Wildlife Habitat

Lovely sanctuary that helps animals rehabilitate in their own natural habitat. No cages, animals are free to fly and roam. Kid friendly with cafe and feed the kangaroos. Animals have people free spaces if they don't feel like interacting which is great. I don't support zoo's but definitely highly recommend this place that help wildlife in need. You really get up close and personal with the animals.

What a lovely afternoon. We decided to visit this afternoon. It is a small sanctuary, relaxed and the staff are lovely. We were lucky enough see the pelican talk which was perfect, fed kangaroos, saw lots and lots of different birds and got up and close with the cutest baby koala. A beautiful afternoon with my son ❤️

We thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast with the birds experience! This is such a wonderful and unique experience. Getting to meet Elvis and Nico was an absolute highlight of the morning. We also got to meet the koalas and had an opportunity to take photos and learn about the animals in a relaxed environment. The breakfast was substantial with free flowing juice, tea, and coffee as well as a beautifully presented breakfast platter complete with crepes, eggs, bacon, toast, and more! We also enjoyed wandering around the rest of the park and thought there was excellent value in the talks and presentations throughout the morning.

We love visiting! We have done the breakfast with the birds twice now! The kids absolutely loved interacting with the birds and feeding the kangaroos! The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. My 9 year old especially liked Elvis the black cockatoo and Mitch the pink cockatoo 😊 we also liked learning about the Cassowarys! We would highly recommend going if you get the chance!

Overall a very positive experience. We did the breakfast with the birds and it was very good, the food was decent enough quality and there was plenty of it. The facility itself is good, but could use a bit of a facelift, some parts looked a bit old. The birds are very beautiful and the aviaries are very nicely laid out. The highlight was hand feeding the kangaroos. You can freely feed and pet the kangaroos. This experience moved this review from a 3 to a 4. Definitely a highlight. Buy kangaroo food on the way in!! The negative, The keepers giving the talks about the animals were not Australian. This detracted from the experience. I would rather have Australian people teaching about Australian animals. Compare this to Hartleys where the staff are very Australian and it added to the experience.

An unforgettable animal encounter! This place offers a truly special experience—parrots literally walk right up onto your arms, and you can hand-feed friendly wallabies. It was so much fun, we came back a second time! Highly recommended for animal lovers of all ages.

Wildlife habitat is absolutely worth a visit. Plan to spend at least half a day. The talks are amazing and staff are knowledgeable. Good selection of food for lunch. There is a great opportunity to get really up close to the birds. Some of the birds are very cheeky and will want to get a pat. You can feed a kangaroo.

Beautiful and relaxing place to get to see lots of wildlife. The staff were kind, informative, and took great care of the animals. We loved our brekkie with the birds and getting to explore all the animal habitats afterwards. We would highly recommend!

Must visit in Port Douglas if you haven't had a chance to hug a koala yet and if you want to see cassowary bird. The Wildlife Sanctuary is relatively far from the center of Port Douglas and ideally you would need a transportation. In case you are not staying in a hotel where you can prearrange your transport you can pick a shuttle for five AUD in front of the Irish pub on the main street. The same shuttle will bring you back to your preferred location. Walking there is an option that I did not find very pleasant in the end. We chose to walk on the four miles beach, but we had to walk to the main road at one point and we almost missed the koala presentation. The habitat has five koalas and one of them works thirty minutes a day for you, meaning you can hold it and have your picture taken. This in the end is one of my very special highlights of our trip, my koala encounter ultimately made me very happy. The koalas and the tree kangaroo are in special section, where you can observe them really closely. There are a lot of amazing birds too, including beautiful parrots and in one of the birds section resides the very shy cassowary that we manged to see mainly the back of. There is another section with wallabies, kangaroos, emus and crocodiles. Don't bother buying the kangaroo food, only the geese were interested in it. The animals in the habitat are fed with such a nice variety of fruit and grains, no surprise they won't pay attention to anything else. The Wildlife Sanctuary is a wonderful place to spend a relaxing morning or afternoon, don't miss it!

Pros: - extremely friendly and knowledge staff, we learned a lot here - great natural environment made where different species can interact with each other - can hold a reptile or the famous koala (pics available in print and digital) - can pet the animals - great tours, we got to feed the animals as well and tours are free - free re-entry for five days from purchase - while eating person with parrots come around for pictures Cons: - so much feeding going on the animals are stuffed and dont really take food from us, wouldn't recommend the feeding bag, we did way more successful feeding on the tours - food was just decent

We really liked this experience. The team is sweet, knowledgeable, and passionate about the animals here. Holding a Koala was a great treat. Feeding he kangaroos was fun too. This is worth an afternoon to stroll and to enjoy the wildlife. My 12-year old daughter said she really loved it and wants to come back for the owls and bats at night.

Awesome venue. Good place to visit as a tourist. Lots and lots of animals to see. Guides were very knowledgable and kind to answer questions about the animals. Learned a lot about the cassowary which was cool. Took a photo with a koala that smelled heavily of eucalyptus. Lots and lots of kangaroos and wallabies in the open. Kangaroo food could be purchased at the gift shop. They will smell it in your bag and surround you. My favorite thing, however, was the tomato soup they served. Friends and I did the lunch with parakeets option. Best tomato soup I've ever had. Would love the recipe. Bread was also freshly baked. I had many servings of the soup and bread. Guides brought around parakeets for photo ops during lunch. Port Douglas shuttles can drop you off and pick you up. There's also a supermarket across the street so you can shop after you see some animals and pick up some groceries if you're staying in an apartment.

Cozy zoo in Port Douglas. + Hand feed kangaroos and wallabies. Food can be purchased at the gift shop ($2/bag). We were fortunate to even see a baby joey only a week or so out of it's mama's pouch jumping, playing and exploring. + Animal photo ops. Similar to other zoos/animal parks: have your picture taken with a koala or "Feature Creature" (snake, croc, etc. - changes daily). Be aware that compared to other zoos/animal parks we've been to, the photo times/opportunities at Wildlife Habitat are more limited, however. If I remember correctly, you are only able to have your photo taken with a koala or other animal during 3 or 4 posted times. (Whereas at Cairns Zoom, it's hourly, for example). This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just plan your visit with this in mind if you're planning to have an animal picture taken. + For an extra fee, you can have a meal (breakfast or lunch) with and amongst various birds. + Nocturnal Tour (didn't do this but would love to next time). + Various informational tours and presentations scheduled throughout the day. + Tree Kangaroo! Apparently, Wildlife Habitat is one of a few zoos that house and breed this strange but fascinating animal. + Easy to find (if you're self driving).

Holding a koala wasn't on my bucket list. And my attitude going into today's visit to the Rainforest Habitat reflected that. I mean, I enjoy animals as much the next, but the thought of paying $32 to walk around (what I thought would be) a small zoo just didn't excite me as much as it excited the rest of the group I was traveling with. But then a baby kangaroo ate food from my hand and it was all over. I was in love. This place is incredible. The level of interaction with the animals is what really blew me away. Split between rainforest and grasslands habits, you're not looking at amials behind fences or glass barriers, but actually hanging out among them. Case in point - this is one of the few places in the world that you are able to hold a koala. So heck yes I'll give you $16 for the opportunity! See? Listen to me now - they've Dolittle'd me. The staff is professional and beyond friendly and it's clear they are exceptionally passionate about what they are doing. Don't get me wrong, it's anything but swank and splashy, so don't expect grandiose displays. Humble and unpretentious are words I'd use to manage expectations going in. On that note, I'd say come first thing in the morning. While the breakfast wasn't as delicious as we'd hoped, all of the animals were way higher energy than they were when we left in the afternoon. Expect to spend 2-3 hours wandering around and taking tours with the staff, and check the times for the koala show as that's the only time holding a koala is an option.

I normally shy away from places where animals are kept but I caved and I'm totes glad I did. This place is like hospital with a mirror ball, an old folks home with a ball pit, a kindergarden with a bouncy castle. The animals freaking love it here, so much so, they breed. We walked around the wetlands before lunch. Again, I normally cringe at buffet lunches but there's vegan options and more fruit than a Carmen Miranda, the food was fresh, tasty and plentiful. During lunch, the bird keepers visit each table offering birds to hold and giving brief talks about each bird. We joined a 30 minute tour after lunch where we fed birds, leant about breeding programs and gained a little more insight into the good work being completed by the animal keepers. The tour was super punchy and interesting and I highly recommend taking one of the many tours on offer. We finished off our visit by feeding the kangaroos, wallabies and other hopping animals. We even saw ducks and enough crocodiles to last a lifetime. If you're up in Pt Douglas and have kids or just like animals, spend a few hours here - if we'd had more time, we would've been back for the night walk.

Loved the Habitat. I did not eat breakfast at the hotel and for $13 it is all you can eat, including healthy options such as muessli, soy milk, gluten free toast, eggs and then the bad stuff (like sausage and bacon and other typical stuff). Then you see the koala exhibit at 9AM. After that, they allow you to hold the koala (extra fee) and they hand you a professional picture. You can take your own photos though while the Habitat's photographer takes your picture. They also have kangaroo food so you can feel kangaroos. I hand fed several roos, including a baby one. One of them even let me pet it while eating from the palm of my hand! This Habitat stop was part of a longer day tour but if you are in Port Douglas and can make it here, it is fun. Especially if you live in a country where koalas and kangaroos are not the norm (which is every country except Oz). Enjoy and definitely enjoy their awesome breakfast! LOVED this place!

We have been here 3 times over the last 10 years as each time it has been a easy way to experience to view Australian wildlife. One downside has been the food available which is of poor quality. The Koala photos have changed in that you are actively discouraged to take your own photos due to the staff looking after the Koala's health by minimizing the time they are handled. They still have the professional photo which they will also email you the digital copy.

This is a great Wildlife Habitat and a perfect way to support the local animals. You are able to see the birds, kangaroos, wallabe, all kinds of birds, etc... (see their website for list of animals). I am not a fan of reptiles, but they had those too. A very educational and you can get a guided tour if you are interested. When you buy your ticket at the front desk, don't forget to buy some kangaroo food so you can feed and pet them (if they are willing). The kangaroos will come right up to you so don't set your bag of food down! They also have kolas you can hold and get your picture taken (~$15) if you are interested. Be warned, they do not smell very good. :-)

This was one of the highlights of our honeymoon. Someone had told us that it was THE reason to visit Port Douglas, and we mostly agree. Normally, zoos have a depressing feel, especially seeing depressed animals in small cages. This habitat is the opposite: BIG open spaces, animals thriving and looking engaged and happy. We ended up spending about twice the amount of time there as we anticipated because it was just so informative and interactive.

If you want to feed a kangaroo from the palm of your hand, this is your chance! I literally spent hours there doing just that. And trying to not get pecked by the black swan who also wanted some of the feed. The birds in the kangaroo area are quite aggressive. This is also your chance to have your photo taken holding a koala - sure to be the most popular photo on your Facebook timeline ever! They also have a few cassowarys, tons of colourful birds, a cafe, and a small reptile area. If you're on the fence about whether or not to go, in my opinion, it's worth it.

Intimate space boasting a variety of animals. Breakfast with the birds was fantastic and fun the whole family. Lots of opportunities to get photos holding birds, touching reptiles and enjoying the surrounds and close proximity of the animals. Highly recommended!

I thought this habitat was like a zoo, but boy was I wrong. It was really neat, though perhaps could use some work on improving the habitat part. The animals in the three sections (drylands, grasslands, wetlands) are just kinda wandering around. It was a little unnerving at first, but I expect they are used to people walk around since they mainly minded their own business or (if they came up to my friend and I), they were very gentle. Highly recommend stopping by if you're in Port Douglas area, and don't forget to get a bag or two of kangaroo food. It was fun feeding the animals - the birds are particularly eager for the bag of goodies, but the wallabies and kangaroos want their share too. There's even a place where you can get your photo taken holding a koala or a snake or even a baby crocodile! Just keep an eye on the presentation times so you aren't disappointed if your first choice isn't available. My friend and I came on a weekday which was nice since it wasn't busy. It was also a warm sunny day, but it wasn't too bad walking around since there are plenty of places with shade.

We visited here during our stay in Port Douglas as part of our honeymoon adventure. I definitely recommend coming here to see all of the animals. We did a breakfast with the birds and the food was INCREDIBLE and the cost was about half of what we would have paid at our hotel. I strongly recommend visiting and eating here. We also fed the roos and held a koala. Typical tourist stuff but it was great! If we had stayed longer in Port Douglas, we would have gone back with the 2 free re-entry days and paid for breakfast again. Everyone was so nice and knoweldgeable as well. I'm so thankful we got to experience this and we would definitely do it again.

This place is absolutely magical. Here, I was able to hold a full on Koala TWICE!!! Not only that, but I was able to hand feed and pet grey back kangaroos. I was taken off guard by a large spider web exhibit over my head which nearly gave me a heart attack, but that didn't ruin my experience. Wonderful memories are made here!