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We've compiled the best of the best in Great Barrier Reef - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
More than 1,200 tropical butterflies—including dozens of the electric-blue Ulysses species and Australia's largest butterfly, the green-and-gold Cairns birdwing—flutter within a compact rain-forest aviary, alighting on foliage, interpretative signage, and feeding stations. Join the breeding lab tour or download a free audio tour and witness the butterfly lifecycle, from eggs to daily aviary release.
Meet sick and injured marine turtles and find out how they are rescued and cared for before being released back into the ocean at this volunteer-run center on Fitzroy Island. Half-hour talks for up to 15 people are held from Tuesday to Sunday at 12:45 pm and 2:30 pm, with priority going to resort guests.
This charming wildlife sanctuary houses kangaroos, wallabies, dingoes, birds, and reptiles, including a resident croc. Guided tours run daily, at 10 am and 3 pm, and there is an on-site café.
Hartley's houses thousands of crocodiles as well as koalas, wallabies, quolls, snakes, lizards, cassowaries, and tropical birds in natural environs, accessible via boardwalks and boat tours. A lagoon cruise, on which keepers feed big crocs at close range, is included in your entry price. There are daily cassowary and crocodile feedings, snake shows, koala talks and croc farm tours. Most thrilling is the "Big Croc Feed," a private tour for up to four people. It's your chance to handle squirming baby crocs and pole-feed gigantic ones, and includes a guided tour and commemorative photo. Lily's Bistro showcases local delicacies, including crocodile, of course. Tour operators Beaches Meet & Greet and Down Under Tours offer transport or tours from Cairns and Palm Cove, while Exemplar and Brett's Tours are your best bet from Port Douglas.
