Australian Reptile Park | |
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33°25′06″S 151°16′38″E / 33.418247°S 151.277222°E | |
Date opened | The Park's precursor establishment Ocean Beach Aquarium opened in 1950. Eric Worrell's Australian Reptile Park established July 1958 (officially opening to public 3 October 1959). Re-opened to public at its current site 7 September 1996 |
Location | Somersby, New South Wales, Australia |
Land area | 22 acres (8.9 ha) |
No. of animals | 2,000+ |
No. of species | 400+ |
Annual visitors | 250,000+ |
Memberships | Zoo and Aquarium Association[1]
NSW Zoo Association (NSWZA) NSW Fauna and Marine Park Association (NSW FMPA) Australasian Society of Zoo Keeping (ASZK) |
Website | www |
The Australian Reptile Park is located at Somersby on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is about 71 kilometres (44 mi) north of Sydney, and is just off the M1 Pacific Motorway, near Gosford. The Park has one of the largest reptile collections in Australia, with close to 50 species on display. The wide variety of reptile species at the Park includes snakes, lizards (such as Komodo dragons), turtles, tortoises, tuataras, American alligators and crocodiles.
In addition, the Park features Australian mammals such as kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, platypuses, Tasmanian devils, bare-nosed wombat, quokkas, echidnas, and dingoes. Australian birds featured include cassowaries.
The park is heavily involved in snake and spider venom collection for use in the production of antivenom and is credited for saving the lives of thousands. It is an institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association.