4 Super Beautiful Zoos In Western Australia

For us as a family, the zoos in Western Australia were an absolute highlight. Besides its unique wilderness, Australia also has great wildlife parks and zoos. Especially if you are only in the country for a few weeks, this is a great way to admire the Australian wilderness compactly in one day. Moreover, all parents among you know that zoos are simply THE entertainment program for kids. Especially in Australia, they are beautifully integrated into nature and the kids can let off steam. The animals seem to be doing better than in most European zoos. At least that was our impression.

Therefore, in this travel report on Western Australia, I will show you the four best animal parks in Western Australia that you should definitely visit.

Perth Zoo

Since 1898, this zoo near the city has been located in Perth. You can easily reach it by ferry directly from Elizabeth Quay. The adventure starts for the kids just during the ride across the Swan River. Once on the other side, a huge playground awaits us, which we can only reluctantly leave behind. After all, we want to go to the zoo.

From the pier, we walk about 10 minutes to the main entrance. Once there, we rent a wagon for the kids and set off.

Animals at Perth Zoo

The zoo is roughly divided into five areas.

• Australian Wetlands
• Australian Bushwalk
• Asian Rainforest
• African Savannah
• Picnic Area

We're starting in the Australian Wetlands and are greeted by a black swan. The animals here are all native, and as a result, the enclosure is kept very natural. Since there are mainly birds here, a natural net has also been stretched over the enclosure as a roof. 🙂 Furthermore, the alligators and swans have been separated from each other. However, this may have only been for practical reasons and benefits the swans more.

Let's continue into the Australian Bushwalk. Without having to go to the Outback, we can observe wallabies, kangaroos, and the endangered Tasmanian devils here. The kangaroos even roam freely here, so if you're lucky, you might even get to pet one. If you're unlucky, a Tasmanian devil might be roaming freely too 😛

By the way, you can also find quokkas here on the bushwalk, if you don't... Rottnest Island should create.

Next stop is the Asian Rainforest. Besides red pandas, there are mainly monkeys here, but we also see a Komodo dragon here. It's huge and thankfully behind a thick glass pane.

There are always smaller areas, like the Reptile Encounter or the lake in the lower part of the zoo, but the last large area is the African Savannah. The rhinos impressed us the most here, but the elephant enclosure is also huge and worth seeing.

Practical at the Perth Zoo is that you can bring food and drinks for a picnic. There is a large Picnic Area with a great playground. If, like us, you forgot your picnic, there are also numerous food trucks here offering food from all over the world. Everything from pizza to gyros to hot dogs is available.

Perth Zoo admission prices

Adults pay 22.00 EUR
Children aged 4 and up pay 11.00 EUR.
Children under 4 do not pay admission.

Perth Zoo Address and Opening Hours

Perth Zoo, 20 Labouchere Road, South Perth WA 6151

Open daily from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Please visit the Official website of Perth Zoo, as prices and opening hours may change.

As of October 2022

Cohunu Koala Park

Just 40 minutes from Perth lies this beautiful animal park. It opened in 1982 and mainly houses native animals. Here we can feed free-roaming kangaroos and chat with 30 talking parrots.

Besides that, there are also many adorable koalas, as the park's name suggests. These are not native to the west coast, but can only be found in the wild on the east and south coasts of Australia.

Koalas and Eucalyptus Trees

The koala colony was founded here in the early 80s with the arrival of 4 koalas from South Australia. Today, 25 koalas live here (as of 2022). They feed almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, which have a rather low nutritional value. This is why koalas sleep 18-20 hours a day to conserve their energy. Strange, instead of just munching on other greens and sleeping only 6 hours 🙂 That would practically make life three times as long.

We had a great afternoon in the park. The kids had fun with the kangaroos, and we parents found it absolutely exciting here too.

Admission Prices Cohunu Koala Park

Adults pay 12.50 EUR
Children aged 3-13 pay €5.00.
Children under 3 do not pay admission.

Address and Opening Hours: Cohunu Koala Park

Cohunu Koala Park, 68 Nettleton Road, Byford WA 6122

Open daily from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Please visit the Official website of Cohunu Koala Park, as prices and opening hours may change.

As of October 2022

Ranger Red's Zoo

To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect. I had only read about this park that a guy named Bradley R Holland (Ranger Red) presented his animals here, which he had rescued, kept, and cared for over the years. Honestly, I imagined the park to be smaller, and it honestly exceeded all my expectations.

Feeding kangaroos and parrots

We were greeted by a caregiver with a boa constrictor in hand. We were allowed to hold it, pet it, and briefly experience the thrill a strange snake creates when it's wrapped around your arm.

After that, we saw pretty much all 750 animals in the zoo. A highlight here was the kangaroo enclosure. We were actually allowed to cuddle with the kangaroos there. It was super cute and a great experience, not just for our kids.

There are even camels here, and in the aviary, we were allowed to feed parrots and other colorful birds. In my post about national parks, you can also read that this is quite possible in the wild. Nevertheless, it was a great thing.

To conclude the beautiful outing, we stopped at the nearby Redcliffe on The Murray. A nice restaurant amidst nature, with affordable prices and delicious food. Recommended!

Ranger Red's Zoo Admission Prices

Adults pay 15.00 EUR
Children aged 3-15 pay EUR 7.50.
Children under 3 do not pay admission.

There is also a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) for EUR 38.00.

Ranger Red's Zoo Address and Opening Hours

Ranger Reds Zoo & Conservation Park
Sanctuary Drive
Pinjarra
Western Australia 6208

Open during the week from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Open on weekends and holidays from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Please visit the Official Website of the Ranger Reds Zoo, as prices and opening hours may change.

As of October 2022

Penguin Island

On one of the many sunny days in beautiful Perth, we set off for Penguin Island. This small island isn't exactly a zoo, but would have fit better in my travel report about National Parks in Western Australia deserves. However, this is purely about the animals. Apart from penguins, you'll see swarms of seagulls and pelicans on the island. We found the latter particularly exciting, as they kept circling above us and the birds are simply huge.

Unfortunately, we are visiting the island during the time when the penguins are having their young. Since this has become increasingly difficult for years, the island is closed to visitors during this period. The penguins are laying fewer and fewer eggs, and of the few babies that hatch, fewer and fewer survive. In total, there are still over 200 penguins on the island. However, there were almost 2000 ten years ago, we are told.

Penguin feeding

However, in a kind of sanctuary, we can still observe the world's smallest penguins and learn many interesting details. A highlight for the kids was definitely the penguin feeding. This takes place 3-4 times a day, and we can watch these delicate creatures catch their food underwater.

The entrance to the ranger station is blocked off. A female has laid eggs there, so the rangers now have to take a detour 🙂 Anyway, we have the impression that the animals are doing very well here. Everyone here seems to be doing their job out of love for the animals. That's a clear plus point, and that's why I also recommend visiting the island. Simply to support the animals. The fact that the island is currently closed isn't a big deal, even though we would have liked to see the great white sandy beaches.

If you visit the island, be sure to bring a picnic. Although there's a small cafe, it was closed today, and the picnic area is beautifully situated in the greenery anyway and invites you to linger.

Penguin Island Entrance Fees

Adults pay 23.00 EUR
Children aged 3-12 pay 16.00 EUR
Children under 3 do not pay admission.

There is also a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) for EUR 65.00.

Penguin Island Address and Opening Hours

Perth Wildlife Encounters
153 Arcadia Drive
Shoalwater 6169,
Western Australia

For opening hours, please check the website directly. These may change depending on the weather and temperatures. Prices are also subject to occasional adjustments. For the official Website Penguin Island bracelets by clicking on the Link.

As of October 2022

Conclusion Zoos in Western Australia

We had a wonderful time in all four zoos and wildlife parks we visited. It was exciting to see and observe so many animals for the first time in our lives, such as the Tasmanian devil or the adorable kangaroos. Furthermore, each zoo is virtually an inexpensive learning program for the kids. They absorb so much knowledge there, and we gladly use such excursions to bridge the time when the kids are not in school.

I hope I've given you some exciting excursion tips for Western Australia with this travel report. I always look forward to comments below if you've already been to one of the zoos or are planning to visit.

Have fun with my subsequent impressions.

Photo Gallery Zoos in Western Australia