darling downs zoo

This is expensive but interesting. Can get up close and personal with the animals for a price. I realise they have to pay staff and feed the animals but I'm not sure if it was worth it. After one hour I had seen the whole zoo and I took my time at each exhibit. The White lions were lazing around. Another lion stalked me and frightened me but was the highlight of my visit. Flies were everywhere and very annoying not that anyone could have fixed the problem. They had fly reppellent available, which I used, but I think it was an attractant. You can pay for food and feed the animals. Not a bad zoo just a little pricey for what it is.

Credit needs to be given to Steve & Stephanie for this family concern. We were given amazing insights into the animals, their behaviours, the reasons for breeding programmes and the opportunity to get in close proximity to animals which we in Australia rarely get to see. The big cats are extremely healthy and interact so well with the staff and the talks on the primates, macaws and wildlife were very informative. This isn't a manicured and botanical zoo but allows the animals more of a natural environment. If you don't like zoos or caged animals you will not like any zoo, but this is an experience that I believe needs to be enjoyed for what it is.

Yes I meant to rhyme. It's suited to younger children. It is basic and small but quaint and fun for little kids. It is a long way from anything but worth finding. It is not over the top expensive and the snake holding at the end of the day is a bit of fun. It has a warm family feel to it.

Maybe in any zoo from time to time something happens that's very special and Darling Downs Zoo is experiencing one of those time in the form of 3 baby pure white lion cubs.Viewing time at present is for only 10 minutes but I felt it was well worth waiting for at 11.30am as the cubs get older I am sure that time will be extended. With the extra people turn over the zoo may well be able to improve their animal enclosures..

My wife and I went darling downs zoo 13/01/15 and took 2 of our grandsons . We all enjoyed it very much. If you want a sterile concrete zoo maybe this is not for you, but the fact that it is natural country as much as possible we thought was very good.We would go back again for sure.

I love Zoos. but this was a very depressing day out. we were excited that there was a zoo in close proximity and the fact that it was small was attractive as well. But It felt like it was someones backyard with a bunch of animals in cages. Many of the animals were clearly not happy. We went there with 3 kids and 4 adults. the children enjoyed it but we couldn't get past the fact that the animals were in distress. Small cages where birds couldn't fly. No shade in most of the enclosures. If i were to keep animals like this i would be charged. If you want to walk around and take pics of unhappy animals with your kids then go for it. obviously there are many folks who dont care and just want to see something new. If you have a heart then give this a miss...

Don't get my wrong, I'm all for supporting independent businesses. And not for one minute did I think this would be the same standard as a large urban zoo. However I was concerned about the state of the animal enclosures. The koalas had no natural habitat and were expected to keep cool under a tin shed. The lions had a very small enclosure which contradicts how lions live in their natural environment. Some birds had small enclosures to be able to fly around. In an era when people are questioning the ethics of zoos I think some thought needs to be given to the state of the animals' homes. I am not judging the guest facilities in my review - you can experience this for yourself.

The three of us (two adults, one toddler) spent around 2hrs there, but due to someone's nap time, we missed out on the big cars feeding and the monkey talk. We got to hold a baby croc though which was awesome. I can't really add to what the others have said on the review! Just really enjoyed ourselves! And recommend to families.One tip would to buy the big bucket of feed as it's a lot of fun feeding all the animals, particularly the emus and ostriches!

I am disappointed to have supported this zoo. The animals are not well kept at all. Ponds are stagnant with turtles covered in algae ( not even sure they were alive).water troughs were dirty and animals were lininh up along the fence for food as we approached ( all other encounters I have previously had the animals were not so hungry as to push each other out of rhe way for a few pellets) Lack of forethought in tree planting left sparse enclosures with little relief available from the 30 degree plus day. The tiger paid no attention to anything but pacing back and forth along his fence - in the small amount of shade available.the wombats had no dark places to hide and they're enclosure was simply dirt with a miniscule shade sail.We spent 40 mins walking around and were ready to leave having seen enough. I don't know what people were doing the rest of the time if spending the whole day.

We thoroughly enjoyed this little zoo. It's well set out and has an open plain zoo feel about it. Admission price is fair as the zoo doesn't get any funding. It took us about 2 hrs to get here from Brisbane so it is a fair drive. I was suprised at some of the negative reviews here, you can't expect the polish of the big name zoos in the country! There's a good variety of animals and birds and the tiger feeding in good fun. As you're not far from the enclosure you get a good feel for the animals and we could hear the tiger purring. The zoo is well set up for families, plenty of picnic tables to bring a packed lunch or sausage sizzle is available. The shop has cold drinks and icecream. There was only two toilets that we could find, another couple would be good. Bring Aeroguard and sunscreen as it gets pretty hot out in the open. There's not alot of shade available so best to do this one on a fine day. It took us about three hours to see everything as we looked thoroughly. There's plenty of plans for expansion which would be good to see. I look forward to revisiting in a few years to see how this cute little zoo has developed.

We visited the Darling Downs Zoo on September the 29th with 4 adults and 3 kids. At first we thought it would only take an hour to walk around, but we stayed all day. The animal experience's were fantastic, my two daughters feed the Monkey's while my wife and Son feed the Lions and Tiger. We held a small Crocodile and a large Snake.

I visited the Darling Downs Zoo with my son and 2 grand daughters today. It was a lovely day out. The zoo accommodates for the young really well. There are guided tours around the animals with experienced handlers who give a very in depth look at the different animals. You also can get up and close to the animals. During the talk with the big cats you are only approximately 1-2 metres away from the animal, there are fences up.You are also able to feed most of the animals and we found them very gently even the emus.The zebras were a great hit with the girls, I think we went back and visited them 6 times. We did the big cat talk twice as they have different handlers do the talk from morning and afternoon. In the morning the big male lion and his companion did not come over for the feed (mating season) however in the afternoon they were both over for the feeding. We were lucky enough to visit when they had new baby monkeys and wombats (2 new babies).Also the amenities are well kept and they even fire up the bbq for a sausage sizzle at lunch time with prices very reasonable.The people are very friendly and the handlers very obliging to the children with questions.The entry fee for a family is really reasonable. They also have annual passes which are reasonable as well. You could certainly visit quite a few times a year. They are always extending the zoo with more animals. They sell food but also encourage you to bring a picnic, there are ample tables. They also allow you to leave it in your car and just have to let them know that you are going out to get it.I got some unbelievable photos of the lions being fed, unfortunately they are on my phone and I cannot load them on here.All up I would highly recommend anyone touring in the area of the Darling Downs to definitely make the Zoo one of their stops. Make sure you put away at least half a day we spent all day there.

This is a real nice country zoo. If you want the Australian zoo experience, go there. I did not get to hear the talks, but next time I will. I unfortunately got there at the end of the day, but got to see the critters. I also got to buy some feed as well and feed some of them. It makes for a great stop while driving around the area.

This zoo is not well known being away from the big cities, and it is a great surprise.The variety of animal species is the real gem.Good for kids, but us adults can enjoy it as it is too.If you have the time they have additional animal experiences where you get a bit closer. Yes, they cost a bit more, but money well spent in my opinion.

This was a good little place to visit, the birds and Zebras were great. The tiger seemed a little stressed - doing figure of 8's and hissing repeatedly, and the enclosures for the cats seemed small and boring for them which was a bit upsetting.