Free-flight bird show
A visit to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, 8km north of Coolangatta, isn’t part of the regular ‘worlds’ circuit. But that doesn’t make it boring day out – far from it. With hundreds of native Australian animals on display in natural bushland and rainforest settings, Currumbin provides a rare opportunity to get up close to some amazing native wildlife. Upon arrival, we watched the excellent Free-flight bird show, where everything from pelicans to wedge-tailed eagles were on display.
Set within 27 hectares of lush eucalypt and rainforest, there are tens of kilometres of paths, trails and boardwalks. While these are all, in principle, accessible, unless you are in a power chair or scooter, or else in pretty good shape, some of the higher walks would be very challenging. They are very steep, and often unrelenting. In the power chair, however, I found them fun. The rewards are significant too. The boardwalk takes you through subtropical and tropical averies where the birds are quite beautiful. Note also that that many of these averies are ‘double gated’ – you need to close one gate before opening the second. I found coordinating this tricky in the chair and was appreciative of help.
There are a number of trails around the Green Challenge circuit marked ‘pedestrian access only’; these I found only passable with great care. For those sticking to the lower tracks, there’s still plenty to do and see. I’d especially recommend the kangaroo enclosure, just beyond the Green Challenge circuit.
There’s also a train that circumnavigates the sanctuary, and while it can carry a wheelchair, you need to be able to transfer into a seat.
Accessible toilets are dotted throughout the sanctuary (not MLAK) and are clean, useable and well maintained.
Green Challenge
If you (or more likely your kids) are looking for exhilaration the Green Challenge high ropes adventure course has giant flying foxes and a tarzan swing. The Green Challenge takes participants higher and further into this spectacular natural setting. Of great interest to parents waiting at the bottom, there’s excellent coffee at the base station cafe.
For smaller kids, the Wild Safari playground offers excellent options. There’s a flying fox, a series of tunnels, a spider’s web and various climbing equipment.
Overall, I think it’s well worth a day trip to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s an interesting, active, educational, and accessible day out.