Rockhampton Zoo

bring your cheeky mob to meet ours

100 Spencer Street, The Range

Home to more than 30 species of native and exotic varieties, Rockhampton Zoo is set on 10 acres next door to the stunning Rockhampton Botanic Gardens, located in the leafy suburb of The Range.

Come and meet our delightfully mischievous meerkats, our cheeky chimpanzee family, or otterly adorable otters, or stop by the Australian Wetlands zone to marvel over our giant saltwater crocodile 'The Colonel'. Rockhampton Zoo has something for everyone!

You can tour the zoo at your own leisure and entry is FREE. If you would like to get to know the residents a little better, download the FREE Explore Rockhampton Self-Guided Tour App to see animal profiles and learn about how they came to call Rockhampton Zoo home.

The talented keepers at Rockhampton Zoo also hold daily keeper talks and animal feeding. Click the button below for current times. Rockhampton Zoo is open from 9am to 4.15pm daily (including public holidays, except Christmas Day).

View the Zoo Website    Self-Guided Zoo Tour   Keeper Talks    AMAZING ANIMALS IN QLD MONOPOLY   Animal Encounters   Junior Zookeeper Experience

Zoo highlights

The kids will love meeting the zookeepers at the various keeper talks each day and can enjoy having their photo taken on the life-size gorilla statue. You'll also discover snakes, lizards, kangaroos, emus, koalas, wombats, exotic birds and crocodiles, just to name a few.

If you only have a short time to visit the zoo, here are some of the must-see highlights:

Meerkats

The mischievous mob of 6 meerkats are definitely a crowd pleaser amongst locals and visitors. They can often be found lounging around in the sun, under rocks or digging for snacks. They are as friendly as ever and absolutely love the attention so be sure to stop by their enclosure to say hi. You can also book a paid meerkat experience and get up close and personal with the mob at feeding time!

Chimpanzees

The chimpanzee enclosure has been designed to replicate the rainforest of Africa for the enjoyment of the chimps and for visitors to see the environment in which they would naturally live. It covers a large area so if at first you don't spot the chimps, try one of the other expansive viewing windows.

Northern White-Cheeked Gibbon

In October 2022, Rockhampton Zoo officially welcomed Northern white-cheeked gibbon Nakai to their family. Nakai is an 11-year-old male, and can be found in the enclosure beside the otters, keeping a close eye on their friendly chimpanzee neighbours through the fence.

Kangaroo Country

Get up close to two of our most iconic Australian animals at Rockhampton Zoo in the Kangaroo Country Enclosure, including the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus gigatneus) and emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae).

The Kangaroos are often found living their best life snoozing in the shade but the emus have a quirky habit of following the zookeepers around, keeping an eye on what they are doing.

Koalas

The Zoo is home to our cute koala Shaun. Shaun came to the Zoo through the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital after undergoing rehabilitation from a condition which left him with limited eyesight. Today, he enjoys his new lease on life amongst the eucalyptus trees. Shaun is more often than not found sleeping but if you're lucky enough, you might find him cooling off under the sprinkler system in his enclosure.

Crocodiles

You'll find both a salty and freshwater crocs basking in the sun at the Zoo. 'The Colonel' is the zoos largest resident, measuring 4.2m and weighing well over half a ton! Victoria and Hahn are the resident freshwater crocs and known love-birds and can often be seen hanging out together - how cute!

Animal Encounters & Experiences

For a truly unique and memorable experience, we recommend booking one of our amazing animal encounters or experiences.

Meerkat Encounters

The cheeky meerkat mob are waiting to meet you, literally.

Make your visit to the Rockhampton Zoo even more memorable and book a meerkat encounter. The encounter will have you up close and personal with the mob and includes a feeding session and private keeper talk. Don't forget to bring a camera or smart phone so you can document your experience!

Find out more

Otter Encounters

Are you someone who's otterly obsessed?

Come and meet Tomio and Misumi, our cheeky otters! Your encounter will have you getting to know these cute little critters through the mesh, feeding them afternoon tea while having a private keeper talk to learn more about these playful creatures.

Find out more

Snake Encounters

Are you brave enough to enter the snake's den?

Meet one of our adorable Pythons and maybe even hold one, while learning all about their quirky natures and why they are an important part of our natural environment.

Find out more

Junior ZooKkeeper Experience

Have you ever wanted to see what Zookeepers to behind the scenes at our Rockhampton Zoo? Now's your chance!

Held during Queensland School Holidays, for ages 8 to 15 years, the Junior Zookeeper Experience takes you to parts of the zoo usually only inhabited by Zoo staff and the wonderful animals. Junior Zookeepers will get the chance to make enrichment item, feed selected animals, help clean the enclosures and maybe even hold a reptile while asking the Zookeeper Guide lots of questions.