Ever dreamed of a sleepover in the middle of a zoo for the night? Here are Australia’s ‘Big 5’ of zoo stays that take the term ‘roar and snore’ quite literally.
1. Jamala Wildlife Lodge, Canberra
Jamala offers you a well-appointed ‘African-savannah’-style safari experience with five-star trappings, only 10 minutes from downtown Canberra. Rooms sit adjacent to many of the National Zoo’s animal enclosures, giving you face-to-face encounters with a menagerie of interesting beasties through reassuringly thick glass.
On the outside of the uShaka Lodge, Giraffe Treehouses and Jungle Bungalows you can survey roaming animals as diverse as hyenas and Bengal tigers, while inside you can check out others including a massive bear from the safety of your bubble bath.
2. Roar & Snore, Taronga Zoo Sydney
Zoo with a view: Taronga’s safari tents looking straight across Sydney Harbour.
The safari tents at Roar & Snore at Taronga come complete with show-stopping views to wake up to: straight across the harbour to Sydney’s skyline. On the inside, wooden floors and comfy beds elevate the accommodation well above normal camping.
Behind-the-scenes activities such as giraffe feeding and getting up close with echidnas and meerkats will have the kids in raptures, while nibbles and drinks before the torch-in-hand nocturnal tours will see you right. If you haven’t seen enough animals overnight, you have the entire next day to browse as part of the package.
3. Slumber Safari, Werribee Open Range Zoo
Family accommodation Slumber Safari-style at the Werribee Open Range Zoo (photo: Trent Browning).
Slumber Safari proves that zoo sleeps aren’t just for the young ones.
Half-an-hour out of Melbourne, an evening at Werribee Open Range Zoo comes with grown-up-friendly essentials; drinks and dips at sunset and an ‘African-inspired’ dinner and buffet breakfast.
The children aren’t ignored, of course, with a night walk around the 225-hectare property and scones, jam and cream by the campfire. The safari is an intimate affair, with just eight tented lodges with en suites – each with a balcony – overlooking the Werribee River and the rhinos, hippos, lions, and zebras et al on the ‘savannah’.
The zoo’s showers get the green tick of approval: they are solar powered and with a three-minute time limit.
On the savannah, Werribee Open Range Zoo (photo: Trent Browning).
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4. Roar & Snore, Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo
The wide opens spaces around Taronga Western Plains Savannah Cabins.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo is as spacious a zoo experience as you can expect; the animals getting plenty of room to roam around on the New South Wales plains. The accommodation options are similarly generous, ranging from the family friendly tents of Billabong Camp, to self-contained Savannah cabins (sleeping up to six with free wi-fi) and Zoofari Lodge (10 comfortable lodges) right on the cusp of the antelope and giraffe-filled enclosures.
There are plenty of chances to interact with the animals too; hear a talk from a dingo keeper or spotlight African wild dogs after sunset. Zoofari Lodge guests have access to a saltwater pool and bike hire is included too. Dinner itself can be a culinary adventure with crocodile and kangaroo on the menu.
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5. Roar ‘n’ Snore, Melbourne Zoo
Family time: Road ‘n’ Snore, Melbourne Zoo.
More camping than glamping, but certainly a city zoo sleep worth trying out. Melbourne Zoo’s old elephant exhibit has been transformed into a camping area apt for a family adventure.
You only have to bring a sleeping bag and pillow with just about everything else included: tents, beds, BBQ dinner – with a few wines and beers for the grown-ups – supper and breakfast from the bakery are all included.
The enthusiastic young zoo guides are adept at wearing out the children with a slew of night-time activities centred on the nocturnal animals. The calls of the zoo’s gibbons are a particularly effective alarm clock.
From poolside bites and tasting flights to seafood plates and dry-aged steaks, a foodie adventure on Hamilton Island is worth every bite.
Hamilton Island’s sun-lacquered shores have long magnetised travellers craving an escape from reality. But what’s less expected – and more interesting – is just how assuredly this Whitsundays idyll delivers on the culinary front. Dialling up the flavour as much as the barefoot allure, the Hamilton Island food scene offers world-class dining and drinking options, spanning slick fine-dining moments to just-caught seafood served within sight of the sea. Let’s dig in.
Catseye Pool Club
Catseye Pool Club offers stunning beach views. (Image: Kara Rosenlund)
Framing the electric blues of Catseye Beach from The Sundays hotel, Catseye Pool Club is Hamilton Island’s latest culinary prodigy. Shown to our table, we thread through rattan chairs, Zellige tiles and tumbling greenery that opens up to Coral Sea shimmer.
The poolside restaurant is the brainchild of Sydney-based chef duo Josh and Julie Niland, who have brought their relaxed yet elevated dining ethos north. The menu – designed to bring people together – is made for sharing, each hero ingredient orbited by a palette of sides to mix, match and layer as you please.
My thyme cocktail – woody with scotch, lifted by lime leaf – pairs perfectly with the charcoal grilled prawns entree, which is served with tumeric and lemongrass marinade, macadamia satay sauce and a thai-leaning sour green mango salad. Each forkful lands differently, but all are a delight. Then comes the coral trout. True to Josh Niland’s ‘scale-to-tail’ philosophy, the fish is presented whole in a theatrical crescent, a tiny fork stuck into its cheek in a nod to Niland’s declared prize cut. Ribbons of zucchini resembling gauzy curtains bring brightness and snap, while kasundi lends depth and warmth. It’s tongue-tantalising, special occasion dining with humanity.
Sails Restaurant
Settle into casual poolside dining. (Credit: Nikki To)
A more casual poolside dining scene awaits at nearby Sails Restaurant, where Eastern Mediterranean flavours are dished up with an island twist. Chermoula chicken skewers and barramundi souvlaki lie on the more filling side of the menu, while the sumac squid and stone-bread flatbread with za’atar – arriving alongside pomegranate molasses, beetroot hummus and crushed macadamias – are perfect light bites after a dip in the pool. And don’t miss the garlic lemon scallops.
The setting is equally part of the draw. Sunlight floods the high-ceilinged dining room, while outdoor tables look out across the glittering expanse of Catseye Beach. Holidaymakers in oversized sunglasses sip spritzes beneath umbrellas, the gentle clink of plates mixing with splashes from the adjacent pool. It’s the kind of place you’ll want to linger long after lunch.
Bommie
Head to the Hamilton Island Yacht Club for a taste of Bommie. (Credit: Nikki To)
Tucked into a sleek curved wing of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Bommie delivers experiential fine dining with a sense of occasion. Led by award-winning Executive Chef Ryan Locke, the seasonal menu champions local and native Australian ingredients whipped up into a modern display of creative precision.
Inside the dim-lit dining room, guests can choose between the Tasting Menu or Chef’s Signature Degustation. Sourdough with pine oil sets the tone for the six-course tasting menu, beautifully presented in a bed of pine needles alongside smoked paperbark butter. I love how the squid ink choux pastry is served with flavour-popping native finger lime, which our waiter encourages us to eat caviar-style. Standout moments continue with the wattle-seed-crusted venison elevated by red fruit and pickled beetroot swirls; the meat is perfectly pink in the middle and an homage to the island’s history as a deer farm.
Pebble Beach
qualia Resort guests can dine at Pebble Beach. (Credit: Lean Timms)
Exclusive to qualia Resort guests for lunch and dinner, Pebble Beach is Hamilton Island’s most serene expression of seasonal island dining. Ocean-facing chairs dot a timber deck that spills straight onto the resort’s private beach, while crystalline turquoise waters stretch to meet distant islands – a scene far prettier than any postcard could capture.
The recently refreshed menu doubles down on seasonality and bright, layered flavours. While the more substantial T-bone steak with hazelnut honey carrots tempts, we go lighter: Coffin Bay oysters with Champagne foam and keffir lime dust kick us off splendidly, followed by Byron Bay burrata served with balsamic and caramelised figs. The fennel and orange salad topped with succulent grilled chicken is utterly delectable, but it’s the zingy, oh-so-fresh soft shell fish tacos that I can’t stop thinking about. It all goes down a treat with a glass of delicate Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne.
Beach Club Restaurant
Book in advance for Beach Club Restaurant. (Credit: Nikki To)
A lunch or dinner table at Beach Club Restaurant is best booked in advance – and it’s easy to see why. Looking out over the hotel’s palm-fringed infinity pool, the restaurant spotlights elegant contemporary Australian cuisine with a stellar (also Aussie-leaning) wine list to match.
I am completely enamoured by the grilled Queensland prawns, which are brought to life with a smoked compound, local fried curry leaves and lime. Digging into the butter-soft lamb rump served atop pea ragout and parsley Paris mash feels like a warm, nostalgic hug. And dessert – vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with hot salted honey and apple gel – ends the night on a high note.
Expect warm and discreet service; our waiter Marco tells us that the tiny decorative starfish on our table are there to help the staff remember whether we prefer sparkling or still water, so they don’t need to bother us by asking multiple times.
Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher
Join this immersive wine experience. (Credit Eleanor Edström)
There’s more to Hamilton Island’s foodie scene than restaurant reservations alone. For wine-curious travellers seeking something a little more immersive, Beach Club has recently introduced Talk & Taste – a tutored tasting hosted by Bommie Assistant Manager and wine enthusiast Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher. Held twice weekly for a maximum of eight guests, the experience explores Australian wine culture through four thoughtfully selected drops paired with native-inspired bites.
We opt for the white wine and seafood option. Alongside pours from Eden Valley and Launceston, a nibbling platter arrives featuring sashimi, salmon roe, Mooloolaba prawn ceviche and palate-cleansing ginger. The seafood is pristine and pared back, allowing the wines to take centre stage.
The real highlight, however, is discovering just how nuanced winemaking can be. Courtenay speaks of viticulture as both art and science: harvest grapes a week too late and ripeness tips into ruin; plant the same varietal on different elevations and the sun, slope and water flow will shape entirely different expressions. Pinot noir, she explains, with its delicate skin and high water content, yields lighter fruit-forward wines, while thicker-skinned shiraz delivers depth and structure. I leave feeling fascinated and inspired by Courtenay’s evident passion.
coca chu
Get a taste of Southeast Asian flavours. (Credit: Nikki To)
Sweet and hot. Sour and salty. Dining at ever-popular coca chu is a sensation-swirling experience that’s not to be missed if you’re a sucker for punchy Southeast Asian flavours. Located at the Main Pool end of Catseye Beach, this lively hangout is all swaying lanterns, driftwood, high beamed ceilings and giant open windows that let in the balmy ocean breeze.
Drawing from hawker traditions, the grilled betel leaf is a neat, vibrant mouthful of chilli fried cashews and spiced beef. The tofu surprises – soft beneath a tumble of dill, mint and coriander, and glossed in moreish peanut sauce. The massaman curry is pure comfort: creamy, fragrant, fall-apart meat. It’s generous and expressive cooking that I, for one, cannot get enough of.
Marina Cafe
Take in harbour views and comfort food.
Sometimes, all you crave on holidays is a bacon and egg roll done properly and a creamy fruit smoothie. Boasting harbour views, an easygoing atmosphere and clean modern interiors, Marina Cafe is a popular local haunt for a reason. The casual menu lures families and couples alike with its all-day brekky, seasonal salads and sandwiches – from a roasted pumpkin bowl to prosciutto and rocket on herby focaccia.
The acai bowl, topped with toasted nuts and berries, is a refreshing start to my day. Whether you sit in or takeaway, it’s a good-vibes-guaranteed place to refuel before or after your Whitsundays adventures.
