Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: a visitor guide from Tugun
The Sanctuary is the reason many of our guests choose Tugun over the rest of the coast. It is 850 metres from the apartments, a five to ten minute walk, and a full day if you let it be. Here is how to do it well.
What it is
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is a not-for-profit National Trust park of 27 hectares of bushland and rainforest at 28 Tomewin Street, open since 1947. It holds more than 1,400 native animals: kangaroos you can walk among and feed, koalas, dingoes, the new Croc Wetlands precinct with saltwater and freshwater crocodiles, the largest walk-through aviary in the Southern Hemisphere, and a working wildlife hospital that treats thousands of injured animals a year. A miniature railway loops the grounds, which small children rate above the animals.
Hours and tickets
Open 9am to 4pm every day, last admission 3.30pm, closed only on Anzac Day and Christmas Day. At the gate a standard adult day pass is around $70, children 3 to 13 around $50, a family of four around $215, and under-threes free. Booking online in advance is cheaper and promotions appear through the year, so check the Sanctuary's own site before you go. On-site parking is $10 a day, which is one more reason to walk from Sandbox.
Plan the day around the feedings
The wild lorikeet feeding happens twice daily, at 8am and 4pm, in the forecourt by the entrance. The 4pm session is free and open to anyone passing; the 8am one is before the gates open and needs to be arranged through the Sanctuary. Arrive at opening when the animals are most active and the paths are quiet, pick up the show times at the entrance, and work your way through the park against the crowd. Most families spend three to five hours. Koala photos and some encounters carry a separate fee.
Add-ons
TreeTop Challenge runs eleven ziplines across four levels through the Sanctuary's canopy on a separate ticket. Astra Lumina, the after-dark light walk, also needs its own ticket and starts after the park closes. On Fridays the Sanctuary Markets open on the Village Green at 4pm, so a late-afternoon visit flows straight into dinner.
Getting there from Sandbox
Walk out of the apartments, turn right along Pacific Parade and follow the footpath to Tomewin Street: 850 metres, with a pram or without. If you drive, the car park is open 7.30am to 5.30pm and costs $10. The 760 bus from the airport stops at the Sanctuary gate.
Afterwards
Come back to a swim between the flags at Tugun Surf Club, 50 metres from the apartments, and dinner on Golden Four Drive.
Good to know
How far is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary from Sandbox Apartments?
About 850 metres, a five to ten minute walk along Pacific Parade and Tomewin Street. You do not need a car or the $10 car park.
What are the opening hours?
9am to 4pm daily, with last admission at 3.30pm. The Sanctuary closes on 25 April and 25 December.
Is the lorikeet feeding free?
The 4pm wild lorikeet feeding in the entrance forecourt is free. The 8am feeding takes place before the park opens; check the Sanctuary's website for access.
How long do we need?
Three to five hours covers the main precincts, the shows and a kangaroo feed. With TreeTop Challenge or the Friday markets, make it a full day.
Keep reading
Things to do in Tugun and Currumbin with kids
Most of what children want from a beach holiday is within a ten-minute walk of our front door: a patrolled beach, still creek water, a wildlife sanctuary and a bakery.
Best cafés and restaurants in Tugun
More than 20 places to eat sit within a two to five minute walk of the apartments, strung along Golden Four Drive behind the beach.
Where to swim and surf near Tugun
From the balcony you can read the surf before you walk down.