Kwinana Rockingham Mandurah Branch, 24 May 2026
The May Excursion was to the Armadale Reptile and Wildlife Centre in Wungong. Nine members gathered at the car park on a cool but fine morning. Seeing many people with camera equipment getting out of their cars, we thought we had attracted a larger crowd. But it turned out that the Kalamunda Photography Club was also visiting the centre. The number of visitors would later be increased by a group celebrating a child’s birthday, so it was a busy morning for the centre, which was good to see, as it is a privately owned business that relies on clientele to remain viable.
We made our way into the centre and along the rows of the display cabinets. These housed various frog species, including the Magnificent Tree Frog (Pelodryas splendida), of which there were many following a very successful breeding event and Motorbike Frogs (Litoria moorei). Venomous snake species were well represented, with Dugites, Mulga Snakes and Tiger Snakes (one of which was showing off a vividly coloured skin – it must have just shed its old skin). Numerous Python species were also on display, including several subspecies of Carpet Pythons, Black-headed Python, Woma and Olive Python. Dragons and skinks made up the bulk of the remaining displays, with Bearded Dragons, Frilled Lizards, Kings’ Skinks, Shinglebacks and Blue-tongued Skinks all on display.
On venturing outside, the first sighting was of the centre’s female Saltwater Crocodile, which was basking at the side of its pool, making the most of the mid-morning sunshine. It was an impressive animal. Unfortunately, the cool conditions meant that the monitor lizards had not come out from their hideouts. Other external displays included several aviaries housing many lovely native birds, plus an enclosure containing Dingoes, another with two Emus, and one with kangaroos.
We then gathered for a cuppa and biscuits before leaving for home. It had been a great morning. It is a credit to Klasse Gaikhorst and his team for continuing to operate the centre and maintaining the quality of the exhibits.
Colin Prickett