Cairns Zoom – Zipline over a Saltwater Crocodile

Explore FNQCairns

Sep 17

As I zip-lined over the massive Saltwater Crocodile I had to remind myself that I was doing this for my son’s birthday party.

**I didn’t realize Goliath could reach this far!!**

It did make me wonder what activity I would be forced to do when he reached his ‘daring’ teenage years! The 4 kids that had tagged along to help celebrate with us at Cairns ZOOm Wildlife Dome where already onwards and upwards, forcing me to not ‘hang’ around and admire the 5-metre beast that lay below……

I must admit to having a preference to viewing Saltwater Crocodiles from outside an enclosure, or from the relative safety of a boat, rather than dangling from straight above via a steel cable – it did seem a little precarious for my liking. But the kids didn’t seem to mind, they just saw it as another ‘obstacle’ to conquer on the daring Cairns Zoom High Adventure.

**Interact with the wildlife at Cairns ZOOm**

The Cairns Wildlife Dome has always been a favourite sanctuary for our family during the Far Northern Wet Season. Its massive glass dome provides the perfect umbrella during those wet tropical downpours. It’s a great place to wander around in a natural rainforest setting and enjoy all sorts of native Australian animals that (mostly) free-roam around the enclosure. Thankfully Goliath, the 4-5 metre Saltie stays put in his own habitat though.

This time our visit was all about conquering the challenging ropes course that has been set up within the wildlife enclosure – it puts a new twist on a visit to a native animal sanctuary. And if you’re following a group of 8-10 year olds around the rope course you may find yourself knocking it over in a third of the time you would have thought physically possible!

As I stepped onto the first obstacle - the moving log stumps that sit at least 5-metres off the ground (maybe more!!) I began to seriously rethink what I had committed myself to. But after completing a series of tunnel crawling, log balancing, wall-climbing and cargo-net clambering I was ready to accept an award for being ‘Spider-Mummy’ of the year.

**Does anything slow these kids down??**

I found the Mid-Zoom the perfect place to test your balancing skills and get used to the belay system that helps keep everyone safe and secure. By the time the kids (and I) were ready to move onto the Hi-Zoom we were all adept at flinging our safety systems through a wide variety of cable junctions – at the start it all seemed a bit cumbersome.

So HOW different is the Mid-Zoom to the Hi-Zoom? A fair amount I’d say. I was quite impressed with the trickiness of the Hi-Zoom course and that coupled with the physical workout gave me a real feeling of accomplishment at the end (YES - my heart was pumping).

The added height differential also manages to up the anti and did I mention those ‘Zip-line’ crossings. It doesn’t help that the Zoom crew ‘dare’ you to shoot across with your arms out wide, holding onto nothing!!

Ultimately I was impressed with the lack of fear in the group of kids we had chosen to join us. Apparently the Zoom crew will assist people if they feel dubious about crossing the obstacles but they assured me its very rare they have to unhook a person midway around the course and return them to solid ground. “We’re good at talking people through it” added Sam, our No 1 group organizer.

**Zipline action over the Crocodile enclosure**

And then of course there’s the Bragging Rights at the end. After all how many 10 year olds can produce a photo of themselves dangling above the jaws of a feisty Saltwater Crocodile? (Please Note: Photoshop was used to create these images and NO small children were harmed in the process).

Good Things to Know:

There are 4 Adventures to choose from at Cairns ZOOm. Entry into the Wildlife Dome includes access to all wildlife shows and tours. Cairns ZOOm activities are available at an extra cost.
Minimum age for Cairns ZOOm activities is 6 years old.
All Cairns ZOOm Participants must be 120kg or less, and fit into the Harness and Helmet.
There are height and weight restrictions involved with the Cairns ZOOm activities. Click HERE to find out More – Cairns ZOOm FAQ.
If your child is young, or short its worth following behind them so you can assist them initially with their belay system (it takes a little while to get used to it)
There are plenty of drink stations positioned around the rope course.
ZOOm membership is available and allows you to visit and access all ZOOm activities at discounted rates.

Have you visited Cairns Wildlife Dome yet? Have you challenged yourself and had a go at the Cairns Zoom?

Please Note: There are 2 other ZOOm activities available – the Dome Climb and the Power Jump – unfortunately we ran out of time to do all 4 activites. BUT, we will be back…..If you would Like to Book or Learn More Click HERE – Cairns ZOOm.