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You can hear Tears for Fears’s influence everywhere these days. It’s in The 1975’s sheen and groove,http://users.atw.hu/conflux-mg/index.php?site=forum_topic&topic=17439cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, in Arcade Fire’s synth obsessions and electronic flourishes, and in Lorde’s space and textures. Tears for Fears were chameleons, too. Anyone in any doubt about their habit of absorbing contemporaneous influences should listen to the funky drums and wah-wah guitar of Lord of Karma, a 1992 B-side. It is The Stone Roses in all but name.
An insider's guide to the best wildlife in Brisbane and Queensland, including how to visit and what to do at Australia Zoo, Sea World, Hartley's Crocodile Adventure, as well as the top spots for dolphin feeding cruises, turtle sightings and koala encounters. By Lee Mylne, Telegraph Travel's Brisbane expert.
Where to see wildlife in Brisbane
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Sea World (1)
In my opinion, polar bears and Fairy Penguins are the star attractions here, and crowds flock to see them frolic, dive, and hunt for fish in a large pool. Sea World has everything you’d expect: performing dolphins and sea lions, ski shows, an aquarium, shark feeding, and an array of rides. The dolphin and sea lion shows are hugely popular – the gates to their arenas open 30 minutes before showtime, and you should get there early to get a seat. You can snorkel or dive with sharks, or snorkel with seals or dolphins (all for a hefty fee, and with a souvenir photo). A monorail operates around the park.
[img]/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Oceania/Australia/Brisbane/Wildlife_Sea%20World.jpg?imwidth=480[/img]
Polar bears and Fairy Penguins are the star attractions at Sea World
Address:?Sea World Drive, Main Beach, 4217
Contact:?00 61 7 5588 2222;?seaworld.com.au
Getting there:?bus to Main Beach (705 from Surfers Paradise)
Opening times:?daily, 9.30am-5.30pm
Price:?A$89; children 3-13, A$74; 2 and under, free
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:?not necessary
Whale-watching cruise (2)
MV Eye-Spy carries up to 320 passengers out into Brisbane’s Moreton Bay between June and November for one of the most awesome sights you may ever see. When I went on a Brisbane whale-watching cruise, we gasped and laughed and frantically took photos as 17 humpback whales breached and displayed in the waters around the boat. It was unforgettable. The trip features excellent educational commentary about the whales, and the best part is that if you don’t see a whale, you can take another cruise for free.
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The trip features excellent educational commentary about the whales
Address:?Departure point for boats: Redcliffe Jetty, Redcliffe Parade, Redcliffe, 4020
Contact:?00 61 7 3880 0477;?brisbanewhalewatching.com.au
Getting there:?bus transfers from Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast hotels available with the cruise company
Opening times:?daily, departures 10am, return around 2.30pm
Price:?cruise only (excluding hotel transfers): A$135; over 60s and students, A$125; children 4-14, A$95; 3 and under, free; families, from A$365
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:?essential
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Dolphin-feeding cruise (3)
Dolphin feeding at Tangalooma Island Resort in Brisbane’s Moreton Bay is tightly controlled to protect the pod of wild dolphins, which has been coming here daily since 1992. The dolphin-feeding cruises run twice a day and give you around 10 hours on Moreton Island (where you can toboggan down sand dunes, snorkel and participate in lots of other watersports) ending with the evening dolphin feeding. Although I felt the feeding was over in a flash, it’s still something special to be so close to these gentle creatures. Wear something you don’t mind getting wet - because it will! You can also take a cheaper cruise that allows you to stay and just watch the feeding, which takes place near the jetty at Tangalooma Island Resort.
[img]/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Oceania/Australia/Brisbane/Wildlife_Dolphin-feeding%20cruise.jpg?imwidth=480[/img]
It's something special to be so close to these gentle creatures
Address:?Moreton Island, 4025
Contact:?00 61 7 3637 2000;?tangalooma.com
Getting there:?cruises leave from Brisbane’s Holt Street wharf at Pinkenba for Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island
Opening times:?cruises: daily, 7am and 10am. Dolphin feeding: daily, 7pm
Price:?dolphin-feeding cruise: A$95; children 3-14, A$50; 2 and under, free
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:?essential
Fraser Island wildlife (4)
Fraser Island offers some spectacular wildlife viewing, if you are lucky. Home to one of Australia’s purest populations of dingo (the native Australian wild dog), it is also a prime spot for whale watching during the migration season (May to October), with trips available from Kingfisher Bay Resort (booking essential), and is great for bird-watching. The dingo is protected, but should also be kept at a safe distance: feeding or interacting with them is banned and hefty fines apply. These are truly wild animals and can be dangerous. Dingo sightings can be rare, depending on the season, but you are likely to hear them howling at night.
[img]/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Oceania/Australia/Brisbane/Wildlife_Fraser%20Island%20wildlife.jpg?imwidth=480[/img]
Fraser Island offers some spectacular wildlife viewing, if you are lucky
Address:?Fraser Island, via Hervey Bay 4655
Contact:?00 61 7 4120 3333;?kingfisherbay.com
Getting there:?ferry from Hervey Bay
Opening times:?daily, 9am-5pm
Price:?whale watching tours: A$115, children 4-14 A$70
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:?essential
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Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (5)
Currumbin’s biggest attraction is the descent of flocks of hundreds of wild rainbow lorikeets twice a day for feeding by visitors holding trays of food. The vivid birds – green, blue, red and yellow – are great for photos. Lorikeet feeding is at 8am and 4pm, and lasts for about 90 minutes. Don’t miss it! The sanctuary is home to 1,400 native birds and animals, including crocodiles. Have your photo taken cuddling a koala, feed kangaroos, visit the animal hospital, and take the miniature steam-train ride. An Aboriginal song-and-dance show takes place daily at 3.30pm. For my money, a highlight is the free-flight birds show at 10.40am and 2pm.
[img]/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Oceania/Australia/Brisbane/Wildlife_Currumbin%20wildlife%20sanctuary.jpg?imwidth=480[/img]
Currumbin’s biggest attraction is the descent of flocks of hundreds of wild rainbow lorikeets twice a day for feeding by visitors holding trays of food
Address:?28 Tomewin Street, Currumbin, 4223
Contact:?00 61 7 5534 1266,cheap jordans online;?cws.org.au
Getting there:?bus to Currumbin (700, 760, 765 from Surfers Paradise)
Opening times:?daily, 8am-5pm
Price:?A$49; over 60s and students, A$40; children 4-14, A$35; 3 and under, free; family ticket, from A$133
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:?not necessary
Australia Zoo (6)
Established by crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, and now run by his family, this zoo is world class. For me, the highlight is the “crocoseum,” a 5,000-seat stadium in which daily croc feedings are held at 2.30pm. Other demonstrations and feedings take place throughout the day, and you can also hand-feed kangaroos,cheap jordans, cuddle a koala, and watch or hold pythons. There are also exotic animals, including tigers and cheetahs. For an extra fee (A$20 adults,jordan shoes, A$10 children), you can tour the Wildlife Hospital next door. Make sure you take cash, as the kiosks don’t accept cards and nor does the animal farm where kids can hand-feed animals.
[img]/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Oceania/Australia/Brisbane/Wildlife_Australia%20zoo.jpg?imwidth=480[/img]
Established by crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, and now run by his family, this zoo is world class
Address:?1638 Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah, 4519
Contact:?00 61 7 5436 2000;?australiazoo.com
Getting there:,cheap real jordans?bus to Australia Zoo (615 from Maroochydore’s Sunshine Plaza shopping centre, Chancellor Park at Mooloolaba, and Landsborough railway station); Greyhound bus from Noosa and Mooloolaba; or train to Beerwah from Brisbane (zoo courtesy bus picks up from station)
Opening times:?daily, 9am-5pm
Price:?a$59; over 60s and students, A$47; children 3-14, A$35; 2 and under, free; family ticket, A$172-A$189
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:?not necessary
Underwater World SEA LIFE Mooloolaba (7)
A transparent tunnel with an 80-metre moving walkway that takes you through a tank filled with sharks, stingrays, groupers, eels, and coral is the highlight at this undercover aquarium. Kids can pick up starfish and sea cucumbers in a touch pool, and there are displays on whales and sharks, shark breeding, freshwater crocodile talks, an otter enclosure, and a 30-minute seal show. You can swim with the seals or dive with the sharks (for an extra fee). My best experience here was a “behind the scenes” tour (book on arrival – they usually run twice a day), which gives you a much greater understanding of what you see in the show. Admission tickets booked ahead online are significantly cheaper than if bought at the gate.
[img]/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Oceania/Australia/Brisbane/Wildlife_Underwater%20world%20sea%20life.jpg?imwidth=480[/img]
A transparent tunnel with an 80-metre moving walkway takes you through a tank filled with sharks, stingrays, groupers, eels, and coral
Address:?Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba, 4557
Contact:?00 61 7 5458 6280;?underwaterworld.com.au?
Getting there:?bus 600 or 615 from Maroochydore station
Opening times:?daily, 10am-5pm (last entry one hour before closing)
Price:?walk-up price: A$39; students, A$30; children 3-15, A$26; 2 and under free; family of four, A$110. Online price: from A$31.20;?seniors andstudents, from A$24; children 3-15, A$20.80; 2 and under free; family of four, from A$88
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:?recommended
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (
Clutching a koala (cuddling seems too cosy for the reality of this experience) is what you’ll come here to do. Lone Pine is truly the best place in Australia to do this – and one of the few places where it is still allowed. Personally, I’m always quite happy to hand the koala back… but they are very furry and soft. So take the obligatory souvenir photo and then move on to discover a lot of Australia’s other unique animals: kangaroos, echidnas, Tasmanian devils and more. The nicest way to get here is on a cruise down the river, which departs daily at 10am from the Cultural Centre Pontoon.?? Tickets bought in advance online are a few dollars cheaper.
[img]/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Oceania/Australia/Brisbane/Wildlife_Lone%20pine%20koala%20sanctuary.jpg?imwidth=480[/img]
Clutching a koala is what you'll come here to do, but there are plenty of other animals to see
Address:?708 Jesmond Road,cheap wholesale jordans, Fig Tree Pocket, 4069
Contact:?00 61 7 3378 1366;?koala.net?
Getting there:?bus to Fig Tree Pocket (430 from Queen Street bus station or 445 from Stop 40, Adelaide Street)
Opening times:?daily, 9am-5pm
Price:?purchased at the gate: A$35; over 65s, A$24; students 13-17, A$24; children 3-13 A$22; 2 and under, free; families A$60-A$85. Tickets bought in advance online are a few dollars cheaper
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:?recommended
Where to see wildlife in Queensland
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Cairns Wildlife Dome
I wasn’t expecting much from a wildlife attraction inside a glass dome on the top of a high-rise hotel but this is an unexpectedly good wildlife experience. Around 200 animals – including a large saltwater crocodile named Goliath – are housed in the 20 metre-high dome. Birds soar overhead (in an aviary), and you get up close with koalas,http://users.atw.hu/phake-mgaming/index.php?site=forum_topic&topic=14946cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, lizards, frogs, turtles and snakes. The latest addition is The Cairns ZOOm, a challenge ropes course and zip-line experience inside the dome (you even cross directly above Goliath). This is a great wildlife option for those with limited time – you don’t even have to leave the city. There are presentations and free guided tours. Koala photos are $16 (pay when you buy your ticket).
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Around 200 animals are housed in the 20 metre-high dome
Address:?35-41 Wharf Street, Cairns, 4870
Contact:?00 61 7 4031 7250;?cairnsdome.com.au?
Getting there:?within walking distance of most Cairns city hotels
Opening times:?daily, 9am-8pm
Price:?A$24; children 4-14, A$12; 3 and under, free; families (two adults, two children),jordans for cheap, A$60. Cairns ZOOm from A$45 (including dome entry)
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:,cheap air jordans?not necessary
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures
Hartley’s croc experience is quite possibly the best in Australia, I think, because of its fantastic natural setting. You can take a tour on a boat on the beautiful tree-fringed lagoon where the crocs lurk. The best time to visit is for the 3pm “croc attack” show. If you are really brave (braver than me), you can also have a “Big Croc Experience,” where you pole-feed a large crocodile yourself. Tours of the croc farm run twice a day and you can also let a (harmless) python wrap itself around you, or handle baby crocs (with their mouths bound shut so they can’t nip you).
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Hartley’s croc experience is quite possibly the best in Australia
Address:?Captain Cook Highway, Wangetti, 4879
Contact:?00 61 7 4055 3576;?crocodileadventures.com?
Getting there:?no public transport: drive or take a tour bus
Opening times:,http://www.qdtongyun.com/qingdao/E_GuestBook.aspcheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg?daily, 8.30am-5pm
Price:?A$37; children 4-15, A$18.50; 3 and under free; families (two adults, two children), A$92.50
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:?not possible
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Turtle encounter
During the annual turtle-nesting season from November to March, Mon Repos Conservation Park, about 14km from Bundaberg, is well worth the stop – it is one of the South Pacific’s two largest loggerhead turtle rookeries. Tours start at 7pm, but you may have to wait up to two hours or more (you can’t hurry nature, or turtles). Nesting happens around high tide; hatching is between 8pm and midnight. Take warm clothes, as it can get quite cool. Children love it - or at least mine did! The park's visitor centre shows films about turtles and their life cycle at 7.30pm daily in summer. Turtle Encounter tickets available only through the Bundaberg Information Centre.
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This is one of the South Pacific’s two largest loggerhead turtle rookeries
Address:?141 Mon Repos Road, Mon Repos, 4670
Contact:?Bundaberg Information Centre: 0061 7 4153 8888
Getting there:?no public transport; drive or take a taxi
Opening times:?Turtles Encounters run nightly Nov-Mar, from 7pm
Price:?Turtle Encounter: A$11.60; children 5-14, A$6.05; 4 and under, free; families (up to four people), A$27.80
Payment type:?credit cards accepted
Reservations:?essential