Where can I Hold Koala Bears and Take Pictures?

by Rudy
(Malaysia)

Where can i hold koala bears and take pictures?

Also what about touching a kangaroo and have photos taken?

Is it cheaper to rent a car via internet of just hire a car when I reach coolangatta airport?

This is my first visit to australia. Thank you for assisting me

Annie Answers
There are two main places you can hold a koala and have photos taken. One is Dreamworld attractions called Australian Wildlife Experience and the other is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Personally, I would pick Currumbin because you get the best of both worlds, you can cuddle a koala and feed kangaroos. With the kangaroos you can actually feed, pat and touch kangaroos and take your own photos.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is about 5 minutes drive from Coolangatta airport and about 30 minutes by car from Surfers Paradise.

It is a great day out, you can watch the bird feeding, there are lots of shows that highlight other animals and you can get photo taken with those animals after the show. You can see lots of other Australian native animals.

Currumbin also has a fantastic night adventure - called Wild Night Adventure. You arrive at 7pm and then a small group of visitors get to explore the park at night when there are no other visitors! It is brilliant. That is quite a good time to go if you want a really different experience.

My daughters got to feed crickets to the freshwater crocodiles! I don't remember if we went to the Kangaroo area, but there was definitely a chance to get a photo with a koala and even a snake!


I would not take my chances of picking up a car at the airport when you arrive. If they actually have a car, you may have to pay a premium. My personal recommendations are East Coast Car Rentals.

I usually use them myself when I travel or hire a car here. Sometimes you can get a good deal from the airport other times you might get a better deal at Surfers Paradise. The advantage of picking up at the airport if you can is that you then don't have additional fees for transfers to your accommodation.

If you are not sure of the area, I recommend you get a GPS for the car when you hire it as it can really save a lot of bother with trying to have a passenger map read for you in a strange place!

I always book my cars before I arrive somewhere, because you can lock in the price and you know you have transport.

A car is really useful on a short trip when you are trying to fit lots of things in, it gives you flexibility. There is free parking across the road from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and also at Dreamworld if you choose to go there.

I hope that all helps, please ask any further questions in the comments below and let me know what you think of my answers ;-)

Annie from www.Gold-Coast-Australia-Travel-Tips.com

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