Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure

What a fun day! Although getting up early is never my first choice I will never shy away from it to have an amazing experience. So the alarm went off early, but I was excited. The shuttle picked us up early too… But I was excited. Upon arrival at Hartley’s

Crocodile Adventure (a sort 45 min ride from Cairns) we were guided in and shown the counter where we checked in. We had signed up for the deluxe tour including animal encounters and croc feeding. Immediately we were whisked away to the back VIP area. Our hostess was so excited about her job and sharing her animals with is that it bordered on giddy! First was a wombat… Cute, fun, cuddly and fat.. Ha what a wonderful creature… Next a wallabe… Small kangaroo looking creatures with a kind personality. Soft and cute. And finnaly a baby koala… Wow so cute and cuddly!!! And as an added bonus a black headed python! A big 8 foot snake! All of these were so much fun!

After a little time to wander the park, go on a boat ride, and enjoy some more animals it was time for the Grande finally! Big crock feeding! As we approached the two small ponds there was only murky water in each of them… Peering down into one I could make put the faint snout of a croc… A big croc… The host used a piece of chicken mounted to a string to slap the water near the crock…. It suddenly lunged flinging water about and opening his mouth large… I mean huge… And snapping back down. It caused all of us to jump back…and the start laughing at our absurd reaction … There was no way this crock could get us… I mean there was a piece of steel wire fence separating us… He couldn’t get us…. Right?… Right??

We went on feeding different crocks for an hour. Big, bigger and huge.. some 15′-20′ long! We teased them with out bait as they lunged to get it. Our host explaining about them as we go, teaching us to respect them as well as almost admire them. Overall it was an amazing experience. Worth the high price tag if you can afford it.