Billabong Sanctuary celebrates 40th birthday in style
Beloved icon Billabong Sanctuary has celebrated four decades of fun in style over the weekend. See the photos here.
Townsville
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Wearing his handmade Crocodile outfit that was judged best in show, two-year-old Luca Lobley couldn’t wait to see Snappy Tom put on the performance of his life at Billabong Sanctuary.
Along with his mum Emma, and dad Brodie Lobley, he was one of the first through the door to help the park celebrate its 40th birthday on Saturday.
Emma Lobley said the family lived nearby at Alligator Creek and Billabong Sanctuary was their local park where they come at least once a month.
“We bought the yearly membership, and when we saw the (birthday) post on Facebook, we’re like - that’s a great way to spend the weekend.
“It’s really cool having something like this. Obviously, with the aquarium closed in Townsville, we want something natural, something educational for bubba.
“This is awesome to come and have this experience,” she said.
Mrs Lobley said Luca loved coming to Billabong to see all the different animals.
“He knows all the animals now. He hop hops for the kangaroos and he snaps his hand for the crocodiles. He learned so many new words such as kookaburra is quite a big word.
“He can say kookaburra. So it’s been really great to show him animals that, yes, they’re in our backyard, but you don’t see them every day.”
She said they had made a special outfit for him today for the children’s animal fashion parade.
“We tried a little bit of DIY at home today to make a costume, something fun in the morning, just a bit of egg cartons and paint. But I guess we like to have fun, and this place is very fun.
“Luca loves the crocodile feeds. Crocodile is his favourite. Whenever we go he goes, ‘Oh, big Croc’ and he knows which pond has the best croc.
“The staff have always been really friendly and really good to us here.
“They really put it in the effort and connect with their guests and make an experience for you when you visit. It’s wonderful,” she said.
Owner Bob Flemming said the carpark was overflowing with visitors.
“The word’s out there, everybody knows about our birthday, so they’ve come along to help us celebrate,” he said.
Originally published as Billabong Sanctuary celebrates 40th birthday in style
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