This article tells you 15 of the best school holiday activities for animal lovers.
There are heaps of school holiday activities for animal lovers. Check out these highly recommended spots to connect your animal lovers with creatures great and small!
School holiday animal encounters!
Animal and nature lovers across Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba have plenty of activities to keep them amused these school holidays. From becoming an eco-ranger to spotting koalas and learning about bats, your child is bound to get a kick out of one of these fabulous school holiday activities for animal lovers.
Brisbane animal encounters
Brisbane has a wealth of school holiday activities for animal lovers. Check out these animal encounters running over the school holidays.
Brisbane City Council Environment Centres
If you haven’t visited one of the Brisbane City Council Environment Centres you’re missing out! Not only are they free to visit, but they also have a huge range of options to keep kids of all ages engaged and entertained. Throughout the school holidays, they each run a program of events with walks, hands-on animal experiences, and creative play. Check out our reviews of some of our favourite environment centres:
- Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre
- Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre
- Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre
RSPCA School Holiday Program
Please note: the RSPCA School Holiday Program is currently on hold. Check back to see when they’re running again.
The RSPCA School Holiday Program offers children aged 10-15 years the opportunity to participate in a school holiday program.
Many children have a passion for animals and their welfare and the RSPCA Holiday Program will allow them to see the inner workings of what it takes to help over 54,000 animals each year. Whether they love dogs, cats or wildlife, there is a program for them. Find out more about what programs are available here.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Home to over 130 koalas, Lone Pine is the world’s largest and first koala sanctuary. Located just 11 km from the CBD, right on the Brisbane River, you can encounter over 95 species of native Australian wildlife, all in beautiful, natural settings. We’ve written a full review here.
Kids who love animals will have plenty of opportunities to meet the animals. Experiences range from 45-minute encounters to full-day programs, from holding koalas to sunning pythons, feeding a platypus, and walking with a dingo. There’s something to cater for every furry, feathery, and scaly enthusiast.
They also run a ‘Junior Keeper for a Day’ program during the school holidays where Junior Joeys (5-8-year-olds) and Senior Serpents (9-12-year-olds) are invited to join Education Officers to discover what it takes to be a wildlife keeper. Junior keepers can get their hands dirty as they prepare food for the animals, partake in training and enrichment sessions, and of course, help clean exhibits (it’s not all glamorous!). Perhaps they will learn to love cleaning after their visit and return home ready to clean their room. One can only hope!
Junior Keeper for a Day is for children aged 5-12 years.
They also offer ‘Sanctuary Sprouts’ for 3-5 year olds, a 45-minute guided experience with an Education Officer. Designed around nature play, Sanctuary Sprouts combines hands-on learning with storytelling, movement, and play, creating a safe and engaging space where children can bond with wildlife and the wonders of nature.
Find out how to get discounted entry every day to Lone Pine – click here.
Kingfisher Bay Resort, K’gari (Fraser Island): Junior Eco Rangers
Kingfisher Bay Resort’s popular Junior Eco Rangers program runs every school holiday in addition to the resort’s regular weekly activities. Kids of all ages love these interactive wildlife experiences that create a greater connection to the environment of K’gari (Fraser Island).
All programs are run by their experienced team of Rangers, so you can relax at the resort while your kids have fun on their own adventure!
Stay on K’gari Fraser Island – check out our detailed review with accommodation tips here.
Connect With Nature events and activities
Connect with Nature inspires an appreciation of Queensland’s natural and cultural heritage through activities that foster a sense of connection, understanding, and appreciation for natural areas.
The program offers a wide range of activities for adults, children, and families in parks and forests as well as other locations. Join a park ranger or specialist presenter to discover the wonders of the natural world. There’s something for everyone including school holiday activities, activities at special events, and environmental education programs for school groups.
Activities are run on weekends, public holidays, school holidays, and after school and may be free or fee-based. For some activities, bookings are essential. Others may simply require on-site registration. Refer to the program links listed below for details about registration. You can find their school holiday activities for animal lovers program here.
Read our review of David Fleay Wildlife Park here.
Ipswich animal encounters
Check out these places in Ipswich if you are looking for school holiday activities for animal lovers.
Ipswich Nature Centre
The Ipswich Nature Centre is free to enter with gold coin donations accepted and is open every day of the year (so this is a perfect choice for school holiday activities for animal lovers). We wrote a full review here.
Haigslea EWE Nique Hobby Farm
This hobby farm is a great place to get up close and friendly to feed and pat the animals. You’ll find alpacas, sheep, lambs, goats, geese and a bunch of wandering chooks. You can book a range of animal encounters including an animal experience, a lambs and teddy bear picnic and a range of other fun options.
Gold Coast animal encounters
The Gold Coast has a wealth of school holiday activities for animal lovers.
O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat – Eco Rangers program
Your budding naturalists are in for a treat if you stay at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. Their school holiday activities for animal lovers are perfect for kids. Twice a day experienced nature guides take kids on various adventures. These include activities such as a scavenger hunt, whacky chemistry, campfire cookout and feathers, and flight.
Kids will also get the chance to analyse the forest’s bugs and insects and to try wacky chemistry with natural ingredients. In addition, they’ll learn more about what makes O’Reilly’s home, Lamington National Park, so special.
Please note – participants must be either over five years old or under five but accompanied by an adult at all times. To get further details about the Eco Rangers program, visit here.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Nestled within 27 hectares of lush eucalyptus and rainforest, each day brings visitors face to face with extraordinary wildlife in shows and encounters. Every day at Currumbin is a new adventure. Cuddle a koala, get up close to a crocodile, get among a mob of kangaroos or check out reptiles, birds, and marsupials in amazing wildlife shows and displays
These school holidays, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary will be hosting a number of programs for kids of all ages. Bookings required.
NaturallyGC
NaturallyGC runs a range of school holiday activities for animal lovers and most of them are free!
From nature walks to nighttime ‘Creatures of the Dark’, they are worth investigating for your kids these school holidays.
Find out more and book quickly (these are popular!) here.
Does your child have a soft spot for all creatures great and small? Then check out The Animal Welfare League of Queenland (AWLQ) school holiday Program.
Sunshine Coast animal encounters
The Sunshine Coast also has a range of options for school holiday activities for animal lovers.
Wildlife HQ Zoo (aka The Big Pineapple Zoo)
Wildlife HQ is home to native and exotic animals from around the world! They are located at the Iconic Big Pineapple on the Sunshine Coast QLD. We wrote about it here.
This is one of our favourite school holiday activities for animal lovers! We did this last year. Their animal encounters are super affordable! They offer animal encounters with Australian, Asian, and African animals. Check out the options and prices here.
Australia Zoo
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work as a zookeeper? If you’d like to know how Australia Zoo takes care of their amazing animals, the Zoo Keeper for a Day program may be one for you! Meet some of the zoos beautiful animals and experience the real world of zookeeping.
Every season is different and so is the Zoo Keeper for a Day program, so animals and activities may vary during the year! You could be lucky enough to help out with the rhino, giraffe, or binturong – or meet some Zoo Keeper for a Day favourites like the friendly Aldabra land tortoises! After a busy morning, budding zoo keepers can enjoy a specially provided lunch to refuel their energy. Head to the Australia Zoo website for more information about their range of school holiday programs. They book out quickly, so make sure you add yourself to their mailing list for new ticket releases.
If you are looking for cheap Australia Zoo tickets, you’ve found the right place! This little-known offer is good for free entry to Australia Zoo and we have tonnes of ways you can get discount tickets at Australia Zoo too! Click here for the details.
Toowoomba animal encounters
We’ve found some encounters locally for Toowoomba families too!
Darling Downs Zoo
You can book encounters with a range of different animals at the Darlings Downs Zoo for kids who are looking for school holiday activities for animal lovers. At the time of writing this article, you could book encounters with their African lion, marmosets, meerkats, giraffes and zebras! This is a great zoo to visit without huge crowds so the kids can really get up to the front of the enclosures and view the animals.
We wrote a review about the Darling Downs Zoo here.
Farm visits around southeast QLD
The absolute joy that children experience when in the presence of animals is truly one of parenthood’s greatest gifts. Seeing how sweet, excited, and caring they can be to creatures smaller than themselves. Holding a fluffy chick, feeding a bottle to a lamb, or playing with a tiny piglet – gives you goosebumps, doesn’t it?
In terms of farm visits Brisbane, though, sometimes it can be hard to figure out where to go and when! So we have compiled a great list of options here.
Where to see butterflies around southeast QLD
Do you have little animal lovers asking you to see butterflies and learn more about them? We are here to help you out! Find out where to see butterflies around Brisbane and beyond in our comprehensive list including butterfly houses, butterfly sanctuaries, and butterfly museums in Brisbane and further afield. Click here for further information.
No matter what your child wants to do these school holidays, these places to see animals and animal encounters will give them lots of options to choose from! Have fun!
#Stayathome school holiday ideas for animal lovers
Sometimes we might want to or need to stay at home, meaning no trips to zoos or wildlife parks for Queensland’s young animal lovers. You’ll love these #stayathome ideas to keep your animal-mad kids busy and entertained!
There are things you can do in your own backyard to bring you closer to our native wildlife, and lots of online activities to get your animal fix. Try these suggestions:
Make a bird feeder – treat bar recipe
Birdseed treat bars can be made very simply from household items – and a bag of native birdseed mix from the supermarket or produce store. To make a simple tasty treat bar for our Australian native birds you will need:
- 2 cups native birdseed mix
- 4 tablespoons of plain or wholemeal flour
- 8 tablespoons of water
- 3 teaspoons of golden syrup (or other sticky natural syrup) to bind
Method:
- Mix all the ingredients thoroughly together in a bowl until it holds together nicely
- Spread the mixture onto baking paper and press with the back of a spoon until around 2cm thick
- Slice the mix into bars, or use cookie cutters to create pretty shapes
- While the mixture is still ‘wet’, poke a hole near the top with a drinking straw (you can leave the straw in there to keep the hole from closing)
- Leave to dry on the baking paper for around 8 hours
- Carefully flip the shapes over and leave the other side to dry for a further 8 hours
- When thoroughly dry, loop some string or ribbon through the hole near the top
- Hang your bird bars outside and watch the native birds enjoy them!
Make a bird feeder – seed perch
Take a look around the house for things you can recycle into a bird feeder. Here are our suggestions:
Milk carton
A 2L plastic milk carton is easy to convert by cutting large square holes into the two opposite sides, about 5cm up from the bottom. Fill the bottom with native bird seed and fresh fruit, and secure your feeder to a tree trunk or fence post with a rope through the handle. The top part of the carton will help to keep the seed dry, and the large holes will enable the birds to poke their heads in to feed. Add a comfortable perch for the birds’ feet by pushing dowel roads through the plastic underneath each opening. We repurposed our ANZAC Day lantern into a wild bird feeder.
Plates and dishes
An old plate or terracotta garden dish can be secured in a net of ropes or chains (like a hanging basket) and hung in a shady area for birds to perch on and feed.
Yoghurt pots
An empty yoghurt pot or coconut shell can be filled with the treat bar recipe and hung upside from a branch – just remember to make a hole in the bottom and secure your string or ribbon through the hole before filling your feeder with the mixture!
Off-cuts of wood
If you have access to tools and off-cuts of wood, create your own little platform or ‘house’ that can be fixed to a post or hung from a tree.
Pinecones
Open pinecones can also be repurposed into bird feeders. ‘Glue’ the bird seed to the pine cones with honey or natural peanut butter, then hang them outside!
Make a fruit bat ‘necklace’
Make sure the fruit bats (and possums) don’t go hungry by preparing a fruit necklace to hang from a tree. Thread apples, pears and bananas (though native fruits like figs are preferable) onto a strong twine, and hang at least 2m above the ground to allow the bats to ‘drop’ and take off.
Visit a zoo or nature reserve – virtually!
Heaps of zoos are still open to visitors with online virtual tours! Do you know how Google Street View works? Well, the street view cameras have been mounted on people and walked through some of the best zoos and wildlife reserves in the world. Check these out:
Tune in to live cam action
There are live camera feeds in wildlife locations all over the world. Tune in any time of the day to see what’s happening with your favourite wildlife family or follow a live stream keeper talk or animal experience from your favourite zoos. We like:
To find more live-streamed encounters, visit the website or Facebook page of your favourite zoos and wildlife parks to see what they are offering. For live streams, Australian venues are best to allow for time zone differences.
Animals make everything better
No matter what your child wants to do these school holidays, these places to see animals and animal encounters will give them lots of options to choose from! Have fun!
Looking for other things to do with the kids this school holiday?
Please advise a place to take a 9 yr old and 11 yr old to see animals, lm a grandma so cant drive them too far. I live at aspley
Thanks for your question on our website about where to see animals.
Close to you in the Northside Produce where you can see lots of farmyard animals – birds, chickens, turkeys, parrots etc. They often have pigs, goats and other animals.
You can find them at – 563 Albany Creek Rd, Bridgeman Downs
You will also find lots of other ideas in our article – https://www.familiesmagazine.com.au/farm-visit-brisbane/
Hope this helps!