Hartley's Crocodile Adventures Review
Hartley's is the place in the far north to see crocodiles properly, and it does a lot more than crocs. Your ticket covers a lagoon cruise where the keepers pole-feed the big saltwater crocodiles, plus every show of the day: the Crocodile Attack Show, snakes, cassowary feeding and a koala talk. It sits on the coast road at Wangetti, about 40 minutes from Cairns and 25 from Port Douglas, so it fits neatly into a drive north. Most visitors stay around four hours.
Hartley's tickets, coach packages and the Koala Breakfast
Park entry
Lagoon cruise, all wildlife presentations, valid 3 days self-drive. Open 8:30am to 5:00pm. With a return coach: $110 from Cairns & Northern Beaches, $95 from Palm Cove, $126 from Port Douglas per adult.
Hartley's Koala Breakfast
Hot breakfast on the lagoon deck with a koala, then the park. Breakfast 8:30am to 9:30am. With a return coach: $143 from Cairns & Northern Beaches, $128 from Palm Cove, $159 from Port Douglas per adult.
Great Australian Wildlife Experience
Hartley's + Kuranda Koala Gardens + Birdworld Kuranda within 5 days, self-drive only. Valid 5 days from your first visit.
What your ticket covers
- Entry to the wildlife displays and natural areas
- At least one boat cruise on Hartley's Lagoon, around 20 minutes, with crocodile pole feeding
- All scheduled wildlife presentations, including the Crocodile Attack Show
- Self-guided walks and free wildlife information sheets
- Self-drive entry is valid for 3 consecutive days (park map stamped on your first visit)
- Return coach transfer, when you choose a coach option
- Hot breakfast on the lagoon deck with a koala visit, when you choose the Koala Breakfast
Is Hartley's right for you?
How the day runs
Presentation times as published by the park. Times can change on the day.
Before you go
The full review
If you only do one wildlife park on this trip, make it this one. Hartley's is the largest and most diverse wildlife attraction in North Queensland. It is also the most honest answer to the question every visitor asks within a day of landing: where can I see a crocodile without risking my legs?
The lagoon cruise is the part people talk about afterwards. It is short, around 20 minutes, and the keepers pole-feed saltwater crocodiles right beside the boat. You get one cruise with your ticket and your time is given to you at the admissions desk, so check it when you arrive and plan the shows around it. Then work through the day: the 11am crocodile feeding, the snake show, the 3pm Crocodile Attack Show and the cassowary feeding are the four I would not miss.
It works for every age. There is a playground for small children, most of the 2.5 km of paths are fine for prams and wheelchairs, and Lilies Restaurant on the lagoon serves crocodile if you are curious. Without a car, the coach transfer packages from Cairns, Palm Cove or Port Douglas are the easy way to do it.
Why it earns Best Crocodile Park and a 4.8: it puts you close to big saltwater crocs in a beautiful lagoon setting, and the ticket includes the cruise and every show. The only real catch is time. If you squeeze it into two hours you will miss half of it.
Hartley's Crocodile Adventures FAQs