Established in 1952 by Australian naturalist David Fleay, this is one of Australia's premier wildlife parks. You'll see a platypus, crocodiles, wallabies, kangaroos, glider possums, dingoes, wombats, the rare Lumholtz's tree kangaroo, and a big range of Australian birds, including emus, cassowaries, wedge-tailed eagles, black swans, and lorikeets. Boardwalks traverse picturesque mangrove, rainforest, and eucalyptus habitats, where most of the animals roam free. The nocturnal house, open from 11am to 5pm daily, is where you'll see many of the most elusive animals, including a platypus and Australia's answer to the Easter bunny, the bilby.

Talks and demonstrations include saltwater-croc feeding -- at 1pm daily, usually only October through April. Aboriginal rangers give talks about weaponry, bush medicine, and their links with this region. Volunteers also give free guided tours throughout the day. Because the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service (who runs the park) frowns on handling animals, you can't cuddle a koala or hand-feed kangaroos here. However, you can enter a koala enclosure and take photos beside one. This costs an extra A$8.70 adults or A$12 for a family.