I visited Crocodylus Park & Zoo on a hot afternoon in June 2014. Crocodylus Park is located a bit out of Darwin, a city located on the tropical northern coast of Australia’s Northern Territory. Darwin is a popular tourist destination, and features several zoological attractions, as well as numerous parks and gardens, and plenty of wildlife (not to mention the National Parks). I had spent the morning exploring the Darwin Botanical Gardens and the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, before getting a taxi out to Crocodylus Park, there being only an irregular bus service there. I was already quite tired, and hot and hungry, so possibly my review may be somewhat more negative than it should be, but overall I was rather disappointed. Entry is $40, but I got a bit of a discount for being a student. The Park opened in 1994, and is predominantly a crocodile zoo (but also a crocodile farm/research station). The entry building features a shop (including many crocodile products), small kiosk, offices, a small reptile collection and the crocodile museum. The reptile collection is composed of common snake species, mostly boas and pythons, but Corn Snakes and Arafura File Snakes are present too. These are mostly displayed in small stand-alone tanks, and all are too small. Not a particularly good first impression. The museum itself is quite comprehensive, with detailed displays, models and specimens, which explore the natural history and conservation of crocodiles. It is rather dated however, and looks a bit average. There is an Australian Lungfish tank in here too. Outside is the first part of the Park, which contains mostly crocodiles. The first exhibit however is a small cage for a rescued, flightless Galah. The path then winds around a large fenced lagoon, the home of juvenile Saltwater Crocodiles. The breeding pens are next, these are viewed from a central raised walkway, with small pens either side for adult crocodiles. I imagine these pens are vastly better than what most farmed crocs get, but they’re still very small. Behind the pens on one side is a paddock for Water Buffalo. Ahead were small pens for “exotic crocodilians” (off-display), Freshwater Crocodiles, and then a row of crocodile raising pens. The path then opened up to another lagoon, this one more open and crowded with small crocs. The final exhibits here were a large exhibit for American Alligators, and then a long shallow shaded pool, for Hawksbill Sea Turtle, which was probably the most interesting exhibit at the Park. The next part of the Park contained mostly exotic animals, starting with a pair of pens for Emu and Ostrich. The primate collection is next, with cages lining either side of the path. These are all fairly functional, with very little vegetation, but seem quite nice for their inhabitants, which include Rhesus Macaque, Black-capped Capuchin, Black-handed Spider-Monkey, Cotton-top Tamarin and Common Marmoset, quite a decent range really. This is followed by a set of four larger cages, which appeared to be rather newer. The Ocelot cage was excellent – modern, large and well-furnished with rocks, logs and vegetation. The cat itself (I think the last in Australasia) was well hidden below some palm fronds. Adjacent was that for the Baboon pair, which was similarly decent, although rather more rocky than vegetated. Next to this was the Lion cage, which was rather small for the pair present, and the smallest I’ve seen in Australasia. Opposite these cages was the Tiger cage, split in two for the two animals, and again one of the smallest cages I’ve seen for this species. They have also since received two white lion cubs, I don't know where these are displayed, but I do hope they haven't just split the existing Lion cage. The final area of the Park contains mostly native species, although the first is a barren paddock for Timor Ponies. This is followed by a row of mesh fence exhibits, for Red Kangaroo & Emu, Dingo, Maned Wolf, a wetland bird aviary, Antilopine Wallaroo, Cassowary, and Agile Wallaby. These are generally pretty good, with vegetation, rocks and water, and most are a good size. The Maned Wolf has a rocky cave and a well-shaded, covered cage. The adjacent aviary holds Magpie Goose, Indian Peafowl, Bush Stone-Curlew, Cattle Egret and Pied Heron, and is quite attractive. The Antilopine Wallaroo were the most exciting species at the Park by far, and the only new species I saw. They are very attractive, with a very slender head, and a nice golden colour, and were very friendly (as were the Park’s other macropods). There was also a small Sulfur-crested Cockatoo cage here and a set of reptile cages for Iguanas and Tortoises that were perfectly adequate if not attractive. So, overall I disliked Crocodylus Park. I did miss the crocodile talks and boat cruise, which might have improved my perception. It’s a basic collection (17 reptile, 10 bird, and 16 mammal species) with generally ok exhibits, although many are too small and/or barren. The Park had a rather rundown feeling, and I wonder how much they have been hit by the opening of Crocosaurus Cove, which has a ridiculously similar name, presumably to confuse visitors. They have also been adding more exotic species, with the Maned Wolf newly arrived when I visited, and White Lions and Meerkats arriving since. An expansion that allows open enclosure for the big cats would be a great improvement I think. One plus was the wildlife, there was heaps around, mostly birds, with various species of waterfowl, parrots and birds of prey present. The Antilopine Wallaroo were great too, definitely the highlight for me. I probably wouldn’t recommend a visit, instead if you’re in Darwin check out Crocosaurus Cove and Territory Wildlife Park, and go do some wild crocodile spotting.
Species List Species on Display June 2014: Hawksbill Sea Turtle Elongated Tortoise Star Tortoise Saltwater Crocodile Freshwater Crocodile American Alligator Green Iguana Rhinoceros Iguana Fijian Crested Iguana Arafura File Snake Corn Snake Blood Python Burmese Python Reticulated Python Children’s Python Centralian Carpet Python Green Anaconda Ostrich Emu Cassowary Magpie Goose Indian Peafowl Cattle Egret Pied Heron Bush Stone-Curlew Galah Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo Agile Wallaby Antilopine Wallaroo Red Kangaroo Common Marmoset Cotton-top Tamarin Black-capped Capuchin Black-handed Spider-Monkey Rhesus Macaque Hamadryas Baboon Tiger African Lion Ocelot Dingo Maned Wolf Water Buffalo Timor Pony
interesting review. $40 sounds pretty steep, especially for what is available there! I have always found their Facebook page somewhat distasteful when I have visited it, with its many advertisements selling pieces of dead animals sewn into wallets and belts.
It is expensive, but comparable to other Darwin attractions. It does include the boat cruise, which would have been quite a good addition to the visit I guess. In the shop was a crocodile meat BBQ pack, as well as various other crocodile products.
Yes, I got there late in the day and it didn't make economical sense to pay the entry fee for half an hour's visit. I still have a photo of me standing next to the sign saying "crocodile BBQ meat for sale". I remember thinking that it was like those Japanese marine parks where you can see whales and dolphins perform and then eat a whale or dolphin burger at the kiosk... I did buy a crocodile belt from Crocodile Cove in the CBD, so who am I to judge...
Photo attached. Most Caribbean friends asked me to send them a piece or "how does it taste?". The answer to the latter question is that I tried it once and it had a quite rubbery texture, so I have not eaten it since.
I don't have a problem with crocodile farming in general, although I have no interest in eating it, and it does make sense for them to sell it here, given they are a crocodile farm. I think the fact that they are farmed makes it rather better than the example of the Japanese marine parks.
The analogy was not meant to lead to a 'farming' vs 'wild-caught' discussion, but more so that visitors are awed by majestic animals which they can then eat.
"There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace." Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
It probably wasn't cooked properly then. The few times I've eaten it it's been quite tasty and not rubbery at all. Better than the alligator I've had(which was very oily). Hix
Yes, perhaps. It tried it at a tourist restaurant on the Gold Coast, so they probably knew that we wouldn't have a clue what it was supposed to taste like.
Hi Zooboy28, I went to Crocodylus Park before and after they got their white lions, and they have indeed just split the original lion enclosure in half. I was very disappointed and will never go back there again, because every time I go there the conditions get worse for the animals. As you've said, there are some exhibits that are suitable for their inhabitants, like those for most of the native animals but the adult saltwater crocs and the big cats seem to come off second best.
I visited Crocodylus park last week, and whilst not much has changed from the above review, I would like to make some observations and comments about our visit. Firstly, I loved it! Yes there's plenty of flaws and things that a mainstream zoo wouldn't get away with as far as their exhibits go, but remembering this is primarily a crocodile farm and research centre, I think they do well. My initial impression of the first large lake (they call it Bel Air) was that it reminded me of Melbourne Zoos old lake with the primate islands, but then you notice the large crocs casually cruising the water or lying on the banks under the palms. Apparently these are all female crocs now as the males fought too much in here. The Banteng pair and the 3 water buffalo are in small dusty yards, not much bigger than a cage in a cattle sales yard. The male Banteng is the same caramel colour as the female, and when I asked why, they acknowledged males are normally dark chocolate coloured but they really didn't know why this one wasn't - they have certainly bred, with the last calf having been sent away only a few weeks back. I enjoyed viewing the larger snakes and iguanas kept in wire aviary style enclosures - im just not used to reptile enclosures not needing a heat lamp etc, but certainly in Darwin's tropical climate, heat lamps and glass walls etc are not required. Birds are very unrepresented in the collection, with just the 1 galah at the entrance, 1 aviary with 2 major Mitchell cockatoos & 1 female ecelectus parrot along with 2 green iguanas, and the other large roofed over paddock which had a pair of peafowl, a black necked stork, a Bush Stone-Curlew , a magpie goose and a heron. I wondered if some of these were wild birds as there were several large holes in the roof mesh/netting. The Meerkat enclosures were pretty standard, fully covered with a shade sail which might also be a deterrent to the many wild birds of prey that live around there. I enjoyed the primate areas, most were either well planted out inside, or (like the capuchins enclosure) surrounded by lush plantings. Of interest here, the 2 spider monkeys are apparently brothers and the keeper said 1 has downs syndrome. When I asked how they could tell (as it didn't look any different to me) he explained it had a hunched back and a few other differences, but its brother took very good care of him, often helping him with things. The keeper was freely handling them, and the capuchins, of which 1 in particular had a very close bond with the keeper (I wondered if it had possibly been hand raised) and they were climbing all over him to get the food from the bucket he was holding. The ocelot has long gone (although she's now stuffed along with a range of other exotic animals, in the museum or function room) but that enclosure is supposed to have a serval - I couldn't see it. The baboons next door are now 3 males, 2 of which I'd seen before at the old Alma Park zoo in Qld. their enclosure wasn't huge, but seemed to have plenty of objects to keep the 3 occupied. I didn't like the flies that were swarming over their fruit, but I don't know how you would stop flies in a baboon enclosure. The brother sister pair of tawny lions have a long narrow enclosure, there is a centre divider but they had the full use of both sides. The tiger (I could only see 1) had a lush jungle of plants in its enclosure, but it was a lot smaller than any other tiger enclosure I had seen before and the floor of the enclosure was raised about 3 feet above the walkway level, which combined with the glare on the glass windows, made viewing very difficult - several shorter ladies that were standing beside me couldn't see the tiger at all as it was lying down in a back corner in the shade. The 2 white lions (really a dirty orange brown colour due to the soil in their enclosure) have the most amazing lion enclosure I have seen! After the rest of the zoos lower standard of enclosure design, the white lions area is amazing! When they have the funds, the park will build/finish 2 more enclosures along side the white lions for the tawny lions and the tigers. Housed at the bottom of the zoo, just before the big jumping croc river, there is a huge waterfall at the end of a narrow canyon, which you can press a button to increase the water coming over the falls (which is really well landscaped) the water then flows down over several cascades, and forms a moat in front of the white lions, and then the space for the future 2 enclosures. The white lions area is large, well landscaped and multiple levels with caves and trees for shelter. The photos which I will load into the gallery will show it off better than I can explain. The other highlight of our visit was the jumping croc boat ride. Set on a large 'river' which was really only a lake with islands, this swamp apparently has about 35 adult female salt water crocs and 6 or 7 large males. This ride was well worth the extra $15 (on top of the entry fee) and lasted almost an hour. The guide/boat driver/croc feeder was a young girl who seemed very knowledgeable on the individual crocs and their names, who was likely to be found where, their habits and lots of other croc info. As a result of this boat ride, we decided not to go on one of the Adelaide River jumping croc boat cruises to see wild crocs as we had seen enough crocs for a while. After this we also got to hold a young croc at the reptile presentation and then we both also had the chance to feed one of the crocs in the breeding pens! Overall I really enjoyed our visit, and my non zoo loving wife thought it was one of her best zoo visits ever! I can think of plenty of ways they could improve their presentation, but they have a solid foundation to start with and the newer enclosures are all top level.
