Walkabout Australia Opens Friday At San Diego Zoo Safari Park

ESCONDIDO, CA – Australia is now just a hop, skip and a jump away from San Diego.

Walkabout Australia, a new 3.6-acre habitat, opens Friday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido. Visitors will be able to stroll among kangaroos, wallabies, cassowaries, wombats and other Australian wildlife.

"Australia is an extraordinary place, and we are thrilled to provide a snapshot of some of the wonders from Down Under at the all-new Walkabout Australia experience at the Safari Park," said Lisa Peterson, director of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in a press release.

Walkabout Australia was constructed to reflect the grasslands, rainforests, wetlands and deserts of Australia. The "immersive experience" features a variety of animals, including western gray kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, double-wattled cassowaries, Matschie's tree kangaroos, brush turkeys, freckled ducks, magpie geese, echidnas, kookaburras, radjah shelducks, red-breasted cockatoos, sugar gliders and wombats.

The $17.4 million addition to the park is located at the base of the trail to Condor Ridge, adjacent to Tull Family Tiger Trail.

Entrance to Walkabout Australia is included with admission, which costs $54 for adults and $44 children ages 3 to 11.

For more information, visit sdzsafaripark.org/walkabout.

Photos by Darla Davis; rendering courtesy of San Diego Zoo Safari Park