Australian Trip 2014: Australia zoo

Today we went to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo in between Brisbane and Noosa with Uncle Steve. I was not sure what to expect from this zoo.

It had some mixed reviews online, but when we got there I was blown away by the attention to detail and the messages they had.

As soon as we came in, there was an echidna on a bench that anyone could sit by and pet. Trent was in heaven.

They have an amazingly big Africa exhibit with zebras, giraffes, rhinos, and a cheetah. The tiger enclosure is huge and all the animals seem very active and well taken care of. It is hard to compare it to the metro zoos, since they have a lot more land, but maybe that is just a better way to do it.

There was a great snake enclosure and even the attention paid to the lighting to allow for some decent photos was something you don't see everywhere.

Wombats, red and grey roos, koalas, many birds, komodo dragon, Tasmanian devils, crocs, gators, pythons, boas, and many more animals were on display in well presented and well thought out areas. There were no real cages, and it looked like a lot of work went into making their homes similar to their natural habitats.

The main show with the birds and crocs was very well done. This is what Steve Irwin would always get involved in, and his passion for the conservation message has spread to everyone here.

At every turn, mankind's impact to species was shown and ways to help were always suggested. It felt less preachy than normal, somehow, but it is clear that many of the species that we are looking at today may not be around when our kids are our age. It made them both interested in ways that people can fix it. It is a little depressing to see how threatened we have made so many species, but hopefully with efforts like this zoo, people can come to love and want to save them as much as Steve Irwin did.