If you’re heading to Australia, the late, great Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo is a must-visit. Taronga Zoo is very good, if you’re only visiting Sydney, but we think Australia Zoo is a better experience, after visiting both, several times with kids from toddlers to teens. Australia Zoo is a fair way out of Brisbane and you’ll need to know how to get there. We give you all the information you need, on this page.
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Australia Zoo has a wide range of animals; it’s not just an Australian animal wildlife park. It’s a great zoo, and the crocodile shows, plus the Steve Irwin connection, and more, make it stand out.
How To Visit Australia Zoo From Brisbane
You have 3 choices, 3 ways to visit Australia Zoo, from Brisbane, Queensland’s state capital. Sunshine Coast Airport (Maroochydore) is, however, the nearest airport to Australia Zoo, just 23 Km away. Brisbane International Airport is about 64 Km away. The Gold Coast Airport is 127 Km from Australia Zoo.
- Hire a car, use your rental vehicle to self-drive to Australia Zoo.
- The easy way – book a transfer with your admission ticket, book that here.
- Take the train from Brisbane and then catch the Australia Zoo shuttle bus from the station.
Self-Drive To Australia Zoo From Brisbane
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We lived in Australia for almost 3 years with no car, hiring cars for the day when we needed them. It worked out great for us and we found some incredible bargains, so we know all about car hire. Give that tool a try.
To drive to Australia Zoo head north on the Bruce Highway until you reach the Steve Irwin Way/Glasshouse Mountains (Tourist Route 24) exit.
Continue along Steve Irwin Way for 18 kilometres, past Beerwah. Australia Zoo in 3 km past Beerwah, on the right.
Book A Transfer To Australia Zoo From Brisbane
This is the best way to get to Australia Zoo. Just book your transfers and admission here. You also won’t have to stand in the queue at the ticket desk.
There are multiple pick-up locations in Brisbane, including the Pullman Hotel Brisbane King George Square, Brisbane Marriott Hotel, Royal On The Park Brisbane, and Rydges South Bank Brisbane. Please check these, things could change.
(For a family-friendly, fairly budget, but good, central stay in Brisbane city CBD, this is where we stay.)
The shuttle journey from central Brisbane to Australia Zoo takes about an hour, and as a perk, you get some time at the Australia Zoo Animal Hospital. We’ve never been able to go there, but we’d love to!
You then get a full 6 hours at the Zoo, this should be plenty of time to tour the park and catch the shows, and then a transfer back to Brisbane.
Having done the train/bus journey myself, this is what I’d do next time, it’s not expensive and so much more convenient than negotiating busy train stations early in the morning. So book that here.
There is another option, you may book the tour and transfer above PLUS a tour of Australia’s Sunshine Coast with food tastings. If you’re driving to The Sunny Coast for the zoo, you may as well take a look! Check out this add-on tour here.
The Train To Australia Zoo, Plus Transfer
You will need to catch the Queensland Rail (QR) Citytrain to Beerwah Station from Brisbane City. The journey takes over an hour (1 hour 14 mins approx), so driving, or shuttle will be faster, but the train tickets are very cheap, just a few dollars.
This journey is sometimes called the Crocodile Express or Croc Express.
At Beerwah Station, wait just outside for the free courtesy coach/ shuttle bus to the zoo. The distance is only about 8 km and the bus journey takes under 10 minutes. The bus runs regularly, 7 days a week and if the bus is not at the station you can call Australia Zoo on 5436 2000 and a bus will be sent out during opening hours.
The Zoo is open 7 days, 9am to 5pm. You can check admission ticket prices here.
If you look at AI results and other websites with no actual experience, you’ll see a lot of totally wrong information on this. The journey to the zoo is just a few minutes, not over an hour. Stick with us, we don’t use AI, we visit these places ourselves to give you the information you need.
So that’s how to get to Australia Zoo from Brisbane Queensland. It’s a great zoo, well worth visiting. Check out more Australia content below. It’s our home right now and we’re always bringing out more travel information, particularly focussed on family travel and attractions. If you’d like to see our top recommended activities for Brisbane, they’re here.
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