We are going to Western Plains zoo in a week. We have three kids under 8. The zoofari lodge sounds good to stay in but may be cost prohibitive. Can anyone tell me about it and also give me other tips about the "thing to do at Dubbo zoo!" Thanks, Jen
We did the Zoofari Lodge a couple of years back when at Dubbo - it was really worthwhile - you get to spend as much time at the zoo as you want over the two days (you can check in to the lodge from around 2pm from memory), which gives you plenty of time to wander at your leisure. The highlight was really the behind the scenes tours - for us they did a twighlight tour before dinner, which included feeding the giraffes, then a night time tour after dinner, and a sunrise tour before breakfast the next morning. The stuff you get to see that the general public does not see makes it really interesting. The safari tents have heated floors (not important at this time of the year - but we were there in June and it snowed on the way home to Sydney !!!), and are pretty comfortable with their own ensuites. It was a little disconcerting hearing the lions snoring at night - it seemed like they were just outside the tent ! It is expensive, but to me it was really worthwhile - especially if you would like more than one day to explore the zoo more completely. I will actually be going back to Dubbo zoo sometime in the next week or so as we drive home from Adelaide to Sydney (but we won't have time for the zoofari lodge unfortunately). One thing to check on is the availability - when I've tried to book in the past they were booked out several weeks in advance, so before making any decisions, you might want to check on when you will be there to avoid disappointment.
I'd just like to re-inforce what Sim had to say. As a family of 3 we visited around this time in 2002. One of the greatest experiences I've had. Just loved being within touching distance of a cheetah (with a chain-link fence betwen us!). Oh, don't tell Sim, but the night we stayed we headr the lions but it wasn't snoring.
