Established in 1989, Mogo Wildlife Park is situated 10 kilometres south of Batemans Bay on the New South Wales south coast. Housing over 250 animals, of which more than 44 are rare or exotic species, the park is one of the most successful private zoos in Australia.
The majority of the animals’ enclosures emulate their natural habitats, providing a more realistic environment for them to live in. With plenty of space, the zoo has managed to create some large enclosures, especially for the zebras and giraffes, which have a huge area to roam in.
Walking around the zoo took several hours, as there is so much to see. There is a large variety of exhibits, ranging from cute meerkats and red pandas, to Sumatrans tigers and white lions.
If visiting the south coast of New South Wales, this is a great way to spend half a day. For a closer look at the animals, the wildlife park offers a range of up-close encounters.
MeerkatCheetahSri Lankan leopard Red pandaBlack-and-white ruffed lemurRing tailed lemurcotton-top tamarinPlains zebra and giraffeGiraffeSleepy southern white rhino Asian small-clawed otter
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
Located just over an hour’s drive north of Sydney on the NSW Central Coast, the Australian Wildlife Park is an excellent place to see some of Australia’s deadly wildlife. If you want to get up close with deadly snakes, spiders and crocodiles, this is the place for you.
Getting There
Located not far from Gosford on the New South Wales Central Coast it’s a one hour drive up the M1 from Sydney or about one and a quarter hours south of Newcastle. A large carpark is available on site with an overflow carpark located adjacent to the entrance.
Tickets
Tickets ca be purchased on the day at the entrance, but purchasing them online is cheaper. If you have a family, tickets are available for this too. You can even add food for the animals for children to feed the kangaroos.
The Exhibits
We arrived just on opening time when many of the animals had just been fed, so many of them were active.
Spiders
Possibly one of the most important aspects of the wildlife park is their work with Sydney Funnel Web Spiders. A single bite will kill an adult and the production of anti venom is very important. The Reptile Park has a large number on site and milk the spiders daily to collect their venom.
We were lucky enough to see one of the keepers let a spider out into a larger container while she collected its venom. It was a very angry and aggressive spider but she wasn’t worried and calmly used a pipette to suck the venom off its fangs.
Sydney funnel web spider venom milkingMexican redknee tarantula
Snakes and Lizards
Of course the main reason for the visit is to see some of the most dangerous snakes in the world. All nicely viewed safely through glass. All of Australia’s venomous snakes are represented along with others such as the North American rattlesnake.
Many school children have excursions here at various times, where they are taught how to respect snakes and what to do if you see one in the wild. Most snakes will avoid confrontation unless it’s unavoidable.
Many lizards are on display from blue tongue and shingle back lizards to Komodo dragons. Although not Australian the Komodo’s are a big attraction with their own large enclosure.
Eastern brown snake. This species is very aggressive and common making it responsible for more snake deaths than any other speciesCorn snake, a native of the south-east USATwo lined dragonsA Perentie, the males grow up to 2m, being Australia’s largest monitor species Komodo Dragon
Frogs
The Reptile Park has a breeding programme for endangered frogs which has been a great success with numerous tadpoles and small frogs produced. The breeding area is at the back of the park and although there are a lot of ponds and aquariums present only some of the frogs can be seen.
This is associated with Aussie Ark which is responsible for the Tasmanian Devil breeding programme saving them from the facial cancer that is decimating them in the wild.
There is also a large area set aside for breeding some of the endangered turtle species. These programs are very important and really compliments the funnel web venom collection and education that the park undertakes.
Green and golden bell frog
Wild life
A large area near the entrance allows visitors to interact with kangaroos which are roaming around. Nearby enclosures contained dingoes, koalas and Tasmanian devils. A huge saltwater crocodile has its own pool not far away. The park also has a lake filled with alligators.
Saltwater crocodileYellow-footed rock wallabyYellow-footed rock wallabyKangaroo Island kangarooEastern grey kangarooFlying foxes asleepBlack winged stiltBush stone-curlew KoalaAlligator pond
Food and Refreshments
The park has a kiosk that sells a variety of food and drinks, or you can bring your own and sit and the undercover tables provided.
If the kids or kids at want to see really big reptiles a number of dinosaur statues are located near the picnic facilities (we know they’re not really reptiles).
Parasaurolophus statue
What Did We Think?
This was a great day out and we spent several hours here. You could easily spend longer with children or if you took part in the special activities available.
One of the prime attractions in Port Stephens is the Koala Sanctuary. Not only does it allow you to see koalas, but it rehabilitates injured ones, while providing a place to live for those that cannot be returned to the wild.
Accommodation
An excellent accommodation option for the Port Stephens region are the cabins available at the sanctuary. This allows visitors to see the koalas in the evenings and mornings when they are more active.
Accommodation
Koala Sculptures
After paying for your entry, a path leads through a number of large koala sculptures. As you walk along the path, most sculptures also have an information board helping you understand the koalas, their habitat and the threats to their survival.
This is a great educational opportunity and is especially good for children.
Koala Sculpture
Koala Hospital
Before reaching the viewing area, you pass the hospital where injured koalas are treated. A window allows you to see into the treatment room and we were lucky enough to see one there, along with the vet and his assistants.
Koalas
Only koalas that are unable to be rehabilitated back to the wild are on display. Koalas that have undergone surgery and are being rehabilitated are housed in separate enclosures. Each kolas has its own information board detailing how it came to the sanctuary and what injuries it was suffering.
Because we arrived in the middle of the day they were not very active, but were able to see most of them. stationed here were two volunteers who gave talks on the koalas and the work of the sanctuary.
Information Board about the koalaKoala information boardA Kookaburra
What Did We Think?
This was a great visit and would recommend it to anyone wanting to see or learn about koalas. It’s similar to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital although larger and offering onsite accommodation.
