I was going to add a link to my previous experience visiting Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures north of Cairns when we went in 2016, but apparently I never got around to doing that. So I’m featuring both here for comparison.
Hartley's Crocodile Adventures April 2016
After eight years, I still remember it vividly.
This was a very professional presentation.
The presenter went on the front of the boat and held raw chicken out on a stick to get the crocs to jump for it. He would try to pull the chicken out of reach at just the right second so their jaws would make a loud and ferocious *snap* when then miss. Very showy.
We got to walk through their breeding area. The baby crocodiles were all in a large area together. Anytime one croc touched another they would instinctively snap aggressively and pursue. It was evident that crocs are just *always angry.*
They had a small croc out for holding and touching. I wanted to establish dominance in the relationship so I went ahead and touched.
Then we got to sit on bleachers in front of a large pond where the largest of the crocodiles were fed. More chicken on a long pole. More snapping jaws. The presenter was very fun. One of the crocs was really large and dangerous and he had recently eaten one of the other crocodiles. The presenter said he'd been put in his own pond away from the rest "so he could think about what he's done."
They are just always angry.
It was a full experience and very well done. I felt safe. The presenter wore a microphone so I could hear everything they said.
There was a nice cafe to try a piece of crocodile meat to send a message to those cranky crocs that I'm still at the top of the food chain.
Price for entry as of May 2023: $45AU adult, $22.50AU child
There is a cafe on site where you can have a crocodile burger!
They have a great gift shop as well where you can purchase crocodile leather.
FIVE STARS for the experience and the price.
Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park May 2023
“nothing but a dodgy fence separating you from the worst day of your life” --Dale, crocodile feeding presenter at Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park
It’s only a matter of time before there is a tragic accident at the Malcolm Douglas crocodile park. Our experience at Hartley’s Crocodile Park in Cairns instilled a clear understanding of how very strong and dangerous crocodiles are. So when we walked in and saw only a "dodgy" chain link fence separating the humans from the 4 meter crocs, I was alarmed. I saw the handler feeding them chickens with his bare hands, relying on his own timing to pull away before the croc ate his hand off. He even said, “you’ve got a dodgy fence separating you from the worst day of your life.”
He also told us more than once that the crocs are more than capable of jumping the fences. And one of them did exactly that just two weeks ago. It begged the question, "why do you not have a more secure enclosure while you are escorting families through this area?" And there is not an answer to that.
This bad boy got angry at his neighbor and peeled back the metal panel separating them with very little effort. While we walked by. Do you know how unsettling it is to hear the sound of metal being reformed by a crocodile when you are 15 feet away? Look closely. That little chain holding the gate shut is no match for his jaws, much less the twisted wire the fence is made of.
Several signs label individual crocs as “extremely dangerous,” “highly aggressive,” and “fiercely territorial.”
He said that if you push on a crocodile’s eye, he can retract the eye and pull it all the way back behind its ears! So poking its eyes to survive an attack is a useless myth. The best plan you have is to RUN.
This guy is 4 weeks old.
On the city bus tour that morning, we learned the crocodile park used to be in town, right next to a pub. Sometimes drunk guys would wander into the park after dark and that didn't go well. But one guy did manage to get in--and out--after attempting to *ride* a 4 meter crocodile named Fatso!
This is Buddy. He loves human attention so I went to talk to him. I asked him to show me his tail. He bobbed his head and then took a bow.
Price for entry as of May 2023: $45 adult, $25 child
No cafe
Gift shop with leather, but they said they were not going to be farming anymore so their leather selection will be reducing.
Hmmm. It's a nice interesting trip, but compared to the boat ride and the microphoned show at Hartley's, it was not as memorable. I was happy to leave when Henry was finished. I didn't feel safe and I think the guy should have at least demonstrated more personal caution in feeding them as a matter of public education.
For fun: Largest Crocodile ever caugh
We rested a bit and then got ready to watch Staircase to the Moon.
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