Cohunu Koala Park — Attraction in Byford

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We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves when we visited yesterday. Whilst we probably should have waited for a cooler day to be more comfortable in the heat.. that didn’t stop us from having a great time.

I asked about the popcorn, and the staff member cheerfully explained it was because of the risk posed to children who like to sample alternative feed types. Popcorn is obviously not the animals staple diet, it’s a snack and a safer option for all parties involved (animals/birds/people)

I think the set up that they have for the many birds they are caring for is well done, I particularly liked the amount of natural wood available to the cockatoos and corella’s. The cages/Avery’s are vented and shaded.

Kindly look at the birds in the wild on a hot day…1 you probably won’t see them 2 if you do they’ll be panting, wings out, cooling down.

What some people reviewing don’t seem to understand is that the space available to the birds in captivity is probably far larger than before they were placed in the care of this business (obviously I don’t know this to be true but it’s a fairly safe assumption) it’s listed as a sanctuary which means animals have been rehoused there!

If seeing birds in captivity makes you uncomfortable, obviously don’t go.

If you understand what it takes to care for a bird (particularly ones that have been come from captivity already and you know that mixing them in a different enclosure would not be safe and releasing them would also put them at risk) then absolutely go and support this establishment.

I wanted to ask someone about the birds and how to came to be, but the staff were busy doing all the work it takes to care for animals and I respect that.

It has an old world ‘back to the future’ kind of feel with sculptures and I loved that. We packed our lunch and sat on tables surrounded by Guinea fowl, pea cocks, ducks and emus. My 17 month old daughter (a bird enthusiast) had a blast watching them all.

The koalas are adorable, we did not get a picture but intend on doing so next time we visit!

P.S. it’s summer- algae blooms are inevitable. I imagine by supporting this business, it allows them to invest in the things they may need to manage such occurrences.

Thanks Cohunu Koala Park, you made our daughters day. We look forward...

Great animals but terrible experience with the staff/owners. I can't recommend this place anymore. I've been here several times over the years. This will be the last trip. The are better options for a koala experience.

We picked this location to have the koala experience. We got the popcorn from the teenagers managing the front desk. Paid for a bunch of our group to have photos with a koala. No hello. No welcome. Just took our money and handed us the stuff.

Our group had a fun time walking around the facility. Some sections were nicer than others. There are lots of animals but not much info about any of them.

Kept the best for last! Koala time! The experience could have been stellar. It wasn't. They have heaps of gorgeous koalas. I know nothing about any of them cause I guess we didn't pay for a conversion about koalas. We paid for a photos with a koala and that's barely what we got.

Each of us in the group that was going to take a koala photo got a vest. The moment the koala was put on us the staff person was looking at her watch to time the experience (the amount of goals time was not discussed at the time of purchase). No conversation. Just keeping time. I understand limiting the time but do it better.

We asked to take a group photo with the koala. Was told it was ok. We were a group of 5. She took a few photos of us before an older woman (owner?) came running in and told the staff person that group photos aren't allowed unless we paid for it. Mind you 3/5 members of our group paid for the experience.

So we were hurried out. Same thing repeated with the other koala encounter. Get a koala, staff looked at her watch in silence. We had a kid that wasn't tall enough to have a koala experience and asked if it was ok if they joined their parent for a photo. That was barely allowed since the grumpy owner was still around somewhere. I didn't want to get the staff in trouble but we had paid for this and we were barely getting what we paid for.

We were told nothing about the family of koalas around us or the koala we...

My 12 year old daughter was charged for the price of an adult which was strange considering the entrance cost was 3-13 $8. I was asked how old she was also and they charged her an adult price, So just be mindful of the entry costs when you come and make sure you are being charged correctly.

There was a teenager working behind the desk who was polite and cheerful, but she was also giving the finger to another teenage coworker and at one point chased a car with the coworker in giving him finger. This was all in good fun and they obviously have an amazing workplace relationship, however if you are looking for a professional atmosphere similar to the zoo and find this behaviour offensive then this may not be the place for you.

The bags of popcorn were $4 each which seemed like alot but they actually lasted us the whole visit and we had left overs afterwards.

This had a farm feel, it was not clean to walk around and there were animal faeces everywhere, so ensure to dress your kids and yourself in shoes you are not too worried about and old clothes.

The animals were lovely. There was kangaroos, koalas, a baby crocodile, echidnas, emus, deer, ostriches, lots of galas and Australian birds, miniature ponies and little pigs.

They have a miniature railway and visitors can hop on for a ride for $6 a person. It was very cute seeing the kids on the train.

This place is a farm through and through and a great alternative for the zoo at a more reasonable cost.

The toilets were clean and had baby changing facilities.

They don't have a cafe, so make sure you bring food, they do sell ice cream for a reasonable price though.

I would visit again definitely as the experience of feeding the animals was lovely and the little kangaroos...