Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Gold Coast

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast has been a longstanding attraction for families, originally known for daily wild-lorikeet feeding by local beekeeper and flower-grower, Dr Alex Griffiths. More than seventy years on, the birds are still stars, but there’s now so much on offer that you’ll need at least one full day to experience all the play areas, shows, cafes, and amazing animals spread over 27 hectares of bushland and lush rainforest.

Animals at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Home to a wide variety of native and exotic wildlife, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary has the A-Z of animals – there’s everything from bilbies to wombats! There are also unusual animals like capybaras (the largest rodent in the world) and cotton top tamarinds (super cute creatures that you could watch for hours), and then there are all the Aussie favourites like kangaroos you can feed and koalas you can cuddle.

You’ll also want to allow enough time to visit the Lost Valley precinct – five acres of stunning rainforest that is teeming with unique wildlife and birds including playful lemurs (say hi to King Julien!), cassowaries, red pandas, tree kangaroos, iguanas and binturongs.

To make your way around the sanctuary, you can follow the many signed pathways on foot, book a guided segway tour (extra cost for this option) or catch a small train between its three stops around the grounds.

Shows at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

When you enter the sanctuary, you’ll receive a free park map with all the showtimes listed. The Wild Skies Free Flight Bird Show was recently re-launched and is one of our top picks. Watching a trained wedge-tailed eagle swoop over the crowd elicits plenty of oohs and aahs, and the show features a number of other clever native birds like magpies that sing into a microphone and a showy pelican that loves the limelight.

There’s also a sheep-shearing show, pelican and eel show, Dino Mite Explorer Show and Aboriginal culture show.

In addition to shows, there are numerous animal feeding and information sessions that you can join in on. Check the park map and timetable on the day, but the opportunities could include dingo feeding, Tassie devil feeding and parrot feeding sessions.

Photo opportunities with wildlife

Throughout the day there are also plenty of opportunities to have a photo with an animal or bird, usually after a show. And while there is always a professional photographer  (you can purchase the prints at the gift shop near the exit) they also allow you to take photos with your own camera from behind the photographer for free.

Animal encounters at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Feed a 5-metre croc his lunch, cuddle a possum, learn how to train a bird or meet a spiky echidna. These are just some of the animal encounters that you can pay extra to experience at the sanctuary. It’s best to book these experiences online or in advance to avoid disappointment – they also make a great birthday or Christmas gift.

Extinction Trail

The Extinction Trail is a permanent walk-through where kids come face to face with life-size dinosaurs and megafauna, dig for fossils, and can even use the free Sanctuary app to hunt down dinosaurs in augmented reality (worth downloading before you go). It is all included in your general admission ticket and the trail is located within the sanctuary.

Tree Tops Challenge

If you’re 160cm or taller, you can try your hand at 80 tree-top challenges including 11 zip lines. Completing the course takes approximately three and a half hours, and is an extra cost. It would make a fun bonding experience for families and friends to attempt together.

Astra Lumina

Astra Lumina turns Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary into a glowing night walk after dark. Follow a 1.5km bushland trail lit with projections, lights and music, and you go at your own pace. Allow 60 to 90 minutes, though there are seats along the way if the kids want a break.

It suits all ages, it is the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, and tickets start from $30. Open Friday and Saturday nights, plus extra nights in the school holidays.

• Last entry to the trail is 8pm, doors open at 4.45pm and the trail opens at 5.45pm
• It is separate from a daytime Sanctuary visit, so a day pass does not include it
• Outdoor experience, so closed shoes and weather-appropriate clothes
• There are strobe and fog effects, which is worth flagging for sensitive kids
• Not recommended for manual wheelchairs due to inclines

Book tickets 

Twilight Tours

Currumbin does offer some other twilight shows from time to time and it is worth checking their website before you visit.

Currumbin Wildlife Hospital

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is owned by the National Trust of Australia (Queensland). As a not-for-profit organisation, the National Trust reinvests proceeds back to fulfil its mission to protect, conserve and celebrate Queensland’s environmental, built and cultural heritage, funding both the Currumbin wildlife hospital and conservation programs statewide.

Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, one of the busiest hospitals in the world, provides free veterinary treatment to over 11,500 sick, injured or orphaned native animals every year including over 500 koalas. Within the sanctuary you can view the wildlife hospital and see through a viewing area the important work that is being done. You can even take a tour of the wildlife hospital, to see what happens behind the scenes (for an extra charge).

Splash and play areas at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Families are the winners of this recent addition to the sanctuary – the Wild Island Adventure Splash and Play Zone. And while it does promise a wild time for kids, it’s actually a pretty tranquil spot for parents to relax in, thanks to the beautiful sub-tropical flora and fauna which surrounds the area, including the expansive lagoon that sits adjacent to Wild Island.

While you can spread out a picnic rug on the grass or make use of one of the shaded seating areas, the kids can run off some steam at the Wild Island playground. Here they can make like one of the Aussie animals that are featured as sculptures and test out their skills on the wobbly rope bridges, spider web, shaded slides or the flying fox.

Once they’ve worked up a sweat, the Adventure Splash and Play Zone is the perfect place to cool down with a range of timed water jets, streams and waterfalls to run through, and a tipping bucket which leads to shrieks of surprise and delight every time it gives an unsuspecting group of kids a good drenching!

An older playground, consisting mostly of tunnels and slides is just a short distance away from Wild Island and offers kids a third play option. It’s easy to spend quite a few hours in this area of the sanctuary. Read our review of Wild Island.

Accessibility and inclusivity

The Wild Island precinct is also wheelchair, pram and walker-friendly. And as part of this multi-million dollar precinct upgrade, the sanctuary now has new centralised bathrooms with a comfortable parents’ room, offering two private areas for baby feeding, a play area for toddlers, three baby change tables and sink, and a kitchenette for warming up baby bottles and food. The entry to the parents’ room is via an automatic sliding door to make it easier to manoeuvre prams and wheelchairs.

Entry to Wild Island is included with the price of your ticket or membership to the sanctuary.

Where to eat at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

To keep costs down, you can pack a picnic lunch and bring your own drinks. There’s a number of cool spots where you can spread out a picnic rug, and there’s also shaded chairs and tables provided in various locations, including within the Wild Island adventure zone.

Otherwise, there is the Sanctuary Cafe located at the entry, which sells a wide range of food and drinks, including coffee. Next to the playground, you’ll find Wild Burgers, which sells mostly fast food such as hotdogs and burgers, as well as wraps and sandwiches and offers a Gruffalo meal-deal for kids.  There’s also a general store, the Kangaroo Outpost (selling snacks, drinks, ice-creams etc) and the Aussie Scoop Ice Cream Parlour.

Opening hours and lorikeet feedings

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary opens daily at 8 am, which is earlier than most zoos or amusement parks, so you can pack more into your day. At both the opening and closing times (4 pm -5 pm), the wild lorikeets come into feed: hundreds of feathery bursts of colour that perch on your shoulders and head while greedily slurping the nectar mix that park volunteers have readily available. Best of all, you can feed the wild lorikeets and visit the Sanctuary Cafe for breakfast, lunch or snacks without paying to enter the wider sanctuary.

You might also be keen to read a parent review of Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

To find out more, or to purchase tickets, visit www.CurrumbinSanctuary.com.au. Staying longer in Currumbin? Be sure to check out the Currumbin Rock pools!