Looking for an original family outing to spice up your stay in the Aude? Just a boomerang’s throw from the medieval city of Carcassonne, discover the Australian Park. A vacation in the Australian bush, without the poisonous snakes, deadly spiders or sharp-toothed crocodiles, but with peaceful kangaroos, cuddly wallabies and colorful parakeets. In Occitanie, a change of scenery is guaranteed!
A touch of Australia on Carcassonne’s doorstep
Enjoy your vacation in Carcassonne to spend a fabulous day in a one-of-a-kind wildlife park and travel to the farthest reaches of the Australian outback. Located just a few minutes from Europe’s largest medieval city 35 km from our Aude campsite, the Australian Park invites you into the land of kangaroos, aborigines and gold diggers!
A wildlife park where kangaroos are king
Find out all about this endearing animal, its origins, its character, its lifestyle, the way it gets around and keeps its young in its pouch. The kangaroos most often seen in the park are the red kangaroos, the world’s best-known and largest marsupial. Thanks to their spring-like hind legs, they can make spectacular jumps, up to 3 meters high and 10 meters long. You can also see albino kangaroos and grey kangaroos, a species rarely seen in captivity in Europe. A magical encounter that makes children jump for joy!
In the skin of Crocodile Dundee
The Australian Park offers free guided tours to get up close to the kangaroos, stroke the wallabies in their enclosure, take part in ostrich feeding and admire the hundred or so waved parakeets that roam free in the 300 m2 aviary. It’s also an opportunity to meet the park’s camels and goats.
To spice up your visit, the park organizes a number of family activities: a “Little Carers for a Day” session for 6-17 year-olds, and a “Gold panning” course, with a gold prospector’s diploma awarded to the most skilful. In short, a fun, interactive mini-adventure up close to the animals!
Discovering Australia’s aborigines
Still largely unknown today, Aboriginal culture is the oldest in the world, dating back over 60,000 years. TheEspace Aborigène invites visitors to follow in the footsteps ofAustralia ‘s first inhabitants and discover their history, way of life and beliefs. Didactic panels, reconstructions of dwellings and scenes of life inform visitors about this emblematic people of the Australian continent.
To make discovery even more fun, children can take part in make-up and Aboriginal painting workshops, learn to throw a boomerang with a teacher, or learn to play the “didgeridoo”, the traditional wind instrument ofAustralia‘s Aborigines.
The park may not be very big, but it’s always a change of scenery and a day full of twists and turns. A family outing that can be rounded off with a late afternoon swim on the La Cavayère lake just a stone’s throw from Parc Australien.
Practical information
- Address: Chemin des Bartavelles, 11000 Carcassonne (35 minutes by car from the 3-star La pinède campsite in Lézignan-Corbières)
- Phone. : 06 07 06 86 83
- Open: April to October.
- Tour duration: 2 to 4 hours (picnic areas on site)
- Adult price: €10.90, children (aged 3 to 11 inclusive): €7.90, free for under-3s
- Further information www.leparcaustralien.fr