenous rock art, or simply find a stretch of pearl-white sand to relax on.

Pristine walking trails

Royal National Park Cape Baily Walking Track — Cool off with a coastal stroll.

Beyond the coastline, Sutherland Shire offers myriad ways to shift gears. Royal National Park – the oldest national park in Australia – sits just minutes from the surf. Clifftop walks trace the edge of the continent, the rugged bushland is threaded with creeks and hidden waterfalls, and a network of tracks rewards those willing to go a little further.

Take the Coast Track, where the land drops cleanly into the ocean over sheer cliffs that have been stacked together like giant Jenga. Or veer inland, where pockets of forest cool the air and filter the light. It’s a reminder of how close nature sits to the bustle of suburbs in the Sutherland Shire.

Enjoy whale watching

humpback whale sighting noosa experiences — Spot whales from May to October. (Credit: The Edit Suite)

Twist your binoculars until the ocean is in focus, stretched like a creased blue sheet all around. Come May, the East Coast becomes the humpback highway. Thousands of whales migrate along this stretch of coastline each year, their movements tracked by keen eyes from vantage points like the Cape Solander platform in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, one of the best places for whale watching in Australia. There’s something quietly thrilling about seeing that first telltale spout or the arc of a breaching body against the vastness of the sea. From June to October, whale-watching cruises depart from Cronulla, offering a closer look at the migration.

Awards come and go. But places like Cronulla endure because they belong as much to the visitors as they do the early-morning swimmers, walkers and surfers.

Plan your escape at visitsutherlandshire.com.au.