Hobart, Tasmania was our first stop on our Tasmania Carnival Cruise and was by far my favorite place in Tasmania. I really liked the feel that Hobart gave me with its cozy, small town, feel. When you enter the town, you’re immediately welcomed by brick buildings, multi-colored houses, and a beautiful boat house with hundreds of sail boats. To say the town was picturesque would be an understatement. Although the weather was chilly compared to what we were use to in Sydney (understandably since Hobart’s known as the stop before Antarctica!), the sun was still shinning and it was a beautiful day while we were exploring the town.
Unsure of what we wanted to do, we headed straight to the information office located near the port, where we were able to rent a car to explore different areas of Hobart. We decided to make our first stop Richmond, a town where there’s a lot of historical buildings, but it’s also home to the Zoodoo Zoo.
We wandered around Richmond, unsure of where all the historical sites were located and decided just to set the GPS to the Zoo, and I’m so happy we did. Zoo’s are always a good time, in my opinion, but I’ve found that the Zoos here in Australia are more hands on than traditional zoos in the U.S. However, the Zoodoo Zoo was the most hands-on zoo I’ve ever been to. Especially if you’re traveling with kids, this is the place to go.
When we arrived we had the opportunity to board a safari bus that runs about every 20 minutes. This safari ride is one of the most popular events at the zoo. When we got on the bus, we were handed a cup of food to feed the ostriches. I’m not going to lie, this was a terrifying experience for me. I’m not a fan of ostriches, never have been, never will be. There was a lot of screaming and almost crying involved (on my end) but once we moved on from the ostriches we were on our way to feed the zebras and camels, which was much more enjoyable for me. We were able to get really up-close and personal with the animals on the safari ride.
After the feeding tour, we moved on to the kangaroo feeding area. In this area, you can go in and spend as little or as much time as you want feeding the kangaroos. If you travel to Australia, feeding kangaroos are definitely a must! We were surprised by how gentle they all were with eating out of our hands! Definitely an awesome experience you’ll have to do!
A little later in the day, they have a lion feeding. I was expecting the zoo keepers to be the ones to feed the lions, but just like the common theme of this zoo being very hands on, we were actually able to feed the lions! This was definitely a cool experience and not something you’d get at a traditional zoo, especially for not having to pay anything extra for these animal encounters.
After the lion feeding, we continued on our journey through the Zoodoo Zoo where we got educated about lizards, snakes, and ending with the very fitting, Tasmanian Devil!
The staff at Zoodoo Zoo was very knowledgeable and friendly, which gave the whole experience five stars in my book! Just from what I was able to see from the short amount of time I was in Hobart, I wish I had more time there to explore the other aspects this city has to offer. If you’re planning traveling to Hobart anytime soon, going to Zoodoo Zoo should be at the top of your list
Have you ever been to Tasmania before? Let me know in the comments down below!
