Billabong Sanctuary — Attraction in Nome

My family of 5 visited Billabong Sanctuary today and had a great time! We spent roughly 3.5hrs at the sanctuary and took in all the scheduled presentations we could. I'm glad we decided to purchase an annual family pass because there were still many areas of the sanctuary left to explore; from our 2nd visit onwards this pass will be saving us money so it's definitely a great investment for us and other local families with animal loving kids. It was a sweltering day today so we will be sure to bring our bathers and make use of the swimming pool the sanctuary has available for visitors to cool off in. For those thinking of visiting the sanctuary: give yourself at least 4 hours to see it all staff are friendly and knowledgeable, providing great facts and entertainment at the presentations, feeding times and photo opportunities scheduled presentations and feeding times run to schedule you can snap photos of yourself and the kids with the animals but the photo packages offered by the sanctuary are the only way you get to hold the wombats and koalas you can byo food and drink but there is nowhere available to refill water bottles as the sanctuary uses bore water. There is a canteen with a good selection of food and drink for purchase at the entrance all areas appear to be wheelchair accessible with ramps at the entrance and a few other places within the sanctuary; however, the paths are all dirt and gravel and could be challenging for some individuals The toilet facilities are centrally located but I can not comment on their condition or what exactly is provided as we did not make use of them Parking is close to the entrance in a dirt lot with plenty of space Most areas have dappled shade but I would suggest you bring sunscreen, hat and insect repellent

In our opinion, definitely...

Whilst we had a great day at the sanctuary, we were left disappointed with the way we’re spoken to by the grey haired lady who works on the front desk not once but twice. First when we arrived we were not greeted with a hello or welcoming manner, just wanted us to quickly pay, I thought she might have been having a bad morning. But then it happened again when we were leaving and questioned if we were eligible to the local discount we had seen on the website during our time at the sanctuary. Our local friend took us (2 adults and 1 child) to the sanctuary for a day out, all up we have spent over $350 at the sanctuary with tickets, photos, experiences, food and drinks. On the website it reads ‘ Bring in TWO out of town adult visitors, and ONE local adult gets FREE entry to equal or lesser value!’ We asked if our local friend’s ticket could be refunded to be told in a blunt tone no - we did not mention this offer at the start of the visit and we do not qualify as we needed two locals with us, not one (??) . Which was odd as we didn’t notice terms & conditions on the website about the offer only available at the time of arrival, and the offer only says one local, not two. It was also odd at how defensive and blunt the lady was when we questioned this offer. Maybe she shouldn’t be front of house if she has no people skills or maybe she really just was having a day? Regardless, it costs nothing to be kind to customers. Safe to say our friend is embarrassed and will not be bringing any other visitors to your establishment, which is a shame as she moved to Townsville from Tasmania 3 years ago, and has out of...

Billabong Sanctuary has to be one of the highlights of our Australian East Coast adventure and is a must for anyone passing through this way.

I have been to quite a few zoos and safari parks across the world but Billabong is the most interactive I have visited. It is a small park showcasing Australian animals but it is well organised and was a great treat for the family. It feels like a local family zoo, set in a forest, and most of the animals have been rescued from somewhere. I only saw 4 rangers but they each gave very informative talks about their animals and their enthusiasm was contagious. We learnt about koalas, cassoway birds, reptiles, wombats, birds of prey, and crocodiles from the rangers but it was interacting with the animals that was my highlight. We purchased some food which allowed us to feed the birds and the kangaroos in their walk-in enclosure with the animals literally eating out of our hands. I also held a baby crocodile, a snake, a bird of prey, patted a dingo, fed the turtles and got my picture taken while cuddling a koala. I had to pay for the koala one but the quality A4 photograph didn’t seem too expensive when I saw it.

We visited the park on a quiet Friday morning in July but there was certainly enough to keep our teenagers busy for a few hours. There were suitable lunch options and even a small pool to keep younger ones amused.

Engaging and educational; this is what all zoos...