Darling Downs Zoo — Attraction in Pilton

I cannot rate the Darling Downs Zoo more highly. They have an incredible range of animals that you can get unbelievably close to. The animals are well loved, healthy and cared for by keepers who are passionate about ensuring their well-being and continued preservation of so many species of animals and birds. All of the staff are super friendly and helpful. This zoo, unlike others, is not a commercial enterprise and receives no government funding, so don't expect to find gold star cafes or restaurants on site, however, there are plenty of shady picnic tables and bbq facilities to BYO. The toilet facilities are spotless and there are hand sanitising stations throughout the zoo. This zoo is about breeding programs for endangered species, and education about the animals through informative guided feeding and talk sessions by experienced, friendly and knowledgable keepers. For an additional cost, that goes directly to the welfare of the animals, the upkeep, and expansion of the zoo, you can choose encounters in very small groups (4 max) to meet, feed and touch a selection of animals including giraffes, lions, meerkats and primates. But even without this addition, the low cost entry fee allows you to roam at leisure around this extensive zoo and spend as much time as you like watching the animals from a very close distance without a horde of crowds. This zoo has the largest population of baboons in Australia, and also has a white male and female lion, plus a tawny male and two tawny females that were right up at the fence just 2 metres away from us! It was incredible. I found this zoo to be peaceful in a beautiful idyllic country setting, and being a weekday, by lunchtime we literally had the entire zoo to ourselves - it was the absolutely best experience ever. I use a small, lightweight powered wheelchair, and while the paths are all dirt, gravel and bumpy, I was able to traverse them without too much difficulty. I think self-propelling wheelchair users and those requiring someone to push them, would have difficulty. The paths are not accessible in wet weather. Otherwise, it was an absolute joy and I would highly, highly recommend a family day out, or even make the trip on your own - you won't be disappointed. Do yourself a favour and head to the...

This quaint little zoo is a surprising little place, that is worth a visit, if you go prepared for what it is.

What it is, is a small zoo with a strong ecological focus and a good range of animals. What it isn't is Australia Zoo.

We went on a weekday, during school term time and pretty much had the place to ourselves. It's not a huge zoo and at first glance has a somewhat "Tiger King" look to it. But that sentence is unfair and does it a disservice. You can easily stroll around in one and a half hours. In doing so you will get to see big cats, Giraffes, zebras, reptiles and plenty of primates. Entry to the zoo is inexpensive, they offer day passes as well as annual. Parking is free.

There are several free talks/animal feedings throughout the day from knowledgeable staff. I would advise arriving in the morning to take full advantage of these as the bulk of them take place between 9 and midday.

There are also several "close-encounter" experiences, where you can get up close and personal with the animals. These include Lions, Giraffes, Zebras, Meerkats and Marmosets (amongst others) and come at varying extra costs. This will add considerably to your cost for the day out, but is well worth it, because it truly does involve what it says. We chose the marmoset experience and I can say without doubt it was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. The little primates bouncing around and finding homes on shoulders, heads and even inside jumpers.

The facilities are fairly rudimentary, but clean and perfectly fine. There is a small cafe selling pies, sausage rolls and sandwiches, but it may be worth bringing your own lunch. There is a large picnic area in which to enjoy eating it. Finally the gift shop has a decent range of soft toys and other toys/souvenirs to buy as a reminder of a good day out.

Overall, we had a really great time when we visited. If you go, armed with the knowledge this is a smaller size zoo, you will be guaranteed a surprising and rewarding day out... This will be particularly enhanced if you are willing to pay a little extra for the personal...

This zoo is bigger than it looks from the carpark. It was not as good as some people told me and not as bad as others told me. I was warned that the animals have fairly small cages with not so much recreation stimulation, and that seems about right, but they seem keen on the interaction for treats they get during the tour. I have heard that mist of the animals here are quite old and were scheduled for euthanasia but they still have a pretty chill life here now. It is definitely worth arriving in time (before 10:30am) to get the keeper tour with all the main animals -for that alone you're better off coming here than Australia Zoo, where you're unlikely to get a decent view of the animals thanks to the thick crowds. This zoo is the most quiet one I've been to, so it's probably a lot better for people who are easily overstimulated than other zoo options. Even if you have to leave partway through the tour with your overstimulated person, you'll get your money's worth from how engaged the keepers are and how much they clearly know about and care about the animals. You're gonna miss out if you only wander around and hear no talks at all. There's hardly any shade cover, so bring an umbrella for the sun. The food options are severely limited, so bring a picnic lunch. They coffee is actually pretty good... not great, but definitely good. They DO have a couple of gluten-free options if you need that, but they will be tolerable, not mindblowing... it's like frozen quiche or something. The toys in the gift shop are awesome, so if you want to help the zoo raise money for their programs, then bring your own lunch and buy the toys or make a donation. The staff are absolutely lovely. Watch out for kangaroos on the roads if you leave in the...