Australia is one of the world’s best holiday destinations where travellers can enjoy abundant wildlife experiences. Be it the kangaroos, quokkas, koalas, pandas, cassowaries or crocodiles, you can spot an array of unique wildlife at these five best zoos in the country:

Australia Zoo

An hour-drive from Brisbane, Australia Zoo is known to be the most interactive conservation destination on earth. Situated on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, the zoo has a range of animals including tigers and plenty of crocodiles. Here visitors can hand-feed a kangaroo, cuddle a koala and spot a saltwater crocodile. Besides, visitors would love to discover the zoo’s newest addition, Bindi’s Island and spot lemurs and tortoises.

Adelaide Zoo

One of the oldest zoos in Australia, Adelaide Zoo is an iconic tourist attraction of Adelaide. It is home to 2500 animals and 250 species of exotic and native mammals, reptiles, fish and birds, and is the only place in Australia where you can witness giant pandas. Situated on the city fringe near Botanical Park, the zoo has a large open area where visitors can spot pandas munching away on fresh stalks of bamboo. Besides, there are a lot of unusual native stars including short-beaked echidnas, long-nosed potoroos and quokkas to discover.

Melbourne Zoo

Also known as the Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, Melbourne Zoo is the oldest zoo of Australia. You can spot over 320 animal species including Asian elephants here. The zoo boasts a butterfly greenhouse, reptile house, lion gorge, an orangutan sanctuary, aviary and a treetop canopy for monkeys and apes, drawing the attention of wildlife lovers from all around.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

The first and the largest koala sanctuary of the world, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a popular tourist destination in Brisbane. Recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records, it opened as a refuge for injured koalas in 1927 and is now home to over 130 koalas. This sanctuary is an ideal place for those who want to cuddle a koala, hand feed kangaroos and meet other native species such as platypuses, Tasmanian devils, wallabies, echidnas and dingos.

Taronga Zoo

Lying on the shores of the world’s most beautiful harbours, Sydney Harbour, Taronga Zoo is an amazing wildlife spot, visited by a large number of tourists. There are more than 4,000 animals to spot in the zoo and you can also enjoy fantastic views of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline from here. The daily bird and seal shows are sure to delight visitors. A number of tours are offered here including the VIP Aussie Gold Tour of native animals, the keeper-led Wild Australia Experience and many more.

South Australia’s capital, Adelaide is a stylish city with a rich cultural heritage. Nestled between the hills and the ocean, the city promises a lovely holiday experience in Australia where travellers can take in the delights of terrific architecture, scenic outdoors, boutique shopping and a lot more.

Discover the beauty of Adelaide Botanic Garden

The city boasts terrific natural wealth and the Adelaide Botanic Garden portrays that spectacularly. Established in 1855, it is a peaceful retreat that features a fenced garden on North Terrace. History enthusiasts can treat their eyes to the wrought iron gates at east end of North Terrace and some remarkable heritage structures in the garden. The Palm House and the Museum of Economic Botany are a major draw among them. Nature lovers would love to explore the National Rose Trail Garden, a lovely spot that flaunts various international varieties of rose.

Visit Carrick Hill to take a peek at Australian heritage

If you wish to experience the rich heritage of Australia, head to the Carrick Hill, a wonderful historic property at the foot of the Adelaide Hills. One of the few period homes in Australia that are well-preserved with their entire grounds and original contents, the building was completed in 1939 and displays the style of an English manor. Be it the history enthusiasts or nature lovers, this place promises a wonderful time for all. Besides, you would love to attend the art exhibitions held here regularly.

Explore wildlife in the Adelaide Zoo

Treat the wildlife lover in you to the incredible wildlife of one of the major tourist attractions of South Australia, the Adelaide Zoo. It is the second oldest zoo in Australia where you’ll get a chance to spot around 300 native and exotic species including the only two giant pandas in the Southern Hemisphere – Fu Ni and Wang Wang. Interactive presentations are held here for the kids and the whole family.

Have a unique beach experience at Glenelg

Families and leisure travellers can spend a relaxing beach holiday at the beachside suburb of Adelaide, Glenelg. Located in both the City of West Torrens and the City of Holdfast Bay, the village appeals with a captivating history and a lively vibe. There are a number of boutique hotels and sidewalk cafes; there’s the Beachouse Amusement Centre where you can enjoy many rides, waterslides and arcade games. Besides, sailing and swimming with dolphins are two of the popular activities here!

South Australia’s cosmopolitan coastal capital, Adelaide is all set to host to the Adelaide Fringe Festival – the biggest annual arts festival in Southern Hemisphere. In the festival, well-known artists from around the world take part and perform at multiple venues.

The essential details regarding the Adelaide Fringe 2017 have been shared below:

Date

17th February to 19th March

Venues

Adelaide Fringe Festival takes place at over 400 venues across Adelaide’s CBD and suburbs. The regional centre of Port Augusta for Desert Fringe, Fringe in Mount Gambier and Fringe in Whyalla hosts it too.

How to Get the Tickets

The tickets for Adelaide Fringe 2017 are available online; check out the official website. Group 6+, BankSA Customer, Child and Friend4Free are the different kinds of tickets which can be booked.
Tickets can be obtained by post or be picked up at a FringeTIX Box Office. If the show is being performed at The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Gluttony or the Royal Croquet Club, the ticket can be collected at the venue’s Box Office.

Programme Types

The programmes at Adelaide Fringe 2017 can be classified as Comedy, Cabaret, Theatre, Music, Magic, Dance, Visual Arts & Design, and Film & Digital. Comedy shows include 80’s Made – Totally!, 50% Scottish 100% Crazy Let’s Laugh, Alcohol Is Good for You, All Heart Baby etc. Magical acts like Astonish: Sense of Wonder, Magic on The Edge, and Razi: Mesmerise are generating quiet a buzz too.

Fringe Parade and Adelaide Night Market

Fringe Parade is the largest of its kind in the country involving 1500+ artists and 80 luminous floats. The parade is held along North Terrace – home to the city’s well-known cultural institutions. It moves between King William Street and Frome Road. To get to the Fringe Parade, public transportation is the best option!

Adelaide Night Market offers a wide variety of stalls, food and music to the participants. People can buy local arts and handicrafts from the stalls that have been raised. You can also enjoy jaw-dropping performances of jugglers, acrobats and musicians at this market.

Age Restrictions

The artists self-rate their shows based on content and age suitability. The events are categorised in the following manner: F (Family-Friendly), G (Suitable for All), PG (Parental Guidance recommended for under 15 years), M15+ (Recommended for individuals aged 15 years and over), and 18+ (Restricted to Audiences 18 years and over).

Must-Follow Tips

•    See the weather forecast and dress accordingly
•    Be an early bird to get the best possible spot
•    Keep your personal bags and items with you always
•    Avoid driving

Adelaide Fringe 2016

Adelaide Fringe 2016 was extremely popular. Around 600,000 tickets were sold, making it the biggest and most successful Fringe since its inception. 118 entertaining shows were conducted.

Australia, a large country, surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans, has impressed travellers with its fabulous tourist attractions and exciting activities.

Moreover, throughout the year, the country hosts a number of colourful festivals and events – some for adults only and others for families. The information below is useful to people who wish to know about family-friendly festivals and fiestas held in different parts of Australia.

WOMADelaide

Held in the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, the WOMADelaide is an annual world music and dance festival, encouraging people to experience music of different cultures. It attracts individuals of all age groups and aims to develop global understanding. The easiest way to reach the site is by walking or using the public transport from the CBD or surrounding areas.

National Folk Festival

Held in the Exhibition Park in Canberra every Easter from Easter Thursday to Easter Monday, National Folk Festival is a fabulous family-oriented celebration! At the venue, the participants can find themed bars, food stalls, circus performers and talented musicians. More than 450 individual concerts are organised. There are dance activities, including workshops and classes. Excellent artisans showcase handcrafted musical instruments as well.

Fairgrounds Festival

Fairgrounds, billed as a carnival of music and discovery, takes place in the historic town of Berry, NSW, a two hour drive from Sydney.  Fairgrounds is held at the picturesque Berry Showgrounds in central Berry. Enjoy great food, boutique beverages, shopping and music as well as take part in awe-inspiring activities at the festival. Much to the delight of children, a designated festival within a festival, Little Fairgrounds, is also organized. Only for children, Little Fairgrounds features karaoke performances, magic shows, and craft activities.

Burning Seed

“Burning Seed is an experimental gathering dedicated to creativity, collaboration and a cash-free community — conceived, built, run and returned to nothing again by YOU.” It’s a week packed with art, theme camps, gifting, performances, crewing, music etc. Portaloos and ice sales are the ONLY things provided at the event. You must bring everything else. Burning Seed takes place in Red Earth City, located about an hour west of Wagga Wagga, NSW, in October.

Oysters in the Vines

Held in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Oysters in the Vines has the following elements: live entertainment, oyster showcase (and a wide range of other food), kids’ entertainment, wine and oyster education, oyster shucking, and wine and beer sales. By organizing the event, the area highlights the fact that its produces some of Australia’s best oysters. To be able to enjoy live entertainment comfortably, individuals need to bring their picnic rug or chair. Free on-site parking is available.

Would you like to see a species of plant so old that it dates back to the time of the dinosaurs or a mysterious water lily which flowers only at night? What about a unique museum that is the last of its kind? The Adelaide Botanic Garden has them all!

Adelaide Botanic Garden by Les Haines/ CC BY

This botanic garden not only features these amazing charms; it offers a lot more to bewitch visitors. The garden is like an oasis of serenity in the bustling city of Adelaide and is a great place to relax with friends and family. There is a collection of native as well as exotic and ornamental plants here. Besides the impressive flora, there are historic buildings, one-of-a-kind museum, charming cafés, and much more. Here is a quick peek into the unique highlights of the garden.

Wollemi Pine

If rare species of plants excite your imagination, do not miss the ‘Wollemi Pine’.

Wolleimi Pine is one of the oldest and rarest plants in the world. Considered to be one of the ‘Most Dramatic Comebacks in Natural History’, it dates back to the time of the dinosaurs. Not just rare, it was considered extinct until ten years ago. The amazing discovery of this plant by a bushwalker in New South Wales made it the talk of the town overnight.

Victoria amazonica water lily

A very special water lily, the Victoria amazonica flowers only when it’s dark, and lures scarab beetles for pollination.

The flower opens its white petals in the evening and releases a scent, which is irresistible to the beetles. Once the beetles come, the petals close and trap the beetles. The petals turn purple by the time it’s evening again. This signifies that pollination has taken place. Now, the petals reopen and release the beetles to move onto the next flower. Once the beetles are out, the plant closes its petals again and sinks underwater to develop its seeds.

Santos Museum of Economic Botany

This museum is the last of its kind in the world, with a permanent collection of exhibits dating back to the time it opened in 1881. The permanent collection includes Fruit Model Showcase, Fungi Model Showcase, Grove and Exhibition Space. You will get a fascinating and doubtlessly eye-opening insight into the importance of plants in our lives and their effect on our present and future. Countless plants along with their numerous uses are showcased and there is a strong focus upon the minimisation of waste.

WOMADelaide spells as four days of festive partying.  Artists, dancers, and musicians from all around the world perform at the event to create an unforgettable experience. The Botanic Park of Adelaide becomes the venue for incredible performances by over 400 internationally renowned artists from across the globe.

WOMAD festival by gentlebird/ CC BY

About the Festival

World of Music, Arts & Dance festival by Smoobs/ CC BY

The roots of the festival can be traced back to WOMAD (World of Music, Arts & Dance), which was started by the musician Peter Gabriel in 1982. WOMADelaide is the Australian WOMAD festival, which commenced officially in 1992. Each year, the event has attracted more and more fans from around the world. Not only does WOMADelaide offer unique and extraordinary music performances, it also features a number of other charms that makes the event ideal for visitors of all ages. Travellers making Adelaide flight ticket bookings for March would do well to catch the entertainment doled out at the festival. The diversity of the audience reflects the widespread popularity of the event.

The Activities this Year

WOMADelaide 2015 would be marked by performances and workshops across 7 stages by the world’s top traditional and contemporary artists. For kids, there will be a KidZone activity area where little ones will be kept busy for hours. Food buffs can explore the “Taste The World” programme, where guests will be treated to various cuisines amidst much fanfare. Just a couple of other colourful highlights are “The Planet Talks” environmental discussions program and “Electrolounge”.

Electrolounge

Four of the top electronic artists in Adelaide will rock this year’s chill-out lounge in Speakers Corner. And, guess what? The nights will be even more fantastic by the visual creations of VJ Levon Hudson.

Around the Park

Stages are where the action is but WOMADelaide has more to offer. Here are a few of the charms you can explore around the park:

•    Architects of Air-Exxopolis
•    Artonik- The Colour of Time
•    Hammocktime
•    Mr Culbuto
•    Osadia
•    TTW Restaurant -  Street in the Park

Australia, owing to its magnetic allures and irresistible charms, is one of the biggest holiday destinations in the world. The nation tempts millions of vacationers to net tickets on flights for Australia. Apart from the many sightseeing attractions the nation prides itself with; Australia also hosts an exciting assortment of fantabulous festivals and events throughout the year. With September 2014 already here, not much time remains before the Christmas and New Year celebrations envelope the country and the city of Adelaide. But before that, there are two festivals that are wonderful feasts for tourists who are already in Australia or are all ready to snap last minute deals on flights to the South Australian capital of Adelaide.

OzAsia Festival, 3rd – 20th September, 2014

A significant highlight on the South Australian calendar, OzAsia Festival is a premier cultural gala event of the nation that celebrates Australia’s amazing relationship with the Asia along with its rich culture of traditions, food, and arts. The carnival showcases the wonderful blend of rich artistic offerings from Australia and Asia, each year. This year, the cultural journey is planned to continue till Adelaide’s sister city, Shandong Province, China. The different events that will be part of this 2 week long festival pertain to various themes, such as film, theatre, dance, music, visual arts, food, and design culture. Most of all, the one event that’s sure to catch the fancy of most merrymakers in Australia is the Moon Lantern Festival which sees over 20,000 people in Elder Park participating in a traditional Asian lantern ceremony.

Feast Festival, 15th – 30th November, 2014

Feast Festival by Jenny Scott/ CC BY

A fantastic feast for all the senses, Feast Festival of Australia is undoubtedly worth the cost of air tickets for boarding flights arriving in the nation. A major event on the festival calendar and South Australia’s largest LGBTIQ curate cultural festival, the carnival successfully lures people from all parts of the world to participate in this 15 days long gala celebration. Transformed into an international event, the festival invites global business people, community members, and arts industry professionals to share their ideas and thoughts on a world platform. The festival organizes many workshops, art markets, outdoor games, picnics and dance classes aimed at the uplift of the gay and lesbian community. The visual arts exhibition, featuring a wide plethora of established and emerging Australian and international artists, remains the central attraction of the entire event.