featherdale » Featherdale Wildlife Park

featherdale
03-05-2008

I'm thinking of going to Featherdale through the week. I know nothing about this place at all. I think it is about an hours drive from my place. Has anyone got any idea what they have? Is it natives only? Is it worth a look or not? I just done a search and it is only mentioned a few times on zoobeat so didn't get much info from other zoo lovers. i noticed that Ara mentioned its bird collection in a thread about tarongas birds. Ara mentioned that it had a good collection. Thats a good sign. Hope someone can help me with info.

03-05-2008

Boof have you tryed looking for a website for them, heard they have quolls

03-05-2008

Their web page isn't the best. And i was looking for the inside mail from others from this forum. Did see on their web page they have gouldians so thats a start.

03-05-2008

My grandad breeds gouldians and i just read how you hate mutations he has three variations, Lutino and two natural occuring types.

03-05-2008

hi i was there about three years ago. It was a very nice place with some very exciting species, though being from the UK most oz spcies are exciting. They had quoll,quokka, skua, yellow tailed rock wallaby, austrailain bustard, bee eaters, an albino kookaburra, ghost bats and a whole lot more. i think it was only native species and was more of a rescue centre than a zoo.

03-05-2008

i was there a couple years ago too. strong emphasis on native animals, the only exotics i saw from memory were ostriches and peacocks. large collection of birds of brey, with many species of owls, buzzards, and eagles.

Featherdale
05-05-2008

It would be my pick for the most comprehensive display of Australian wildlife in NSW . It has improved over the years . Each time I am in Sydney for longer than a transfer at the airport , I try to visit it .
I enjoy it because as a NZer , it houses alot of what we would call "exotics" but for an Australian , it will be only natives

exotics at featherdale
05-05-2008

there are no longer any ostriches at featherdale - i never recall them ever having ostriches anyways! they have some sun conures, indian ringnecks, mandarin ducks, peafowl (blue), phesants, and dingoes! lol if you want to call em introduced.

they have an extensive array of birds and mammals, new bilby and ghost bat exhibit, yellow footed rock wallabies in a new exhibit, yes they have quolls, lots of em they breed them, tassie devils, many cassawerys including offspring hatched at the park and brolgas also bred at the park, bustards, skus, lots of herons, glossy ibis, etc any more

i believe some exhibits are over croweded and the whole park is quite 'cagey'... and they have litttle room to expand,

any replys?

05-05-2008

Went to featherdale today. They have a heap of tiger quolls which were out enjoying the sunshine. They are a good looking animal. Bigger than i thought they would be. They had eastern quolls but i couldn't spot any. i counted about 5 cassawories. 1 was a chick born in November last year. The yellow footed rock wallaby exhibit was good. All the exhibits are clean and tidy. The big salt water croc is a crowd favourite. A group of tourists from England stood looking at it for 5 minutes arguing whether it was real or not. It wasn't until it moved that a couple of them finally accepted that it was real.
I took my wife and my one year old daughter. They enjoyed the free ranging wallabies and I enjoyed the birds. Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours although I think it would be crowded if you went on a weekend.

05-05-2008

Sounds like you had a good day Boof, Yes the quolls are nice so they had at least two species of them?

05-05-2008

Yep tigers, and eastern. About 5 exhibits with tigers. And 3 with eastern.

05-05-2008

Did you take any photos of them Boof?

05-05-2008

yes but they are through wire and not the best.

05-05-2008

I think the Eastern males grow to 7kgs, a good size

06-05-2008

My local Zoo, Kyabram Fauna Park has eastern quolls and tiger quolls and i have to say that the eastern quolls were a lot smaller then i expected and the tiger quolls were all out of proportion to what i expected. I thought tiger quolls would be lean and the perfect hunters but they are kind of tubby and look like they're waddleing when they walk.