The Armadale Reptile and Wildlife Centre was opened in 1995 to the public by the lovely owners who still run the show today. Home to animals of all walks of life there is an extraordinary range of reptiles, marsupials and birds who are more than happy to have little ones come and visit.
Primarily a rescue and rehabilitation centre many of the animals have either been received or rescued by the owners and the team themselves. Nursing sick, injured, abandoned, confiscated or surrendered animals is a full-time job and they rely on visitors to help fund the costs of bringing these lovely creatures back to health.
My little wildlife warrior was in absolute reptile heaven and there was so much to take in, it took a while before we’d even stepped outdoors to the rest of the centre. The Armadale Reptile and Wildlife Centre have a very large range of snakes, bobtails, lizards, skinks and every reptile in between including a rather relaxed crocodile.
I must admit I’ve never found these sections of the zoo or other animals sanctuaries that thrilling, but I was reluctant to move on from each of the display cabinets. My personal favourites were the delightful green tree frogs and the Oblong Turtles that were like posing puppies when I whipped the camera out!
We were lucky enough to see some snake feedings which if you have a weak stomach for ingested rats, you probably might want to move on. It was fascinating and I was unsure of madams reaction, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off the action. The owner was happy to answer any questions and interact with the random comments that were being thrown his way too.
If you can pull yourself away from the reptiles (including a nocturnal section!) there is the resident crocodile doing what most crocs do…very little! He leads you to a lovely stretch of grass bordered by more reptiles, an extraordinarily lazy but very cute wombat, Australian Bustard birds, some vocal yet very friendly donkeys and the loveliest ponies who are super happy to have a pat. Zorro is an absolute smoocher!
This would be a perfect spot for a picnic with plenty of open space and some chairs and tables scattered around. Best BYO lunch or use the free bbq facilities as the centre only has ice creams, vending machines and drinks on offer.
Our self-guided tour continued on with a visit past the kangaroo sanctuary and then into my particular favourite – the enclosed bird keep. This was quite a unique experience to be up close with birds of all sorts who were obviously quite accustomed to human company.
The final leg is home to some sleepy dingos as well as the larger members of the bird family including tawny frogmouths, lorikeets, galahs and cockatoos to name a few.
The Armadale Reptile and Wildlife Centre does so much for our animal community and really is worth a visit for an enjoyable day out.
www.armadalereptilecentre.com.au
Armadale Reptile and Wildlife Centre
ADDRESS: 308 South Western Highway, Wungong 6112, WA
CONTACT: 08 9399 6927
armreptilecentre@bigpond.com
OPENING HOURS
Open 10:00AM – 4:00PM daily
Closed Wednesdays except on school holidays
Closed on Xmas, Boxing and New Year days
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Stephanie Rae – Mother of Dragons, Writer, Bollywood Dancer
