Cleland Wildlife Park

This place is a MUST do if you find yourself in Adelaide for the day. We took a cab from the train station. Buy the 3 $ kangaroo food and you get to hand feed some of the sweetest creatures on earth. Also, before I forget to mention, the staff & shop crew were very friendly. They have a way to make you feel at home. We left there feeling really lucky to have experienced such an icon kangaroo adventure.

Superb destination. Kangaroos, wallabies, dingos, koalas, emus, Tasmanian devils, indigenous snakes. All in one! Great service, friendly staff. Way better than going to the zoo! Our daughter loved the experience!

I must admit I was skeptical about spending our last day in Australia at the wildlife park since we had spent the prior two days exploring the wonders of Kangaroo Island and observing tons of great wildlife in the actual wild.
It turns out our visit here was one of the highlights of our trip.
Not only do you get to see most of the iconic indigenous animals of the continent, but you get to get REALLY close to them and even hand feed them.
Note: Be SURE to purchase at least 1 bag of «kangaroo food» when you come in (we bought 2). With the exception of the koalas and just a few other things, you can hand feed the kangaroo chow to most all the animals in the park from Emus to black swans to kangaroos and Wallabys to these little muskrat-​like marsupials you will encounter as you wander around (you will find them begging all over the place).
In case I haven’t been clear, most of the animals, like kangaroos, are roaming around in large enclosures and you just walk right in an interact with them. We were there on a very hot day so most of the animals were hanging out in the shade but all were more than pleased to nibble the little alfalfa pellets gently from our hands. I don’t think any of us will forget hand feeding the kangaroos and emus who make this weird sound that’s sort of a cross between a grunt and a base drum.
Also be sure to take note of the daily schedule for animal feedings and keeper talks. In some cases the animals like the dingos and Tasmanian Devils weren’t visible on our first stroll past their enclosures but they were essentially hand fed by the keeper in the afternoon and you got to ask questions and again see the animals up close from the walkway outside the pen.
The park is located high in the Adelaide hills without great public transport option so we took a cab which was about $AUS 40 each way.
If you want a memorable experience interacting with Australian animals-​you should definitely pay this place a visit.

Hermoso parque zoologico en las afueras de Adelaide que tiene KOALAS y CANGUROS y ECHIDNAS y WOMBATS y muchos bichitos lindos Australianos.
Están casi todos sueltos (salvo los que te pueden comer, como los Dingos) y te podés acercar a alimentarlos y todo. El parque es bastante grande, fácil de seguir los caminos y no perderse. Cada sección está muy bien delimitada para que los animales no se mezclen y ninguna criatura corra peligro.
Mi parte favorita fueron los Canguros. hay bocha de especies distintas, así como Wallabies, con distintos tamaños y colores. La mayoría están re panchos tirados ahí en el pasto al sol sin que nadie los joda y si te acercas se dejan tocar y alimentar. They just don’t give a fuck.
Los Koalas están en un vivero especial adonde pueden subirse a comer plantas. Viven drogados (naturalmente, por las plantas) y son super panchos. Los amo. No los quiero comer. Eso ya dice mucho.
Los wombats son como una mezcla de cerdos con un roedor gigante. Enormes vs lo que me imaginaba y son super tiernos. Posta que creo que los comería.
Me parecio un lugar re lindo para ir en familia o llevar a niños pequeños a conocer la vida animal (o a mí, casi lo mismo)

What’s that Skip? The park is a great place to take tourists who think that Australian wildlife solely consists of kangaroos and koalas? Yes Skip, you’d be right in that observation.
This place is a 4 star visit for tourists to get excited by holding/​posing with a koala and hand feeding incredibly tame kangaroos but more like a 3 star visit for locals who know better.
All in all the day we had was quite remarkably enjoyable. From monitor lizards gettin’ freaky with each other (who knew lizards could pelvic thrust?) to kangas with joeys in their pouch and Big Reds kicking back and showing off their pecks to their harem of roos to holding and petting the ass of a koala, it really was entertaining.
The enclosures are a little sad and sorry looking, reminding me of the Adelaide Zoo enclosures in the 70s. The picnic tables are shoved in one area of the park and are all made out of crates and logs of wood, but not in an authentic or rustic way. The signs on each enclosure has limited information about the amazing work the park actually does to rehabilitate and breed animals and their habitat and is also a bit dated. The park is clearly in desperate need of funding and support and the good news is that you can volunteer and donate there quite easily!
My tips for the day?
— Bring some snacks for those who get hangry, there is a lot of walking around
— Don’t do the walk up from Waterfall Gully to the park unless you’re mad like me, it is quite a hike
— Bring a tourist with you (or someone between the age of 5 and 8) and they will make your day enjoyable
— Do pay to have a pat and hold of a koala, it is worth the experience and supports their breeding program
— Skip the birds area, they are boring and there aren’t many of them
— Go late afternoon to avoid the crowds

Located in the Hills, this wildlife park is easily accessible from the city if you have a car. It shouldn’t take you more than a 30 min drive and the scenery on the way there is quite amazing as well.
I am generally not a big fan of zoos and it turned out that Cleland was exactly the right choice to encounter my first koalas and kangaroos. It is less enclosed than a typical zoo, with kangaroos jumping around pretty much everywhere. There are no fences and you can pet or feed the friendly creatures. They also have koala photo sessions a few times a day and you can choose between buying the photo they take for you or you can just take your own, which is good if you’re on a budget.
The park is truly magnificent and you can easily spend an entire afternoon here. Apart from the animals already mentioned, they’ve got a Tasmanian devil, wallabies, emus and a lot more. It is great for kids but if you’re an adult who loves nature, animals and a calmer option to a zoo, it is just as fun.
With an entrance fee of $ 18.00 for adults it’s not that cheap but definitely worth it. I’m sure I’ll go there again soon.

Really nice wildlife park, especially for families and children. We have been here a few times with the whole family. My little nephew was rapt to be able to see the koalas and birds. It was great seeing the little kids light up when they saw the different animals.
I love the laid back setting of this park. It’s less of a zoo and more a park, so you doesn’t have the whole concrete feel to it most zoo’s do.
If you’re going to see the other main zoo, you can get a two park pass which will save you a little cash.

There’s a few places around Adelaide if you’re looking to spend time with wildlife, and this is one of them. Honestly, I love them all, and they’re all different. This one is a bit cheaper as far as entrance fees are concerned, but to my mind it’s just as enjoyable as the main Adelaide zoo.
If you’ve never done it, cough up the cash for a photo with a koala. It’s great for kids, although probably not cheap if you’ve got a tarago load of offspring, it’s a lifelong memory, and to me that’s priceless.
Make sure you have a look.