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Happy New Year to you all.
I have a request that I would like to ask of all our members. It could also become helpful for other members looking for great places to shoot.

As some of you may know I work for the ABC on a kids TV show called Creature Features
Creature Features is a fun educational animal show. We travel all over Australia to film
We are currently in the process of recording series eight. After over 130 episodes we are looking for new places to film.
My request is to see if anyone is aware of an hidden gems! We have visited all of the major zoo's in every state but I am keen to hear if anyone has any private zoo's, wildlife parks, sanctuary's or places where animals are kept that we may not have filmed at.

I thought I would add my top three to start the ball rolling.

Australia Zoo Sunshine Coast- This has to be the best run zoo that I have visited. (You learn a lot about a place when you see what is hidden from the general public) Great viewing platforms without cages to get into shots. A huge collection of fauna.
Mogo Zoo Just south of Uladulla NSW. This is a privately owned zoo that has small enclosures but good viewing platforms for kids and also photography.
Monarto Zoological Park Monarto 45minutes outside of Adelaide. This is an open plain zoo and as such you are in a vehicle driving around the place. I am sure that they offer photographic tours (similar to Werribee in Melbourne) They have some wonderful Big Cats, and the vistas are stunning.

Hi Mal, and Happy New year to you.

I'm not sure if this place is still around, and I doubt that travel there would be within your show's budget, but in Dallas (yep, big hair, Southfork, Texas) there's a small park for rescued big cats.

In the US there are places where it's actually legal to have a tiger or a leopard as your household pet, but some people don't adequately consider the needs and responsibilities of such a decision, and thus the animals end up. Of course, there are many places, too, where the keeping of such animals as pets is not legal, and if you're moving to one of those areas and you have such a pet, you need to find it alternative accommodation.

It used to be called TEFF (Texas Exotic Feline Foundation) but I know that a few years ago they were having difficulties, and International Exotic Animal Sanctuary seems to be who they are now.

As well as disaffected pets, they also used to have animals that other locations would reject, or had been mistreated. Their collection was varied and interesting. As I said though, budget might be the issue that restrains you.

Happy New Year Mal.

Have you tried the Billabong Zoo in Port MacQuarie

Mal wrote:Happy New Year to you all.
I have a request that I would like to ask of all our members. It could also become helpful for other members looking for great places to shoot.

As some of you may know I work for the ABC on a kids TV show called Creature Features
Creature Features is a fun educational animal show. We travel all over Australia to film
We are currently in the process of recording series eight. After over 130 episodes we are looking for new places to film.
My request is to see if anyone is aware of an hidden gems! We have visited all of the major zoo's in every state but I am keen to hear if anyone has any private zoo's, wildlife parks, sanctuary's or places where animals are kept that we may not have filmed at.

I thought I would add my top three to start the ball rolling.

Not sure if this is the kind of thing you are after Mal.. but my friend breeds reptiles (around 300 of them at last count) and they also keep bats (of the flying fox variety) that are there for hand raising as they are orphans (baby season on the bats finishes shortly though)... her place has been filmed on Totally Wild on a few occassions and well as for various documentries and other wildlife orientated shows..

HNY...... Montague Island if full of bird life, Seals and more...... not a Zoo but a Nature Reserve, well worth a look

http://www.southcoast.com.au/montague/index.html

gstark wrote:I'm not sure if this place is still around, and I doubt that travel there would be within your show's budget, but in Dallas (yep, big hair, Southfork, Texas) there's a small park for rescued big cats.

Thanks Gary, and yep that would blow our budget! But I'll keep that one in mind for my next trip to the states

Bindii wrote:Not sure if this is the kind of thing you are after Mal.. but my friend breeds reptiles (around 300 of them at last count) and they also keep bats (of the flying fox variety) that are there for hand raising as they are orphans (baby season on the bats finishes shortly though)... her place has been filmed on Totally Wild on a few occassions and well as for various documentries and other wildlife orientated shows..

Exactly what we are after! Can you PM me some details? Thanks Sue

big pix wrote:HNY...... Montague Island if full of bird life, Seals and more...... not a Zoo but a Nature Reserve, well worth a look

http://www.southcoast.com.au/montague/index.html

Thanks Bernie, that looks like a good place. Will have to check it out a little more closely. BTW have you any pictures from on your smugmug website from there?

It would also fit in with visiting Mogo Zoo as well!

While you are down the south coast, there is also Nowra Wildlife Park. I have not been there but it's popular with Nowra locals with young families. It's about 500 metres from my home.

I have been meaning to visit and take a few shots but I am going to wait until school holidays are over first.

Mal wrote:

Bindii wrote:Not sure if this is the kind of thing you are after Mal.. but my friend breeds reptiles (around 300 of them at last count) and they also keep bats (of the flying fox variety) that are there for hand raising as they are orphans (baby season on the bats finishes shortly though)... her place has been filmed on Totally Wild on a few occassions and well as for various documentries and other wildlife orientated shows..

Exactly what we are after! Can you PM me some details? Thanks Sue

PM sent Mal.. xxx

Mal
There is a colony of bats that hang around in the trees just off the Bruce Highway near Nambour on the Sunshine Coast. I saw them returning to their roost (is that the right word for bats home) early one morning, what a sight.
Craig

there is a colony of fruit bats in fairly low trees at the south end of Cascade Gardens on the highway just south of surfers Paradise
UBD 39 M16
its only a few metres from the Gold Coast Hwy and you can park opposite Chelsea ave near a brick building so you don't have to carry your gear far

Fleays wildlife park on the gold coast.
Currumbin Bird sanctuary on the gold coast.
O'Reillys way out back of the gold coast at Canungra, birds are wild but fairly tame ... ask Slider and Finch as they run workshops up there.

Big Red wrote:Fleays wildlife park on the gold coast.
Currumbin Bird sanctuary on the gold coast.
O'Reillys way out back of the gold coast at Canungra, birds are wild but fairly tame ... ask Slider and Finch as they run workshops up there.

Thanks for these Shane.

We have visited Currumbin numerous times, it is a great spot.
David Fleay Wildlife Park is also good.
But O'Reillys is a new one for me so I will follow that one up. Many thanks

Mal wrote:

Big Red wrote:Fleays wildlife park on the gold coast.
Currumbin Bird sanctuary on the gold coast.
O'Reillys way out back of the gold coast at Canungra, birds are wild but fairly tame ... ask Slider and Finch as they run workshops up there.

Thanks for these Shane.

We have visited Currumbin numerous times, it is a great spot.
David Fleay Wildlife Park is also good.
But O'Reillys is a new one for me so I will follow that one up. Many thanks

O'Reillys is not a wildlife park but a Guesthouse, cafe, campground etc where the birds from the surrounding Rainforest flock in for a free feed.